
This dance form traces its origins to the
nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or
storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and
the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed
certain features of Persian dance and Central Asian dance which were imported
by the royal courts of the Mughal era.


*Female
costume:
Traditional (and perhaps more specifically
Hindu) costume sometimes consists of a sari, whether worn in an everyday style,
or tied up to allow greater freedom of movement during dance. However, more
commonly, the costume is a lehenga-choli combination, with an optional odhni or
veil. The lehenga is loose ankle-length skirt, and the choli is a tight fitting
blouse, usually short-sleeved. Both can be highly ornately embroidered or
decorated. The lehenga is sometimes adapted to a special dance variety, similar
to a long ghaghra, so that during spins, the skirt flares out dramatically.
Mughal costume for women consists of an
angarkha (from the Sanskrit anga-rakshaka 'limb-keeper') on the upper body. The
design is akin to a chudidaar kameez, but is somewhat tighter fitting above the
waist, and the 'skirt' portion explicitly cut on the round to enhance the flare
of the lower half during spins. The skirt may also be cut on the round but
beginning just below the bust; this style is known as 'Anarkali' after the
eponymous dancer who popularised it. Beneath the top, the legs are covered by
the chudidaar or figure hugging trousers folded up giving the look of cloth
bangles. Optional accessories are a small peaked cap and a bandi or small
waistcoat to enhance the bust-line. A belt made of zari or precious stones is
also worn on the waist.
*Male
costume:
The traditional costume for men to be
bare-chested. Below the waist is the dhoti, usually tied in the Bengal style, that is with many pleats and a fan finish
to one of the ends (although it is not unknown for dancers to tie the garment
more simply). There is the option of wearing a men's bandi too.
The Mughal costume is kurta-churidar. The
kurta can be a simple one, or again, adapted for dance to incorporate wider
flare, but is usually at least knee-length. Men may also wear an angarkha (see
Female Costume, above). Particularly older variety costumes include the small
peaked cap too.
****(Younger Artists)**
Aacharyaa Pratishtha
Sharma(dancer)[6]
• jagdish gangani barodawale
• Rajendra Gangani
• Ms. Anurag Verma Jaipur
• Parveen Gangani
• Parwati Dutta
• harish gangani
1. Shambhu Maharaj 1955
2. Baijnath Prasad “Lacchu Maharaj” 1957
3. Sunder Prasad 1959
4. Mohan Rao Kallianpurkar 1962
5. Birju Maharaj 1964
6. Damayanti Joshi 1968
7. Sitara Devi 1969
8. Gauri Shankar Devilal 1974