Dance, when you are broken open.
Dance, if you have torn the bandage off.
Dance, in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you are perfectly free.
Maulana Rumi
Storytelling on Winged Feet
A single beat rings out in the hushed silence. A form moves with the rising music, almost ethereal in its fluidity, liquid in its grace. Expressions, gestures, music, rhythm, movement all come together and tell stories – from ecstatic celebrations of life to abject pathos and misery. The effect is mesmerizing. The dance, ancient. And its language, universal.
This is the magic of Kathak!
‘A dance born in temples, flourished in the courts and was itself transformed’
The word kathak, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘katha’, means the art of storytelling. Thought to be as old as the Aryan civilization, Kathak was born in the temples and told stories of religion and mythology. Later, under the patronage of the Moghuls, kathak flourished in the royal courts and a growing appreciation for this art led to an enhancement in the dance itself. With the Moghuls’ Persian influence came more emphasis on intricate technique, mathematically sophisticated footwork and a complex use of rhythm and time measurement. Thus Kathak emerged stronger with the fusion of the two varying Hindu and Muslim cultures woven into its intricate fabric. In the 19th century, two schools or ‘gharanas’ of Kathak emerged. The Lucknow gharana focused on more expressional work and intricate gestures, while the Jaipur gharana excelled in a powerful display of rhythmic technique. During the 20th century, Kathak relinquished its identity as an exclusively solo form and dance drama became its essential ingredient.
The Kathak of today is attuned to the present day’s socially aware climate and is influenced by current thoughts such as socialism, symbolism, realism and Freud’s concept of life force. A western influence is also evident in the costumes, make-up and stage effects.
Kathak described as mathematical permutations within a rhythmic circle, can also be described as mystical. A lot can be said about its mesmerizing beauty, but one has to actually experience Kathak to be able to feel its soul.
‘Through dance I found myself, and within myself I found God’
Nighat Chaodhry is a name that is indelibly linked with Kathak – in Pakistan and around the world, wherever people have had a chance to experience its magic. And, today, Nighat Chaodhry is poised to take the world along on this mystical journey and become a truly universal artiste in every sense.
The exponent of Eastern mysticism and grace, Nighat Chaodhry began her journey in cosmopolitan London, where her family moved from Pakistan when she was barely a year old. Growing up, dance was always a part of her life and she studied ballet and contemporary dance. Then at 16, she met Nahid Siddiqui, regarded as one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and that meeting changed the course of her life. “Inspired to learn the classical forms of my own culture,” she abandoned ballet and studied initially from Siddiqui in Birmingham. Later, she realized that in order to understand and absorb the nuances of the style, she had to be close to its origins – and thus began the journey back East.
‘In finding my roots, I found myself’
From Lahore to Delhi to Bombay, the journey continued over the years under the guidance of such world renowned Kathak masters as Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak in Lahore, Pandit Durga Lal in Delhi and Uma Dogra in Bombay. And Nighat, with such great teachers, found the soul in her dancing. Her success as a Kathak dancer is her tribute to her teachers.
‘Nothing matters except the dance itself’
Nighat has choreographed and performed her own pieces nationally and internationally to great acclaim. She has also tried her hand at acting on the mini screen and received the Nigar Award, the media art for outstanding performance as an artist, for Best Actress. She has also been featured as a model for various brands as well as music videos. Presently, she is acting in various plays and also a Pakistani feature film, as well as choreographing the dance pieces for them.
‘Soul in her dancing’
No words, however beautiful, can ever capture the awesome grace of an actual performance; be lilting enough to catch its musical essence or moving enough to capture its soul on paper. Kathak is, simply, a celebration of all the senses – and only life does justice to bringing its soul alive.
‘Dance cannot die. It will live till our spirit refuses to be shackled’
Dance my dusky one
For in your moving enchanted fingers
Lie trapped the expressions
Of countless seasons
You belong to the tribe of desire
You have worn the sun
Around your wrists like a bangle
And have danced in festivals
Of ecstasy and abandon
……………………………….
Dance
For in the ebb and flow
Of your body
Lie the secrets of days and nights
Let your ankle bells echo
On the ladders that stretch
Across centuries |
