Difference between Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathak
Kathak, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam are three integral parts of Indian classical dance and culture. All of them originated and flourished in southern India and gave Indian art and culture a new dimension. These ancient dance forms played a crucial role in the Indian cultural renaissance. Bharatanatyam is the oldest Indian classical dance form. Though Kathak originated in northern India, its appeal caught the imagination of people and artists beyond the region of origin and India. Kuchipudi originated in Kuchipudi village on Andhra Pradesh, India. All of these dance forms are popular for their exclusive Mudras, exponents of caliber and world wide appeal.
Mudras
All these three kinds of dance are contemporary in their origin; however, you can find significant differences in their styles. Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam have many mudras in common. Apart from the similarity, there are three unique steps of Kuchipudi. In Tarangam step, the dancer has to wash his/her hand in the vessel placed on head and extinguish the candle. 20th Karana is also popularly associated with this traditional dance. Mudras related to Kathak depend upon the Gharana of Dance. Popular gharanas in Kathak dance are Jaipur, Lucknow, Raigarh and Banaras gharanas. Natya, Nritta and Nritya and three famous mudras related to Bharatanatyam.
Dancers
All the above dance forms belong to 8 classical dances on India. Famous Kuchipudi dancers are Guru Smt.Vijaya Prasad, Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, Divya Yeluri, Lakshmi Babu, Swathi Gundapuneedi, and Anuradha Nehru. Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam has established a famous school for the learning of Kuchipudi dance form. Famous dancers of Kathak are Maharaja Chakradhar Singh, Kalka Prasad and his sons, Ioanna Srinivasan, Najma Ayashah, Manisha Gulyani, Lakshmi VN and Priya Pawar. In the field of Bharatanatyam, popular names are E.Krishna Iyer, Rukmini Devi Arundale and Ashish Khokar
Costumes
Cross pleat costume is associated with Kuchipudi dance. In this the male artists plays the role of either Muruga or Krishna. Cross pleat costume is also used in Bharatanatyam. However, the difference in costumes is the presence of katcham at the back of the artist. During ancient time, Bharatanatyam dancers were averse to too much costume on their body. For female dancers depicting the role of Devdasi, heavy sari of dazzling color was a must. However, the costume of modern Bharatanatyam dancers is deeply symbolic. An artist of Kuchipudi wears only one fan while performing. But, his/her counterpart in Bharatanatyam can wear up to three fans.
Summary
All of these dance forms have gone through radical transformations. A lot of information related to these three dance forms is available online. With little online search, you can have a fair idea about them.
- Now you can find professional chorographers and dance institutes teaching these three traditional dance forms. These dances are now being used in Bollywood and Hollywood movies.
- Traditional Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Kuchipudi are often used in fusion dance forms. You must have seen King of Pop Michael Jackson using Bharatanatyam in one of his videos. These dance forms may have originated long ago, but still their moves and mudras excite the knowledgeable audience.
