World Music presents the renowned masters of northern India’s Kathak dance, Birju Majaraj Dance Company on Sunday, October 8, 8 pm at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $35 and $25. For tickets and information call World Music (617) 876-4275 or buy online at www.WorldMusic.org.

Pandit Birju Maharaj is internationally recognized as the greatest living exponent of Kathak dance, northern India’s centuries-old storytelling-based classical dance form. Filled with technical virtuosity and flamboyance, Kathak is characterized by elaborate rhythmic footwork (tatkar), graceful spins (chakar), hand gestures (mudras) and subtle expression of moods and emotions (bhava-abhinaya). An extraordinary artist, Birju Maharaj integrates pure classical movements and style with a distinctly contemporary use of space in his multiperson choreographies.  He will be joined by his foremost disciples Saswati Sen and Muhua Shankar, along with three musicians.  

Kathak dance originated in northern India, and by the 13th century was a religious story-telling form mainly performed in temples. By the 15th century, however, it became a more social practice, performed for royalty at palaces as entertainment. The form became more theatrical and flamboyant, with dancers wearing numerous ankle bells to accentuate their rapid spins and complex footwork. This created an essence of rhythm and footwork that is now an integral part of the dance. The stories told by the dancers became less religious and more dramatic, focusing on tragedy and romance. Today, Kathak is often performed as a combination of both its ancient and more modern permutations, showcasing the arc and social relevance of the form.

Birju Maharaj was born in 1937 into a family of Kathak dancers. He was first taught the form by his father and then, after his father’s death, by his uncles. He is now recognized as the foremost master of Kathak dance, having long ago earned the distinguished social title of “Pandit”, reserved for those who are supreme masters of their art form. He has helped to re-popularize Kathak, marrying elements of both the ancient, holy style and the secular, dramatic style of later years, and pioneering the use of multiple dancers in his choreographies.

Among many awards, Pandit Birju Maharaj has received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award (the highest civilian arts award) and the Padma Vibhushan (the highest presidential award for achievement) from the government of India. He was the invited choreographer at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina in 1991, and was honored with a special award at the prestigious Avignon Festival in Paris, France in 1995. He also possesses proficiency on multiple instruments and a reputation as an accomplished poet. This is his first performance in Boston in over two decades.

World Music is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency which also receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.  

|