Soorya
Performing Arts
A
non profit organization for the promotion of Classical
Performing Arts
(Dance, Music and Theater) of India
For
the First time in St. Louis
Kathak Performance with Musicians
Katha
Kahe
Kathak
Dancers
will dazzle you with their fast footwork &“chakkars”
Graceful dancing will make your evening joyful !
Performers: Guru Prasanna & Students
Vocal: Sandhya Pandurangi
Tabla: Anil Datar
Sitar: Jed Asgari
Tickets:$10
Friday, Dec 3rd 2004 7:30 PM
Mahathma Gandhi Center, 724 Weidman Road, St.Louis, MO 63011
For Details Contact
Dr.Ashok Mallya 314-966-3958
Saroni Bhattacharya 314-298-1411
KATHAK - Kathak is among the six major
classical dances of India and one of the most dynamic theater arts in the
world. The word Kathak is derived from the word Katha -the art of
storytelling. With dance, music and mime, the storytellers of ancient
India would bring to life the great scriptures and epic of ancient times,
especially the great Indian epics - the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the
Puranas of Sanskrit literature. From its early form as a devotional
expression dedicated to the Hindu gods, Kathak gradually moved out of the
temples and into the courts of the rulers - the Hindu Maharajas and the
Muslim Nawabs. With these rulers’ cultural wealth and preoccupation with
lavish entertainment, a class of dancing girls and courtesans emerged to
entertain the palaces. Much later, during the mid-1800's, Kathak enjoyed a
renaissance and gained prominence among the kings and zamindars (feudal
overlords) not only as a form of entertainment, but also as a classical
art form. In the Hindu courts of the vast semi-desert of North-West India,
Kathak developed in the Jaipur Gharana (school), a regional style
emphasizing the technical mastery of pure dance. To the east in the court
of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh and himself a student of Kathak,
the dance emphasized dramatic and sensuous expression and developed into
the style characteristic of the Lucknow Gharana. Kathak is noted for its
fast Chakkars (spins) and Tatkars (footwork). Its expressive
part is more varied with subjects such as love, romance, devotion and
valor.
Prasanna Kasthuri (student of Guru Maya Rao and
who had a brief period of training with legendary Birju Maharaj and
Saswathi Sen) and his students will be presenting the Kathak dances.
Come and enjoy the show. Meet the past with present.
