BSEH SS Dance Kathak flashcards
BSEH SS Dance Kathak · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Kathakar
- The Sanskrit term for a storyteller, from which the word Kathak derives; originally bards who recited epics in temples and villages.
- Natyashastra
- The foundational Sanskrit treatise on drama and dance attributed to Bharata, dated roughly 200 BCE to 200 CE, cited as the source of Kathak's dramatic principles.
- Lucknow gharana
- A Kathak school associated with Ishwari Prasad and Bindadin Maharaj, known for graceful movement and strong emphasis on expressive abhinaya.
- Jaipur gharana
- A Kathak school associated with Bhanuji and the Maharaj family, known for vigorous pure dance, complex footwork, and rhythmic virtuosity.
- Banaras gharana
- A Kathak school associated with Janaki Prasad, known for forceful, grounded movement and a distinctive style of tatkar and bhava.
- Raigarh gharana
- A Kathak school associated with Raja Chakradhar Singh, known for compositions in rare talas and emphasis on layakari.
- Tatkar
- The basic footwork pattern in Kathak, usually rendered in teental as 'ta thei thei tat, aa thei thei tat', forming the rhythmic foundation of nritta.
- Tukra
- A short, self-contained rhythmic composition of bols in Kathak, typically ending on sam and used within a nritta sequence.
- Paran
- A Kathak composition using pakhawaj-derived bols such as dha, dhin, and tete; weightier and more percussive than a tukra.
- Chakkar
- A pirouette or spin in Kathak; a series of chakkars usually concludes with a tihai landing on sam.
- Tihai
- A rhythmic phrase repeated three times so that its final beat lands exactly on sam, used to resolve a nritta sequence.
- Teental
- The most common Kathak tala, with sixteen matras divided into four equal sections of four beats each.
- Jhaptal
- A ten-matra tala divided 2+3+2+3, commonly used for Kathak compositions and thumri accompaniment.
- Rupak tala
- A seven-matra tala divided 3+2+2, notable because sam falls on the first matra of the khali section.
- Sam and khali
- Sam is the first beat of a tala cycle and the point of resolution; khali is the empty section marked by a wave of the hand.
- Layakari
- The deliberate manipulation of tempo against the tala cycle, including barabar, dugun, tigun, and chaugun variations.
- Nritta
- Pure abstract dance in Kathak, focused on rhythm, footwork, and form, with no expressional or narrative content.
- Nritya
- Expressional dance in Kathak, where movement conveys mood and meaning through abhinaya, as in thumri or gat bhao.
- Natya
- The dramatic element of performance, including characterization and narrative; the broadest category encompassing nritta and nritya.
- Abhinaya
- The means of expression in Kathak, classified as angika (body), vachika (speech), aharya (costume), and sattvika (inner emotion).
- Navarasa
- The nine aesthetic moods: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta, and shanta.
- Sattvika abhinaya
- The internal, involuntary expression of emotion in performance; considered the highest form of abhinaya and cannot be mechanically performed.
- Thumri
- A light-classical Hindustani vocal form, usually in dadra or jhaptal, with a romantic or devotional text; central to Kathak nritya.
- Gat bhao
- A mimetic Kathak sequence in which the dancer enacts a narrative or mood while moving in a stylized walk.
- Bhajan
- A devotional song, typically in Hindi or a regional language, used in Kathak for nritya with a religious theme.
- Ghungroo
- Ankle bells worn by the Kathak dancer, typically numbering about one hundred to two hundred per ankle, marking the footwork.
- Padhant
- The dancer's recitation of rhythmic bols, often synchronized with the tabla; a distinctive feature of Kathak performance.
- Sarangi
- A bowed string instrument used in Kathak accompaniment to provide the melodic line and support for vocal nritya.
- Bindadin Maharaj
- A Lucknow gharana exponent credited with composing many thumris and bandish that remain core to the Lucknow repertoire.
- Birju Maharaj
- A leading Lucknow gharana exponent known for abhinaya, layakari, and teaching, who popularized Kathak on the modern stage.
- Kumudini Lakhia
- A major Kathak innovator known for group choreography and contemporary presentation, expanding the form beyond solo performance.
- Chakkar technique
- Spinning by spotting the head and using the arms for momentum, concluding on sam with a tihai to resolve the sequence.