Cycles of Time Embellished

Who is impacted more by an art form—the artiste or the audience? In conversation with Kathak dancer Vidha Lal, we go on her dance journey and find out more

- 

Traditions are like rivers; they always find a way to keep flowing. Over the ages, Kathak has demonstrated malleability like no other tradition, and the credit for this also goes to the practitioners who have shown grit and grace in times of adversity. This has evolved Kathak and freed it from many shackles of its original construct. I reached out to Vidha Lal, a ravishing Kathak dancer, to learn more on how a presentation of Kathak can be best enjoyed.

Our conversation begins with Vidha, reminiscing on some of her own experiences of the dance form.

"My earliest memory of Kathak was when my father took me to a Birla temple where I saw a group presentation by Smt Uma Sharma. I was only six when I witnessed the performance, but it had a lasting impact on me. It was magical! While as a six-year-old the costumes created the necessary first impression, but today if I were to recollect and analyze why that presentation of Kathak captivated me, then I would attribute it to the synchronized movements of the dancers. At that time, I could never tell one from the other; everyone looked the same, everyone danced well," she recalls.