Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the ritual aspects of today's kathak practice: What are kathak dancers' views on dance as worship and on the ritual gestures performed in the context of kathak? The paper is based on observations of kathak performances and interviews of kathak dancers in India in winter 2015-16.

Paper long abstract:

The popular narrative about the history of Indian classical kathak dance tends to emphasise its religious roots in the Hindu temples: The dance was seen as an offering by the performer to the God. However, kathak was also patronised by both Hindu and Muslim courts, where the Hindu concept of dance a ritual played a lesser role. There are legends about devout Hindu kathak dancers who performed in the courts of Nawabs - in that case the same performance might have been a religious offering by the dancer, but secular entertainment to the Muslim audience. Both these aspects - the religious and the secular - are still seen in performances: within a longer dance performance some sections are more and some less tied with the dance's ritual past. The emphasis on the devotional aspect depends on the choice of the performer or the choreographer. This paper examines the various ritual aspects present in today's kathak performances: firstly, kathak dance as worship and secondly, the ritual gestures performed in the context of kathak performances and practice. The paper is based on interviews of kathak artists and observations of kathak performances in Delhi and Ahmedabad in December 2015 - January 2016.