'Kathak' - The beginner indian temple and court dance course

Never start dancing without a nice warm up. Prepare your muscles for a better quality work and always avoid injuries. :)

Music by: Sayamaya  ( Guillame Chenier )

The most important part of a dance is your body posture. This is your base where every other movements are growing. When We dance it is the most essential part to control and breathing with it. Kathak postures are super natural for the body and they are following a natural flow.

Uttpati posture the preparation for pure dance.

The mudra what we use called ’aral’.

Explanation: Show your palm facing out, fingers are joined. Hide thumbs in your palms. Bend your index fingers untill they reach your thumbs. Now you get your aral mudra. Aral mudra is also a symbol of peackock and also a mudra for meditation. Put these 2 peacocks in front of your chests. There is a little gap between the 2 hands. This posture is your home. Do not forget to smile. :)

When You do the Namaskhar You prepare yourself for the class or performance. You clean your mind from everything and You arrive in the present moment. Also You can create some thoughts or positive sentences. 'I am here, I am arrived in my body, I am present. I let my body to move with the music or today i will dance with joy, today I will challange myself to learn new things' etc. Make this little ritual every time like You brush your teeth every morning.

During a dance performance or practise, when a Kathak dancer begins with the basic ball or sounds of Ta Thei Thei Tat, Aa Thei Thei Tat (using syllables), using their feet and body, it is called as Tatkaar.

Vilambit Laya/ Thah Laya- Slowest speed of the Taal. In Vilambit laya one Bol in two Matras are spoken.

Madhya Laya / Tez Vilambit / Dugun Laya - Double speed of Vilambit Laya. In Madhya Laya, two bols in one matra are spoken.

Drut Laya/Chaugun Laya - Double of Madhaya laya. The fasted speed in which dance compositions are usually danced in. In Drut Laya, 4 Bols in one matra are dancing, walking, running, breathing etc) is spoken.

Do the taatkar  on the slowest speed to get use to the flow of the movements. Connect with the beat, time, music and the feeling of your feet connected with the ground.  Say loud the Ta Thei Thei Tat , Aa Thei, Thei, Tat counting with me. :)

Do the taatkar  a bit faster on Madyha Laya.  Feel the whole feet on the ground when you slap.

Challenge yourself with the third speed with Drut Laya.  Feel the higher vibration in your body from your toes all the way to the top of your head. If you are lost, You can always come back on 1 with your right feet.

Great job!  :)

How are you after this session? 

You can always come back to feel the benefit of this exercise and You can use your favorite music . Free your mind and be creative.

Fingers in 'aral' mudra. Palms are facing down and they are lying in front of the chest. Elbows are maintining the line. This is your bacis posture. We will start every movements from here

Urdhva means up

Hasta means hand

Chakra means turn

In Kathak dance dancers use a lot the wrist. Right hand pointing up (the wrist is the leader), stop facing the palms toward. Do a half circular turn with the wrist, facing again towards and go back to 'uttpati' to the center. Imagine a line from your shoulder to up and keep your wrist on this line when it is travelling up and down. In 4 count try to reach up and come back with 4 count again. Let your eyes follow your hand.

Tala means down

Hasta means hand

Chakra means spin

Start from uttpati and We are going to draw a half circle with our right hand, palms are facing upward what is at the end pointing to the back of the corner. We stop at the middle and wrist is coming back to utpati position. Try with your left hand and then count 4 counts open 4 count closeing. When I do this movements I bend my upper part also a little bit.

Start from 'uttpati' position We are going to turn our upper body and pointing at backwards. Hand in middle level. Wrist is starts the movement and with the upper part of the body We are coming back to our basic posture.

Synchronize your feet with your hands, give yourself a challenge! It helps you to become more conscious about your body with giving it a structure.

You learnt one type of hand movements in this section what You can explore and practise with music and also combine it with the footwork.

Imagine your hands are like brushes and You are painting with your hands. Follow your hands to see the patterns around you. Play with these basic moves and feel the flow of the movements.

(Pointing up to the corner)

From utpati position wrist starts the movement. Fingers are following gracefully the movements. I am pointing to the upper corner. Palms are facing up.Follow Your hand and look up. Than come back to the same way.

(Pointing to the middle of the corner)

From utpati position wrist starts the movement. Fingers are following gracefully the movements. I am pointing to the middle on the side. Palms are facing up.Follow Your hand and look on the side. And then closeing.

(Pointing down to the corner)

From utpati wrist is start the movement. Fingers are following gracefully the movements. I am pointing down to the corner. Palms are facing up. Follow Your hand and look further of the direction of your hand and then closeing. Again the wrist is coming first. Left side. Repeat.

(moving the hand in the same level)

We start from utpati position. I shift my hand to the side, palms are facing down. Fingers stay in aral mudra. Now I am closing it on the same level and then I move with my left hand on the same level on the same way. Usually it is used for walking forward or moving in the space

These hastaks are very graceful movements what means embrace something or somebody. We start from utpati position. In aalingan You move both hands. So fingers are pointing out and do a circular movements and come back to utpati. Ardhalingan uses only one hand.

Pushpak hastak is commonly used in Kathak. The word also means flower so It looks like you creat a flower with your hands. In sanskrit is also means flying vehicle.

The movements coming from utpati position. You lift both hand up, elbows out and at the middle your hands meet and the 2 wrists has a connected point each as you lift them up. You can imagine that there is a string what keep them together. On that moment Your hands are facing each other but the movements did not stop here We continuisly moving forward and turning more untill the left palm is hidden by the left. Here You shift your hand back to utpati and the movements is repeating again. These pushpaks can come to front or on the side.

Mir hastak is looks like you are holding a scarf in your hand. You can start to train only 1 hand to draw an 8. Then You try both and the same time. Then You put a delay between them. So while one hand is up the other is down. You can use a scarf or piece of clothes to try. It is a very natural movements after you understand how the scarf is flying. Then you can move it around you. You can stay in one position or you can turn the whole body with it.

In this section You learnt many hastaks, hand movements, their different directions. Try them in a different order. Play and have fun! When I practise these movement specially the pointings ones I drill them and I try to place my hands always at the same place. It becomes so meditative. Use a nice music, count and move. At the begining it can be a feeling that You feel like you are soldier with these moves but after a while It becomes so natural.

Turning on 8 beats and using the basic taatkar Ta Thei Thei Tat, Aa Thei Thei Tat.

Turning on 8 beats with a basic hand movements.

Turning on 5 beats is also fun!

Turning on 5 beats with a hand movements.

Turning on 4 beats!

Turning on 4 beats and using a basic hand movements!

In this section You learnt some spins what is already helps You to learn the further choreography. May You experienced the importance of the body posture while you are turning. Maybe You feel dizzy a little bit and may You feel the world is a smashed potato around You. :) Do not worry it is so natural at the beginning. If You focus on one point in front of you and keep your eyes on it. Catching your head will help you to feel less dizziness. Your center, Your core is has to be strong.

Play with the tuns, play with the speed. Try in slow in fast.

How to enter and using a space on stage with a step combination. Offering flowers too.

A beautiful movement combination, combine hand movement, footwork with a turn.

Who is Brahma? 

Brahma - the creator. He creates or inculcates knowledge int he minds of the student.

Vishnu is the preserver- He maintains or preserves the knowledge in the students.

Guru is like Shiva- the destroyer.

Para Brahma the supreme essence within all of us.

Let's enjoy the choreography step by step with counting.

Practise the movements with the real music. Listen as It is a very old and ancient song from India. :)

Do you know how indians are wearing the dupatta? Actually what is 'dupatta'? 

If you have Kathak anklebells , it is time to learn how to tie on your ankle. :)

I am so happy You arrived to the end of this course. Maybe You are not aware how much You learnt.

 Let's summarize it together! :)

and...Thank you for joining to my course! Please let me know If I can guide you more or if you have any other suggestion what You want to learn.

Namaste,

Ali