Prism - Reviving a lost tradition of dance - Kiran Java

A dance is deemed as an Indian classical dance when its theory and practice can be traced to the Natyashastra, a performing arts treatise dated to 200 B.C - 200 C.E. attributed to Sage Bharata. Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri, and Mohiniyattam are recognized as classical dances by Sangeet Natak Akademi. Chhau is included in the list by the Ministry of Culture.

While other classical dances have evolved their art form from the standpoint of dance treatises, it is no secret that Kathak in its current form is difficult to link with the practices stated in the Natyashastra, the very text that marks its classical status. As a result, tracing Kathak, the principal dance of northern India, has long been a source of debate among Kathak dance practitioners.

To this end, Dr. Pt. Puru Dadheech recently presented a daring blueprint connecting Kathak classical dance to its texts. Dr. Dadheech, a Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, and Ministry of Culture Tagore National Fellow, has spent over 60 years researching, practicing, documenting, and teaching Kathak. According to him, the only way to reconcile Kathak dance with its theory is to research relevant dance texts from the medieval period, notably from the 11th through 19th centuries.

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