This dance form origin from the groups of poets of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers. These poets, performing in village squares and temple courtyards, mostly specialized in recounting mythological and moral tales from the scriptures. They use to perform those stories with hand gestures and facial expressions. It was a high class theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to telling the stories. In the time of Mughal culture, Kathak became a sophisticated chamber art and taking care by art loving rulers, the practitioners of Kathak worked at refining its dramatic and rhythmic footworks, delighting elite audiences with their mastery over rhythm and the stylized mime.
The technique of Kathak is easy to understand by fast rhythmic footwork set to complex time cycles. The footwork is matched by the accompanying percussion instruments such as tabla and pakhawaj, and the dancer and percussionists often play with speed and ending in statuesque poses. The story portion, based on tales of Radha and Krishna and other mythological lore, contains subtle gestures and facial expressions. Lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur are recognized as the three schools, or gharanas, where this art was born and where the aspects were refined to a high standard.
INSTURMENTS USE IN KATHAK
Pakwaj, Tabla, Harmonium, Sarengi and Talam(cymbals)