Form and Freedom in Kathak Performance
Form and Freedom in Kathak Performance
In Pandit Chitresh Das’s kathak community, a full-length kathak solo was considered the primary rite of passage for a senior kathak student transitioning into a performance career. This performance was particularly formidable because Pandit Das expected them to include upaj, or spontaneous, non-choreographed dancing. This chapter explores the various types of improvisation found in kathak and methods by which kathak students practiced the skills needed to improvise. Finally, this chapter considers means by which Pandit Das inserted upaj and other forms of rhythmic spontaneity into the large-scale and largely choreographed productions expected by promoters, funders, and audiences.
Keywords: kathak community, kathak solo, rite of passage, upaj, non-choreographed dancing, improvisation, rhythmic spontaneity, choreographed productions
Illinois Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
