Technical Vocabulary and Terminology
What this domain tests
You must define technical terms precisely and recognise them in a performance description. Confusing a tukra with a toda, or a paran with a gat, is a common scoring loss.
Core vocabulary
- Tatkar: basic footwork, usually on bols such as “ta thai tat aa thai”; it establishes laya and ghungroo clarity.
- Amad: an entrance composition, often in vilambit, leading to sam.
- Toda: a composed nritta piece, longer than a tukra, often built from padas and cadential tihai.
- Tukra: a short, compact nritta composition, frequently ending in tihai.
- Paran: a composition derived from pakhawaj bols, often set in chhand or poetic metre; it is not simply “fast dance”.
- Gat: a walk or mimed sequence. Gat nikas is abstract/processional; gat bhao is expressive and narrative.
- Chakkar: spin(s), normally coordinated with tala and completed on sam.
- Tihai: a phrase repeated three times to land on sam; padhant is rhythmic recitation; sawal-jawab is tabla-dancer dialogue.
Worked example
A candidate hears: “short rhythmic piece, three repetitions, ends on sam.” That is a tukra with tihai, not a paran, because no pakhawaj-derived chhand is indicated. A longer nritta composition with several sections is better labelled toda. A pakhawaj-bol composition in syllabic metre is a paran. The reasoning rests on length, source of bols and cadence.
Traps that cost marks
- Using toda and tukra interchangeably.
- Defining paran only by speed rather than pakhawaj bols and metre.
- Treating every spin as a chakkar without tala alignment.
- Confusing gat bhao with pure nritta; gat bhao carries narrative expression.