KATHAK

Kathak finds its roots in `katha` meaning 'story'. A band of storytellers attached to temples in Northern India, narrated stories from epics. Later they added mime and gesture to their recitation. The popularity of the Radha-Krishna legend, led to further innovations in the dance form. With the advent of the Muslim rule, it was brought out of the temples and in to the courts of the rulers. Since then it has been commonly identified with the court traditions of the later Nawabs of northern India. It is really an amalgam of several folk traditions, the traditional dance drama forms prevalent in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan known as Krishna and Radha - Lila. Jaipur, Benaras and Lucknow became the main centers of the dance. While Benaras maintained the purity of the dance, Jaipur gave emphasis to rhythm and Lucknow introduced erotic steps. The Kathak dance goes through a regular format, mostly concentrating on rhythm,its variation being - Tatkar, Paltas, Thoras, Amad and Parans.

MANIPURI

Manipuri is the dance form of Manipur and is inextricably woven into the life of the people of the state. The dance form is mostly ritualistic, which draws heavily from the rich lore of the legend and mythology. The dances known as the rasa dances evolved only as a result of the interaction of the Vaishnava cult and several highly developed forms of ritual and religious dances which were prevalent in the area, in the 18th century. The costumes used in this dance are colourful and bright, and the music is slow as well as rhythmic. The numbers presented are Lai Haraoba and Rasa Leela. The former deals with the creation of the world and the latter deals with the intimacy between Krishna and his consort - Radha. A large variety of intricate rhythmic patterns are played on the drums and cymbals