The Kathak Podcast : Kathak Ka Chakkar

Pramit Baul
  • 5.0 (19)
  • PERFORMING ARTS

Welcome to The Kathak Podcast aka Kathak Ka Chakkar. My name is Pramit and I am going to be bringing to you conversations with kathakars across the world! Feel free to reach out at https://www.instagram.com/kathakkachakkar/

  1. 06/20/2023

    The Versatility of Kathak: Gauri Sharma Tripathi TKP 111

    Episode Notes Gauri Sharma Tripathi (@gaurisharmatripathi) on Instagram Gauri Sharma Tripathi has trained in the classical tradition of Kathak, under the guidance of her Guru and mother, Padma Sharma. She is the Artistic Director of her companies Amara Nritya Kala Hansa & ANKH Dance UK. The repertory of ANKH continues to bridge the teaching and choreographic journeys between the traditions and the new. A Nritya Visharad and a Singar Mani Awardee, Gauri wrote the three-year degree course on Kathak for London Contemporary Dance School, she was also part of the ISTD South Asian dance founding team, faculty, and examiner. She has curated The Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre for nine years and is associated with The Women of the World festival. Her curatorial work includes The Indian Dance Festival at the Korzo Theatre in The Hague, Netherlands. Through her varied work, she has brought a strong South Asian presence to the UK arts scene. (0:01:27) Bio and Background (0:02:28) Start of Conversation (0:03:35) Starting from Screatch (0:05:55) Documenting Choreographies (0:08:13) How memories shape dance (0:10:38) Referring back to previous choreographies (0:13:28) How dance is intoxicating (0:15:54) Being trained as a soloist (0:20:27) Teaching students to be part of group choreographies (0:24:00) how do you teach differently than how you were taught (0:31:15) Enabling students to explore and grow (0:34:10) The spine of kathak (0:35:57) Residency at the Southbank Center (0:38:31) The Alchemy Festival (0:40:39) Creating an environment of collaboration (0:44:22) The versatility of Kathak (0:46:43) What does support mean for artists (0:50:13) Documenting her mother's work (Padma Sharma ji ) (0:56:00) Transition from UK to India Find out more at https://the-kathak-podcast.pinecast.co

    1 hr

  2. 06/11/2023

    Creating Music for Kathak : Niraj Chag TKP 110

    Episode Notes Niraj Chag is a London-based musical artist and composer. His musical style mixes Indian classical influences with contemporary stylings and layered, complex beats The Kathak EP | Niraj Chag (bandcamp.com) Niraj Chag | Composer And Musician Show Highlights (0:03:07) Kanya: The begining of Kathak Compositions for Niraj (0:05:21) How does the collaboration happen between a composer and an artist: Kanya (0:06:27) The interplay of bols and music (0:07:01) How watching Kathak influences Niraj's music (0:08:28) How colors influence music (0:11:21) How colors are related to mood (0:12:15) Inputs needed to start working on music (0:14:41) Playing instruments vs Hiring session musicians (0:18:07) On the topic of artists using his work (0:22:00) Making The Kathak EP (0:25:24) Learning from other artists (0:27:03) Handling conflicts during collaboration (0:29:46) Learning by not always getting what you want (0:32:00) Bridging communication gaps as a producer (0:35:01) Getting into a workflow (0:36:10) Kathak Subsonic (0:39:35) The unpredictability of which songs get popular (0:42:34) Artistic freedom to make choices (0:45:25) Using AI Tools (0:46:35) Use of technology of music vs dance (0:51:21) Teaching and mentoring (0:57:01) How much Kathak should a composer need to watch before starting to make music for it? Find out more at https://the-kathak-podcast.pinecast.co

    1h 1m

  3. 05/15/2023

    Inspiring Creative Exchange: New York Kathak Festival TKP 109

    New York Kathak Festival New York Kathak Festival The New York Kathak Festival is a nonprofit organization that presents and promotes dancers, scholars, and practitioners of Kathak, a classical dance tracing its origins to India. We produce a festival bringing together established and emerging artists from across the United States and beyond. The Kathak Festival is produced by the American Kathak community, inspiring creative exchange between local Kathak artists and diverse New York audiences. The festival is run by a volunteer team of young professionals who live and work in the New York metropolitan area. The Kathak Festival is our passion above and beyond our professional careers in industries ranging from fashion, technology, finance, fitness, education, journalism, design, and medicine—and we take it as our responsibility to set a strong foundation for this rich classical tradition to thrive in NYC. Show Highlights (0:00:00) Podcast Intro (0:03:13) What is The New York Kathak Festival? (0:04:44) Kathak Background and connection of the NYKF team (0:09:50) Evolution of the festival from 2019-2023 (0:11:49) How does being in New York help the Kathak Festival (0:15:37) About the NYKF Team (0:17:40) The importance of having a clear ask : Fundraising (0:18:35) Donating to NYKF (0:20:11) Having a fair and unbiased artist selection process (0:24:12) Being immersed in Kathak for a weekend (0:26:18) Dedicating time to Kathak (0:27:27) Logistics and festival details (0:29:54) Pop Up Concerts (0:34:03) Curating Festivals with the audience in mind (0:36:17) On the topic of educating audiences (0:38:23) The beauty in being able to enjoy an art form without context (0:40:05) Future plans (0:41:52) The importance of artists to the festival Find out more at https://the-kathak-podcast.pinecast.co

    44 min

  4. 01/30/2023

    Opening Your Mind to Ideas: Khalil Alashar TKP 108

    Episode Notes Website Khalil Alashar (@kalashar91) • Instagram photos and videos A dancer par excellence budding from the little island in the Persian Gulf called Bahrain, Khalil Alashar has been able to grasp the authenticity and professionalism in Kathak in a very short span.  His talent and dedication made him excel in his passion allocating him performances and workshops internationally. (0:02:10) Assumptions made by others (0:06:51) Learning (0:18:16) Making your own stage props (0:20:59) Masters in Kathak (0:36:53) Inviting other artists for workshops/performances (0:45:03) Bahraini Audiences (0:49:01) Incorporating stories from Bahrain in Kathak (0:51:27) Being the torchbearer of Kathak in Bahrain (0:56:39) What is your WHY Find out more at https://the-kathak-podcast.pinecast.co

    1h 2m

  5. 01/19/2023

    The Youth Kathak Festival 2023: Sreeja Chakraborty And Gaurvi Jain TKP 107

    https://www.instagram.com/theyouthkathakfestival/ Bio Sreeja Chakraborty is an Artist from Mumbai. She has done her undergraduation from Christ University, Bangalore in BA Triple Majors in Performing Arts, English and Psychology. She specialises in Contemporary and Kathak. She has taken kathak training from her mother, Guru Madhumita Chakraborty, and is currently the performance curator at Banichhanda Dance Academy Mumbai. Sreeja is also a mental health Facilitator, associated with Project Mumbai and BMC and works on mental health programs with underprivileged children in over 20 schools of Mumbai. Sreeja has been the winner of Mumbai’s got talent and various other dance events. She is the founder and director of The Youth Kathak Festival, 2023 which is going to launch in January which is India’s first one-of-a-kind Youth led classical dance event happening in Bandra on 28 and 29th of January. Gaurvi Jain originated from the city of lakes Udaipur who set her course in the field of performing arts having learned various artforms like Hindustani classical music, kathak, Bharatnatyam, sitar, Hawaiian guitar etc. having done her BA in Performing arts, english and psychology from Christ University Bangalore, she recently finished a course in Creative Fashion styling from NIFT Mumbai. she is the first member to join The youth kathak festival as an executive producer. Show Highlights (0:02:11) An Introduction to The Youth Kathak Festival (0:04:00) What's different about it (0:08:03) Sreeja and Gaurvi's favorite festivals and themes (0:12:20) Will audiences dance with the performer in a Kathak Festival? (0:14:34) What kind of artists are you looking to bring on? (0:20:16) Details on the festival and events: 28th and 29th January (0:31:41) Behind the scenes: TYKF Team (0:47:52) Running a safe festival for the audience (0:51:05) What is the one thing you're looking forward to?

    57 min

  6. 12/29/2022

    Dancing Through Life: Nikie Bareja TKP 106

    Episode Notes Nikie Bareja is an artist who hails from Delhi and is currently pursuing her Post Graduate Diploma in Screen Acting at FTII, Pune. She is also a trained Kathak dancer who graduated from St. Stephen’s College in 2019, where she acted and directed productions which went on to be showcased at the Old World Collegiate Theatre Festival, Instituto Cervantes, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland etc. She is trying to be a polymath, finding her meaning and voice through her craft on the adventure that we call life! Nikie (@nikiebeee) • Instagram photos and videos (0:03:11) Studying Screen Acting and Film Marking at FTII (0:05:47) How does Kathak Show up in your life (0:07:36) Dealing with preconceived notions of Kathak (0:13:40) Learning Odissi vs learning Kathak (0:18:57) Unlearning and relearning when learning new art forms (0:22:31) Managing your time (0:26:15) The advantages of being a trained dancer in the realm of acting (0:33:50) The Making of "Deep Jale" (0:38:56) Sticking to your art through teenage years. (0:25:36) The advantages of being a trained dancer in the realm of acting. (0:33:12) The Making of "Deep Jale" (0:38:17) Sticking to your art through teenage years.

    43 min

  7. 12/19/2022

    Door To Heaven: Astha Dixit TKP105

    Episode Notes Astha is an actress in Telugu films, Chandrahas and Pellaina Kothalo and a worldwide recognized dancer for her talent in Kathak dancing. She exhibits her passion for Sufi dancing in Kathak at various festivals like Jahan-e-Khusrau where she performed first in 2013 and then subsequent years after. She has performed at the National Center for Performing Arts, Beijing as well as the Royal Opera House in Oman and Kuwait, and the world famous Baalbeck festival in Lebanon and festivals promoting culture through the Ministry of India. She is also a choreographer of many musicals and ballets theme-based in the Mughal times where she is the lead dancer. She has studied Kathak from her Gurus, Harish Gangani and Malti Shyam in New Delhi, India. She is a computer engineer from UCLA and left a promising corporate career to pursue her passion for dance and acting. She has penned her Memoirs in her new book, Door to Heaven, which is running for best-seller status. The book has already got noticed in the non-fiction category and has received high-flying reviews from book-readers and book-reader's clubs. Book is available on Zorba Books: - Amazon: - Flipkart: - She is a TEDx Speaker having had the honor of performing a dance routine along with her speech in at TEDx Conf in Gujarat. She was voted Best Dancer and Choreographer by the The Variety Club. She has received accolades for her classical dancing style such as Nritya Utsav given to her by the organizers of festivals. She is currently active in teaching and choreographing group dances in Orlando. She is excited to lead the future generations into their awareness of dance and culture of India so they can expand their talents through her website www.asthadance.com . Follow the exciting events and projects that Astha is currently working on at:

    1h 10m

  8. 11/10/2022

    Give Them What They Want, But Do It Your Way: Ishwari Kulkarni TKP104

    Episode Notes • Ishwari Kulkarni, a Kathak Artist from Mumbai is a versatile dancer with enigmatic stage presence. • She pursued her Master’s Degree in Performing Arts - Kathak under the able guidance of the renowned Guru. Smt . Shama Bhateji from Bharati Vidyapeeth , Pune • Ishwari has been associated with the Nadroop Dance troupe and has travelled and performed in several dance festivals like Madame Menaka choreography movement -Indradhanush Festival -Art of Silence -Anubhandh 2020 -Anubhooti 2021 to name a few • She has been bestowed with the ‘ Student Excellency Award’ by Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Vashi • Ishwari has also been actively associated with theatre with her performances in ‘Savai’ , ‘Uttunga’ and INT ( Indian National Theatre) • She is currently working as an Instructor at Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts and Blitzz Dance Academy, Anand Wishwa Gurukul, Mumbai • Her recent work counts to her performance at Mumbai International Film Festival and her workshop conducted by Yuvak Biradari Bharat and Times Awards 2022 Economic Times Award 2022 and her recent performance on the platform of "THE STAGE " and few other solo performances to her credit. Youtube Link - https://youtu.be/s51FFX-lQxY

    36 min
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About

Welcome to The Kathak Podcast aka Kathak Ka Chakkar. My name is Pramit and I am going to be bringing to you conversations with kathakars across the world! Feel free to reach out at https://www.instagram.com/kathakkachakkar/

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