The Perceived Perfection of Kathak

Kathak, one of six classical dances from India, was originally performed as a temple dance in Northern India to depict Hindu epics such as the Ramayana. Kathak spread across India as nomadic kathak dancers traveled from temple to temple to share their gift of performance with the rest of their people. The widespread performance of kathak was slowly corrupted over the course of time as a result of foreign invasions and the degradation of the women involved. The destructive nature of European imperialism introduced widespread corruption within colonized societies, breaking down traditional cultures and imposing western norms upon “barbaric nations”. As a result, offensive stereotypes perpetuated by white, colonialist sentiments increased as kathak dancers were relegated to brothels and reduced to prostitution. The negative connotations surrounding the nature of the dance spread as many women found themselves in a position lacking bodily autonomy. Rather than allow themselves to fall victim to corruption, kathak dancers manipulated what little control they had over the art form to use it as a means of illusioned escape. The hours of dedication poured into perfecting the art forms of kathak as well as the discipline of devotion allowed dancers to disappear into a mirage when in reality, it acted as a survival method to allow them a reprieve from the destruction of their dance form. Traditional garb became richly embroidered with bright threads and embedded jewels in an attempt to convey the infinite euphoria kathak offered. Kathak dancers resisted the alteration of their dance by portraying a semblance of stability and perfection through both form and costume to ensure the survival of the kathak culture.

Kathak’s origins trace back as early as 400 BCE, as found in the Natya Shastra, a text consisting of over 6000 verses describing attributes of the dance itself. The text emphasizes that kathak style dance is an art form of expression of spiritual ideas and essential virtues meant to display stories and myths depicting nothing less than the greatness of Hindu pantheology. Kathak became associated as a dance form dedicated to worshiping the Hindu gods, more focused on the actual art of performance rather than the costumes worn by the dancers. Kathak performers were nomads translating the stories through dance, foot movement, and facial expression. Their simple cotton garb of white ‘churidars’, or tunics, and ‘chunis’, or long veils, tied across their bodies was meant to emphasize their expressions without distraction to their art.

After India was conquered by the Mughal emperors of Persia, high Mughal nobles brought kathak to the Mughal courts as a way to entertain high-ranking aristocrats. Due to high religious tensions, kathak dancers began to evolve the art of their performance into stricter arm gestures and intricate footwork to please their new Muslim leaders and rid themselves of ‘untamed’ Hindu traditions. This was most notably translated into the costumes. Simple churidars were replaced with elaborately decorated churidars featuring bolder colors and intricate embroidery. The skirts of the churidars were tailored to be pleated yet flexible so when dancers spun, their skirts would billow around their waists in perfect circles. Chunis were woven more transparently and trimmed with brilliant gold fabric. Gold and silver was woven into each dancer’s hair and draped across their arms and necks to install a sense of regality. The drastic change in traditional outerwear marked the women as nothing short of perfection, representing an artform that provided a pathway into the utopia of the riches within Mughal court. Women performing kathak were dressed and used as objects to portray the image of royalty upon the common people as their sense of worth slowly degraded in the eyes of the court given they were forced to perform.