Spanish Flamenco and Indian Classical Kathak Dance

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DANCE INVESTIGATION Spanish Flamenco and Indian Classical Kathak Dance The Indian Classical Kathak dance and the Spanish Flamenco have striking similarities even though the location and culture of their origins greatly differ. HISTORICAL CONTEXT ORIGIN Kathak (Sanskrit translation: ‘Katha’- story; ‘Katthaka’- story-teller) can be traced to as far back as the 3rd century and is one of the eight Classical dances in India. It originated in Northern India -Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar-Pradesh. It was originally performed in temples to narrate mythological stories presented in the Ramayana and Mahabharata with mimetic gestures and singing. ‘Katthakas’ were mostly high-caste, educated Brahmins. Nowadays, class division is less intruding in one’s pursuit of becoming a ‘Katthaka’. Flamenco (may refer to ‘Flamingo’ - bird or the ‘Flanders’ region) originated (much later than Kathak) in 18th century Southern Spain-Andalucía . It was mostly performed by the Andalucía society that comprised Gitano (Gypsies). However, unlike Kathak, Flamenco dancers were from diverse professional backgrounds and the dance was not necessarily confined to a small group of people. Unlike Kathak, Flamenco dance lacked prestige because the Gitanos were discriminated and prosecuted because of their ethnicity. Flamenco mostly dealt with themes of hope/struggle/will power/bonding/patriotism - a representation of the general life of the gypsies. The early form of Flamenco solely consisted of verbal communication of stories carrying the mentioned themes. It is alleged that Gitano migrated from North India to Spain and perhaps explains the numerous similarities between Indian Classical Kathak and Flamenco. Unlike Kathak, Flamenco was mostly perform... ... middle of paper ... ...ja&uact=8&docid=tMpKjL9rVBIUPM&tbnid=h0t2bt3IFM85IM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghungroodance.com%2Fkgh.html&ei=EoxXU8PZGYK4rgf894GYAQ&bvm=bv.65177938,d.bmk&psig=AFQjCNFmk3pDzldO2jieBLvJQclO0fYZQA&ust=1398332641957814 http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=akea6PvuXk1UDM&tbnid=pcFkoAcXt8JwtM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicaltourismtravelguide.com%2Fflamenco-dancing-coming-to-costa-rica%2F1821&ei=sIxXU-HwFYvprQeS2oCoCw&bvm=bv.65177938,d.bmk&psig=AFQjCNHBYDBO0IpiFQA9tceb6O0dZYlxew&ust=1398332892074363 http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=O61AvRH9keb6CM&tbnid=KTw-BAH5td2iHM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loopytrip.com%2Ftag%2Fvocation-nighlife%2F&ei=0oxXU-3lOo2BrgeEooDgBQ&bvm=bv.65177938,d.bmk&psig=AFQjCNHBYDBO0IpiFQA9tceb6O0dZYlxew&ust=1398332892074363

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