BSEH SS Dance Kathak key terms

The basic footwork pattern of Kathak, in which the dancer strikes the floor with heel and flat foot in a repeating bol pattern, usually set to teental and used to open a performance.

A short, self-contained rhythmic composition of bols ending on a decisive beat, often repeated three times and closed with a tihai; performed in nritta passages.

A longer nritta composition built from a sequence of bols, generally more elaborate than a tukra and often associated with the Jaipur gharana's expanded rhythmic designs.

A rhythmic composition drawn from pakhawaj bols, weightier and more percussive in character than tabla-based tukras, frequently used in Kathak to display strength and rhythmic command.

A rhythmic phrase repeated three times so that its final stroke lands exactly on a chosen beat, used to close a tukra, toda or gat and to mark structural arrival points.

A stylised, non-narrative movement sequence, often walking or circular, performed to a melodic line; gat nikas shows gait and posture, while gat bhao enacts a brief dramatic situation.

A mimed gat in which the dancer depicts a small situation or character, such as a woman carrying water or saluting, using gesture and expression within a rhythmic walk.

A spin executed on one or both feet, counted in numbers such as three, five or seven, and usually taken with the arms drawn in and the gaze held to prevent dizziness.

An opening nritta composition performed as the dancer enters, whose bols suggest arrival; it establishes the tala and announces the dancer's presence before the main repertoire.

A salutation composition performed early in a Kathak recital, originally offered to patrons and now generally rendered as a respectful greeting through gesture and rhythmic footwork.

The tempo or speed of a rhythmic cycle, commonly classified as slow, medium or fast; control of laya and its subdivisions is central to Kathak technique and improvisation.

The art of playing with laya by doubling, halving or otherwise subdividing the beat while keeping the cycle intact, a hallmark of virtuosic Kathak and tabla accompaniment.

A metrical cycle of a fixed number of beats, marked by claps and waves, that organises rhythm in Kathak; common cycles include teental, jhaptal, dadra and rupak.

The sixteen-beat cycle divided into four groups of four, the most common framework for Kathak nritta; its main sam falls on beat one and khali on beat nine.

A ten-beat cycle arranged in four groups of two, three, two and three beats, used for medium-tempo compositions and known for its distinctive khali placement.

A six-beat cycle in two groups of three, widely used for lighter Kathak items such as thumri and dadra-based nritya, and common in semiclassical singing.

A seven-beat cycle grouped as three, two and two, unusual because its sam is marked by a wave rather than a clap, so the cycle begins on a khali position.

The first and structurally most important beat of a tala, where phrases resolve; dancers and musicians aim to arrive on sam together, making it the focus of rhythmic improvisation.

The empty or unmarked position of a tala, shown by a wave of the hand instead of a clap; it creates contrast and is often used for lighter or suspended rhythmic passages.

Pure, abstract dance concerned only with rhythm, movement and pattern, without story or emotion; tatkar, tukras and chakkars belong to this category.

Expressive dance that conveys mood and meaning through gesture and facial expression, as in thumri, bhajan and gat bhao items; it is also called abhinaya-based dance.

Dramatic representation combining dance, mime, speech and costume to portray a narrative or character, the broadest of the three categories in classical Indian performance theory.

The means of carrying a performance to the audience; classical theory names four: angika through the body, vachika through speech or song, aharya through costume, and sattvika through inner feeling.

The emotional state or feeling that the performer evokes and transmits, such as longing, devotion or anger; sustained bhava is what allows an audience to taste rasa.

The aesthetic flavour or relish experienced by a receptive audience when a performance fully evokes an emotion; it is said to arise in the spectator, not in the performer alone.

The nine rasas of classical theory: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta, each linked to a dominant emotion and its presentation.

A codified hand gesture used to convey objects, actions or ideas in expressive dance; Kathak uses a smaller, more naturalistic set than forms such as Bharatanatyam or Odissi.

A semiclassical vocal form set usually in dadra or a light tala, with romantic or devotional poetry; in Kathak it becomes a slow nritya item rich in facial expression and gesture.

A devotional song addressed to a deity, often performed in Kathak as an expressive nritya piece emphasising surrender, longing and sattvika emotion rather than rhythmic display.

An Urdu poetic form of couplets on love and loss, sometimes adapted into Kathak for expressive abhinaya; its literary subtlety demands restrained gesture and clear facial work.

A devotional or narrative song, prominent in South Indian repertoires, in which a single line is elaborated through sanchari bhava; Kathak dancers borrow such texts for abhinaya.

The Kathak style shaped by Bindadin and Kalka Prasad Maharaj, known for graceful nritya, delicate abhinaya, polished gat and expressive thumri interpretation rather than forceful footwork.

The style associated with the Bhanuji lineage, celebrated for vigorous nritta, complex layakari, powerful tatkar and pakhawaj-derived parans that foreground rhythmic mastery.

A Kathak tradition linked to Janki Prasad and later exponents, blending expressive abhinaya with strong rhythmic work and drawing on the city's pakhawaj and vocal heritage.

A nineteenth-century Lucknow court musician and dancer regarded as a foundational figure of the Lucknow gharana, credited with compositions and thumris still used in Kathak training.

The string of small bells tied around the dancer's ankles, whose sound marks each footstroke; a heavy pair is a badge of long training and reinforces the rhythmic footwork.

A two-headed barrel drum with a deep, resonant tone, used for Kathak accompaniment in dhrupad-related and paran repertoire; its bols supply the vocabulary of heavier compositions.

The paired drums most often used for Kathak accompaniment, providing theka for the tala and improvising with the dancer; close rapport between dancer and tabla player is essential.

The basic, repeating drum pattern that states a tala and keeps its cycle, on which accompanists improvise; dancers rely on it to track sam, khali and internal subdivisions.

A short repeating melodic phrase played on harmonium or sarangi to mark the tala cycle during nritta, giving the dancer a stable pitch and rhythmic reference for improvisation.