The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar

By Pramit Baul

Welcome to The Kathak Podcast aka Kathak Ka Chakkar.

My name is Pramit and I am going to be bringing to you conversations with kathakars across the world!... more

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FAQs about The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar:

How many episodes does The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar have?

The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.

The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar episodes:

March 28, 2021 TKP 024: Jin Won
Episode Notes
Thoughts on the episode
My Conversation with Jin Won interweaves between Kathak and Tabla, especially how the two art forms complement each other. I love this episode because it was the first time I was asking questions about Tabla, which is challenging because I have never played or taken lessons in it.
Bio
Jin Won - Kathak Dancer Praised by the NY Times as "an exuberant dancer whose musicality transform[s] her dancing into something primal," dancer and percussionist Jin Won is a one-of-a-kind artist in the field of Indian performing arts who explores the sonic and visual possibilities of rhythm through dance and music. An accomplished Kathak dancer and tabla player of South Korean origin, she spent over 15 years in India training in Indian classical percussion and dance under Pandit Divyang Vakil and Shrimati Shubha Desai, respectively. As artistic director of Pradhanica Dance and (viusic Company, Jin has created, choreographed, and starred in various ensembles that have performed in esteemed venues across North America, as well as taught master classes and workshops in many arts institutes.
Highlights
0:01:51 The interplay of kathak and tabla
0:04:31 Balancing Riyaaz for both
0:06:31 Combining Tabla and kathak practice
0:12:42 Taal Vidya
0:16:15 abhinaya work
0:19:05 Steep Learning Curve of the tabla
0:21:07 Taal and Naad in Tabla
0:22:03 Ta Meditation
0:24:08 What makes tabla unique
0:25:55 Evolution in Tabla
0:27:32 Speed Isn't everything
0:28:20 Appreciating the subtleties in sound
0:37:15 Pradhanica Name origins
0:41:30 Boundaries when determining performances
0:48:42 Differences in dynamics in Kathak/Tabla classes
0:55:10 Students who take kathak and tabla lessons together
1:00:34 Style of dance and tabla
1:02:29 Legacy and Impact
...more
0min
March 21, 2021 TKP 023: Shreyasee Nag
Episode Notes
My conversation with Shreyasee Nag is a fascincating look into the work it takes to establish Kathak in Spain, a country where knowing Spanish and assimilating with the culture is a must for mainstream acceptance. We learn the kind of effort it takes for Kathak artists to establish themselves in spaces where Flamenco/Ballet are considered the de facto dance forms.
Bio
Shreyasee Nag is a dance artist, director, founder of Nupura international Center of Dance and Music; Director, founder of Shreyasee Nag Dance Company, black book award winner by West Bengal government, part of Soul Pico companies, We women production and has traveled all over all across the world sharing her story.
Show Notes
0:03:04 Transition to Kathak
0:05:15 Difficulties of Kathak in Spain
0:08:09 Getting into a mainstream spaces
0:11:51 Flamenco and Kathak
0:16:25 Collaboration vs fusion
0:19:11 Holding your own ground
0:21:34 Reciting in Kathak
0:21:53 Dancer vs Practioner
0:23:41 Talks on Kathak
0:28:47 Kathak in Pakistan
0:32:43 Dealing with Pushback
0:38:44 Kathak in Europe
0:43:29 Monopoly
0:46:17 Being the Torchbearer of Kathak in spain
0:48:26 Teaching Practice
0:51:47 Teaching Phonetics
0:53:31 Teaching pronunciation
0:57:24 Uncertainty in Covid Time
0:58:41 Preparing Professional Dancers
1:02:05 Measure of Success
...more
1h 13min
March 15, 2021 TKP 022 Devesh Mirchandani
Episode Notes
Thoughts on the Episode
My conversation with Devesh ji was one I was super excited for and you can probably sense my nervousness in my tone! That being said, it is a great episode about being a male kathak dancer, balancing bollywood with kathak, Devesh ji's first solo performance and a whole host of other topics.
Bio
Devesh Mirchandani is a Mumbai based choreographer and dance teacher. He has been training in Kathak for 13 years under the guidance of great gurus like Smt Shama Bhate ji, Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar, and has taken workshops with Vidhushi Saswati Sen ji, and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj ji.
He is a member of the Indian Film and Television Association Bollywood and part of the choreography team “Dance with Madhuri”.
His dance training includes Indian Folk Dances, Kathak and Contemporary – Bollywood dance.
As a teacher, he has been offering dance lessons in India for sixteen years whereas for the last three
he has expanded his activities internationally – having travelled to countries like Russia, Spain, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Paris, Dubai
for workshops and shows.
He has participated on dance reality shows (“Just Dance”, “Jhalak Dikla Ja”, “Dance India Dance”) and is highly appreciated by the Bollywood stars Sharukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
...more
51min
March 08, 2021 TKP 021: Dr Anindita Sen
Dr Anindita Sen
...more
0min
February 28, 2021 TKP 020: Noori Bak
It's a privilege for me to present to you my conversation with Noori Bak, a kathakar based out of South Korea. where she runs the Raas indian Dance Company. Her take on O Re Piya has gathered 2.8 million views on youtube. My conversation with her is her first podcast in the english language making it all the more special for me.
Links to social
https://youtube.com/c/NooriBak
https://www.instagram.com/noori.bak
Show Highlights
0:03:33 Kathak/Dance to cope with depression
0:04:54 Training with First Guru
0:06:59 The central asian influence on Kathak
0:09:20 Staying with Nahid ji
0:12:33 Classes with Nahid ji
0:14:24 Starting from scratch
0:16:24 Rajasthani Dance
0:28:57 Sema, Whirling Dance
0:31:46 Beginning stages of Whirl
0:35:04 Kathak in Korea
0:37:22 Focus on the internal
0:40:11 Raas Academy
0:41:13 Noori Ji's teaching style
0:43:39 Performances
0:45:37 Princess Heo Hwang-ok
0:46:06 Story of the Indian princess to went to Korea
0:47:32 What aspects of Noori ji's dance are people drawn to?
0:48:35 O Re Piya video background
0:50:05 What Noori ji was going through when shooting the video
0:52:04 Future projects
...more
57min
February 21, 2021 TKP 019: Dr. Sarah Morelli
Episode Notes
Notes from Pramit
My conversation with Dr Sarah Morelli is a fascinating look into how she became a Kathaka, Academic, and a student of Hindustani Music. Her book, "A Guru's Journey" detailing the life of Pt Chitresh Das is my favorite book on Kathak and I feel honored to be able to present this episode to all of you!
PS: Please note that the name of the book in the introduction is "A Guru's journey" and not "Tales of A modern Guru"
Bio
Sarah Morelli was blessed to train with two of the greatest artists of recent generations: renowned kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das and maestro Ali Akbar Khan, from whom she studied vocal music and the sarod, as well as their disciples Dr. George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, Steve Oda, and Pt. Rajeev Taranath.
Her book, A Guru’s Journey: Pandit Chitresh Das and Indian Classical Dance in Diaspora (University of Illinois Press, 2019), is an ethnographic examination of Pandit Das’s artistic contributions and the development of kathak’s “California gharana.”
Active as a kathak performer, scholar, and educator, Sarah is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music and a founding member of the Leela Dance Collective. Her kathak performances have included full solos and leading roles in productions in U.S. and India at venues such as Mumbai’s Royal Opera House, LA’s Ford Amphitheatre, and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. Sarah is founder and artistic director of Sureela, a kathak academy in Denver, CO that has recently joined sister schools in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York in creating the national institution the Leela Institute of Kathak.
Show Highlights:
0:02:26 How did Sarah Morelli Get into Kathak
0:14:52 Keeping up with Everything
0:18:14 Teaching Kathak to different ethnicities
0:21:49 Why did people stick to learning with Pt Chitresh Das ji
0:23:55 Personal Connection with Pt ji
0:25:17 Meaning of Intense Workshop
0:51:42 Dynamics of Leela Collective
1:02:25 Memorable Experiences in performing
1:10:20 What is Sarah ji's Style of Kathak
1:13:50 Work in Denver
1:17:34 Differences between now and then
1:25:17 Portrayal of Pt Chitresh Das ji
1:25:33 Make this book controversial
...more
1h 33min
February 14, 2021 TKP 018: Bina Jawwad
Episode Notes
Thoughts on this Episode:
My conversation with Bina Jawwad is a fascinating insight into the history of Kathak in Pakistan from the perspective of a Kathakar who has the unique perspective of being involved in the art form before, during and after the 1977 military regime in Pakistan that had banned all dance forms.
Show Highlights:
0:01:42 Pakistan Pre 77
0:02:20 Auditioning for Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak's class
0:03:51 No Inhibition or taboo
0:04:41 Open and Casual atmosphere
0:05:08 Equal Number of boys and girls
0:06:50 Initial days of the ban
0:08:21 Courage
0:15:36 Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak
0:26:30 Ustad Behens and camraderie
0:42:22 Teaching to Little Kids : Anectode
0:58:00 Harsukh School
1:06:17 Legacy of Bina Jawwad
Bio:
Bina jawwad trained with Maharaj Ghulam Hussein Kathak after completing her BFA graphic design (1974) from department of fine Arts panjab university, became his assistant teacher , joined a private school to teach dance to students in the era of ban on all cultural activities during Martial Law (1977 to 1988) by dictator Zia Ul Haq.
After the martial law was over, she choreographed many stage shows to re introduce the local culture and heritage to the people.
Started learning classical vocal and met her teacher mirza Nasser Uddin, qawwal baccha guarana, 1995, started her training with him ( previously she was training with other vocal teachers ) , till the year he passed away ( 2014).
Nowadays she teaches Kathak in schools and at home.
Likes to remain out of public scene , unless it is to do with the promotion of the ethnic cultural traditions . She and her 3 daughters have a singing group called Harsakhiyan. Who sing for public events as well . They sing the local mystic poetry of saints .
Runs a school for children of the neighborhood, who do not have educational facilities, which is based on cultural traditions called Harsukh.
Links to Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/HarsukhSchool/
https://www.facebook.com/harsakhiyan
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCSg4qYYt_X2FByc55xpsw
...more
1h 11min
February 07, 2021 TKP 017: Akhilesh Chaturvedi
Episode Notes
Links:-
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhilesh_Chaturvedi
https://www.instagram.com/natrajkijhankaar/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/natrajkijhankaar-2518764511475165/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQU5lKyAt3Y
Bio
Akhilesh Chaturvedi commenced his training at a very tender age of 5, under the guidance of his Guru Rajendra Chaturvediji, a disciple of one of the most outstanding exponents of Kathak, late Natraj Gopi Krishna. Over the past 15 years, he has performed on various platforms. He is a dynamic and a versatile dancer who has carved a special niche for himself in the field of Kathak. His innate sense of rhythm, graceful yet fast paced movements and subtle facial expressions are some of the qualities that give a new dimension to Kathak, making him one of the finest exponents of the Gopi Krishna dance style. One of the prominent workshops he attended was conducted by Padmashri Pratap Pawarji in Mumbai.

For all his public performances, he is accompanied by tabla maestro Pt. Kalinath Mishraji.

Notable Performances

Some of Akhilesh Chaturvedi’s notable performances include:

·         Swami Vivekanand Festival, Mumbai
·         Ram Navami festival, Ayodhya
·         Panch Ganga Samiti festival, Varanasi
·         Govt. Medical College, Rewa (MP)
·         The Marico festival, Mumbai
·         Bandra Festival, Mumbai
·         Bhakti Kalakshetra, Iskcon Juhu, Mumbai
·         Nritya Gandha, Jabalpur
·         The Kathak Nrityalaya, Bhopal
·         The Gandharv Academy of Indian Classical Dance
·         Nikka’s foundation of Classical dance
·         Megh Malhar Festival
·         ONGC National Integration Week, Mumbai
·         All India IPSC Literary Festival, Mumbai
·         Taal se Taal Mila show, Mumbai
·         Acharya Chaubey Maharaj Mahotsav
·         Kabeer Festival
·         Teenager Magazine Show
·         Ravindranath Tagore Jayanti festival,Mumbai
·         Naad Madhur festival, Pune
·         Kalaghoda Festival, Mumbai
·         Nrityangan Academy of Fine Arts, Mumbai
·         Mumbai Car free day festival at Bandra
·         Andheri Cha Raja Ganpati Festival
·         Girnar Festival, Junagarh
He has also performed at several corporate and charity shows like Happy Feet for underprivileged children, cancer patients and HIV/AIDS patients.

Awards and Recognition

·         1st Prize, All India Classical Dance competition, Rotary Club in Dec 2013, Mumbai
·         "Kalaa Jeeva Puraskar" of Vizag Generalist Forum
·         "Kalaa Sambaram Award" awarded by the Kalaa Sambaram Visakhapatnam
·         "Best Kathak Dancer" Award, All India Dance competition, Swarg Sadhana Samiti, Mumbai. Jan 2013
·         "Girnar Ratna Award", Girnar Festival, Junagarh, Gujarat. Jan 2015

Teaching

A large number of disciples have been trained by Akhilesh Chaturvedi. Some of the renowned Bollywood celebrities that have learnt from him include:

·   Kangana Ranaut
·   Jacqueline Fernandez
·   Alia Bhatt
·   Diana Penty
·   Late Jiah Khan
·   Adah Sharma
·   Miss India Pooja Chopra
·   Rhea Chakraborty
·   Sophie Choudhary
·   Athiya Shetty
...more
1h 4min
January 31, 2021 TKP016: Abha Bansal
Episode Notes
Abha Bansal is a dancer, choregropaher and educationist.She has been trained under guru Hlralal Haasal ji and Guru Kundanlal Gangani ji. She's been teaching dance at Nupur for 40 years Through her choreogrpahic works, she has addressed pertinent issues like female foeticide, adult education, women empowerment and save the girl child.
Timestamps
0:01:17 Journey
0:04:54 Teaching in Schools
0:06:12 Building Patrons of the art
0:08:29 Cultivating awareness to non practioners
0:09:52 Getting students started
0:12:55 Differnces between teaching in Nupur vs at a school
0:31:43 Things Abha Ji added to her teaching
0:38:41 Online Teaching Opportunities
0:40:45 Workshops done by Abha ji
0:45:48 How many years of training needed for an abhinaya workshop
0:47:15 Krishna Radha Ched Char
0:54:05 The art of storytelling
1:03:45 Abhinaya in the Present day and age
1:07:27 Reception to Abhinaya and Gat Bhav workshops
1:15:52 Concluding Remarks
...more
1h 17min
January 24, 2021 TKP 015: Mitali Sonar
Episode Notes
Bio
Mitali Sonar, a forever student of Kathak, received her M.A. in performing arts administration from NYU Steinhardt in 2020. Currently, she is the Marketing person for Navatman Inc., and also a Kathak teacher.
Mitali received formal Kathak training under Rajendra Chaturvedi of the Gopi Krishna lineage of Kathak (Benaras Gharana) and completed her Visharad in 2016. She performed at various stages like Kala Ghoda, NCPA and Sur Shringar in her homecity, Mumbai, and most recently played the role of Kunti in the Navatman's dance theater version of the Mahabharata in New York City.
She has been dedicated to the art form since the past 22 years and has been an active member of various New-York based events like the New York Kathak Festival, Drive East & Kathak Meet-ups. She has previously worked with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater & NYU Skirball. She is passionate about bringing communities together through the medium of arts (and about coffee, photography and dogs!)
Links to social
Instagram - @itsitsymitsy
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitalisonar/
Email - [email protected]
YouTube - https://youtu.be/bIIQZlLkPmo
Timestamps
0:02:51 Dream Job
0:05:39 Performing Arts Degree
0:09:32 Working at Navatman
0:13:49 Marketing for Navatman
0:16:41 Instagram vs Fb
0:19:28 What does the youth like about Kathak?
0:25:06 How to go about Marketing
0:28:58 Budgets for Marketing and Ads
0:30:29 Kathak @Navatman
0:32:19 Uniformity in Teaching
0:36:34 Teaching Online
0:38:29 Teaching and Training in India
0:41:10 Benaras Gharana
0:41:55 Gopi Krishna Gharana
0:47:08 Navatman Podcast
0:53:02 NYKF Experience
0:56:51 Dreams for Navatman
0:59:04 Future events and Plans
1:01:08 Ending Comments
...more
0min

FAQs about The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar:

How many episodes does The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar have?

The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.