Kathak - Classical Pakistani Dance

The Asian Study Group ended their year with a classical dance performance called kathak. Wikipedia calls kathak the national dance of Pakistan that originated in Northern India.


The dance is smooth and graceful. It is performed by any gender in order to tell a story, apparently. The dancer this evening was Fasih-Ur-Rehman. He is a man who comes off quite effeminate with his slender arms, subtle body movements, and flowing dresses.

Beyond the storytelling through mime and brief vocals, the performance is a interplay between dancer and a group of musicians: Sajid Ali (tabla), Basharat Ali (vocalist), Mohammad Baksh (harmonium), Babar Ali (flute), Khawar (sarangi), and Sabir Ali (tanpura). They sat on a rug to the dancer's right and, especially the drummer and vocalist, mimicked the dancer's motions and choregraphed his movements for him.


I characterize the dance as a series of footwork, arm motions, and both hand and head gestures around a torso that is kept erect and as still as possible. My favorite portion was when he entered the stage with a rope around each ankle loaded with at least a hundred tiny bells. He controlled the rhythm, the intensity, and the balance with the music; sometimes it looked like only his toes kept the rhythm before he increased the intensity again.


I enjoyed the performance even though I was quite lost in the nuances that compose kathak dance. I got the brief pleasure to meet Fasih-Ur-Rehman afterwards backstage; he was courteous, overjoyed with the attention his earned, and exhausted after the long dance performance.