Luminary – Ragas interpreted through Kathak

Ragas, in Indian, form the basis or foundation of its music. Each raga is dedicated to a specific time or season of the day or year. Each has its own set of emotions which our music brings to life. Again, each raga conveys different sub-emotions through its span from morning till night.

My attempt today, in this production ‘Luminary- Ragas Interpreted Through Kathak’, is to bring alive the many emotions of a few handpicked ragas through dance. I have taken on the challenge of combining these two art forms in a completely unconventional way.

At first glance this pairing may seem obvious. Dance is almost unthinkable without the accompaniment of music. But what I have attempted to do, is, not have music just accompany the dance performance, but have the dance performances bring alive the very meaning and emotions of the ragas played as music.

Kathak being my preferred dance style is a coalescence of all other art forms within itself. It paints a panorama of stories through its ‘mudras’ and composes rhythm through its exquisite footwork. I have choreographed and chosen each piece so the authenticity of the Kathak form is retained and yet you are able to see the variation that Kathak dance can offer and my students and I have worked very hard to bring these dances to life through months of practice.

let the performance lead you into a world of dance and music. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

-Rossana Bandyopadhyay