Fusion Footwork

Dance is a test of endurance, says Pandit Chitresh Das, creator of a unique brand of dance that he calls Kathak Yoga.

Kathak is in his blood; having first shot to fame at the age of 11, Pandit Chitresh Das is also known as the ‘fastest feet in rhythm’. A disciple of the great Kathak exponent Pandit Ram Narayan Misra, Das has brought together the grace of the Lucknow gharana with the technique of the Jaipur School of Dance. He is widely acknowledged for the unique brand of Kathak Yoga that propagates his belief in ‘innovation within tradition’.  

This technique is now the subject of a doctoral dissertation at Harvard University by Dr Sarah Morelli. “I have always been inspired by the long standing tradition of tapasya undertaken by sadhus and rishis. To me, yoga means the union of the body and mind. Nataraj is also called mahayogi; so as a dancer, it is apt that I follow his example,” says Pandit Das. 

However, his style of Kathak Yoga doesn’t include asanas like the suryanamaskar. During the performance, the dancer recites a chosen tala while practising intricate footwork. “While performing the tihai, we add the component of nagma or melody to it as well, which is then hummed by the artiste. So, while the dancer recites one thing, his feet dance to something completely different. Often an instrument is included as well,” explains Das. This style of performance, he says, is a test of the dancer’s endurance, stamina, concentration and breathing technique. 

One can learn this style of dance-yoga at the Chhandam School of Kathak, which was formed in the US in 1980 for the preservation, promotion and education of Kathak and of Indian culture. With branches in San Francisco, Boston, Toronto, Kolkata and Mumbai, the Chitresh Dance Company and Chhandam are rated among the world’s foremost Indian classical dance companies.

“My greatest inspirations have been my parents. They founded and directed the Nritya Bharati Company way back in the 1940s where many of India’s illustrious gurus used to come and teach,” says Das.

He has carried the legacy forward and won global acclaim for his dedication to the craft. Apart from winning several awards from the Olympic Arts Festival, he has also performed at the American Dance Festival and the International Kathak Festival in Chicago. Das was also featured on the BBC series Eighty Treasures Around the World and in the PBS series Indians in America.

Pandit Chitresh Das and his troupe will perform at the Town Hall in Kolkata on 6 August 2010

danceKathakyoga