Spotlight on Kathak

Vivienne DuBourdieu on an evening of Indian Dance at the Watermans

Watermans played a trump card on Saturday night, 6 March, when they placed dancers from their own kathak workshops alongside �India�s Divine Dancer�, Guru Pratap Pawar, and budding dancers of his Triveni Dance Company.

During the first act, Quincy, a senior pupil from Watermans� Kathak workshops, performed with such verve and force that the audience nearly rose from their chairs. This dancer is no wuss; he brings raw sexual energy to the world of Kathak dance.

When the Triveni Dance Company followed this interlude, Guru Pawar accompanied his dancers vocally, wickedly challenging his pupils to excel themselves.

After the interval, Pratap presented excerpts from Talking Kathak, highlighting the journey of Kathak through the ages, and his own journey as dancer.

Many younger men would have thought twice about following Quincy�s performance, let alone someone of quite mellow years, but Sri Pratap Pawar has the kind of presence that impresses itself on the mind. He entranced by weaving his experience and a wide vocabulary of subtle facial expressions into the intricate patterns of dance.

Accompaniment was provided by live musicians on Tabla, Sitar, Vocals, and Harmonium, led by Pandit Vishwa Prakash.

During this education in Kathak dance, Parwar performed an extraordinary duet with tabla player, Parth Sarthi Mukharjee, followed by the coup de grace - a rousing display of intricate footwork encompassing the 16 beat time cycle.

This was one of an ongoing series of Indian dance programmes from Watermans.

March 8, 2004