Guru Roshan Datye (75), a Kathak dancer and scholar, grew up hearing Kathak does not have a rich tradition like other Indian classical dance forms and is only 400- 500 years old. She decided to uncover the truth about the history of this ...See moreGuru Roshan Datye (75), a Kathak dancer and scholar, grew up hearing Kathak does not have a rich tradition like other Indian classical dance forms and is only 400- 500 years old. She decided to uncover the truth about the history of this dance form. 20 years later, we revisit her research with her, Abha Auti (39) and Nidhi Kondejkar (18), the next two generations of dancers to trace back the similarity in the dance positions found in sculptures on ancient temple walls and dance positions seen in contemporary Kathak. As they travel to the temples and stupas of North India, many preconceived notions they held about Indian culture are challenged. They explore the discrepancy between what stories the sculptures are trying to tell us about the past and what we have actually interpreted and are practicing today.
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