• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Donate

The Arts Fuse

Boston's Online Arts Magazine: Dance, Film, Literature, Music, Theater, and more

  • Podcasts
  • Coming Attractions
  • Reviews
  • Short Fuses
  • Interviews
  • Commentary
  • The Arts
    • Performing Arts
      • Dance
      • Music
      • Theater
    • Other
      • Books
      • Film
      • Food
      • Television
      • Visual Arts
You are here: Home / Dance / Fuse News Dance Tip: Keeping the Art of Kathak Dance Alive

Fuse News Dance Tip: Keeping the Art of Kathak Dance Alive

May 1, 2013 1 Comment

Sita Haran (The Abduction of Sita). Created by Pandit Chitresh Das and the Chitresh Das Dance Company. Presented by Chhandika (Chhandam Institute of Kathak Dance). At the Carling-Sorenson Theater, Babson College, Wellesley, MA, May 11.

By Aneesha Joshi.

“With an all female cast playing both male and female characters, the story (through dance and drama) delves into the challenges of morality, betrayal, love and sorrow.” — Chhandika (Chhandam Institute of Kathak Dance).

Scene in Bali’s Court in “Sitra Haran”

Chhandika, which is presenting Sita Haran at Babson College, is a Boston-area non-profit dedicated to keeping the ancient tradition of Kathak dance relevant to contemporary audiences. The Chitresh Das Dance Company’s production of Sita Haran revolves around a pivotal chapter in the Ramayana, an Indian epic. The dance piece focuses on the demon king Ravana’s abduction of Sita from her husband Ram and brother-in-law Lakshman. Ram and Lakshman traverse the elements to reach Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana, to rescue the woman. The storyline is made up of the challenges posed by good and evil to Ram and Lakshman along the way.

Unlike most Western schools of dance, Kathak is derived from an ancient storytelling tradition. (The root of Kathak, katha, means story.) Kathak narratives generally center on tales of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, their triumphs and defeats. Performers trained in this dance discipline work on mastering a variety of forms of physical action, including mime and facial movements.

This performance of Sita Haran will be accompanied by a score that was composed by its choreographer, Pandit Chitresh Das. Das is a world-renowned Kathak dancer who hails from India and is trained in the Lucknow school of the dance form. He has received numerous awards, fellowships, and grants in recognition of his contribution to perpetuating the performance of Kathak. He established the first university accredited Kathak dance course in the United States at San Francisco State University.

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

By: Arts Fuse Editor Filed Under: Dance, Fuse News Tagged: Babson College, Chhandika, Chitresh Das Dance Company, Kathak dance, Pandit Chitresh Das, Sita Haran

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aditi says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    Get tickets at http://sitaharanboston.eventbrite.com/!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Popular Posts

  • Concert Review: Goose Earns Its Indie-Groove Wings Goose has seen its stock in the jam-band world soar at... posted on March 26, 2023
  • Rock Concert Review: Bruce Springsteen at TD Garden — Largely Choreographed and Celebratory So yeah, mortality was a heavy theme in Bruce Springste... posted on March 22, 2023
  • Book Review: “Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History” Even more impressive than the sheer amount of raw knowl... posted on March 14, 2023
  • Classical Concert Review: The Boston Symphony Orchestra Plays Wolfe and Górecki Brimming with edge-of-seat intensity and fist-waving th... posted on March 17, 2023
  • Rock Concert Review: Elvis Costello — Proudly Flaunting his Dependability and Unpredictability Elvis Costello loves to visit various regions of the pa... posted on March 10, 2023

Social

Follow us:

Footer

  • About Us
  • Advertising/Underwriting
  • Syndication
  • Media Resources
  • Editors and Contributors

We Are

Boston’s online arts magazine since 2007. Powered by 70+ experts and writers.

Follow Us

Monthly Archives

Categories

"Use the point of your pen, not the feather." -- Jonathan Swift

Copyright © 2023 · The Arts Fuse - All Rights Reserved · Website by Stephanie Franz