grade 5 theory ✩

• teental/ tintal

  16 beats/ matras, in the form of 4/4/4/4, three talis and one khali
• jhaptaal

  10 beats/ matras, in the form of 2/3/2/3, three talis and one khali
• keharwa

  8 beats/ matras, in the form of 4/4, one tali and one khali
• dadra

  6 beats/ matras, in the form of 3/3, one tali and one khali
• jaipur gharana

  Importance is placed on the more technical aspects of dance, such as complex and powerful footwork, multiple spins, and complicated compositions in different talas. There is also a greater incorporation of compositions from the pakhawaj, such as parans.
• ekgun

  one beat in each bol
• dugun

  two beats in one bol
• chaugun

  four beats in one bol
• bedam

  Bedam Tihai is when there is no rest in repetition of the three parts of the tihai phrase.
• Tatkar ke prakar

  different types and varieties of tatkar
• bant

  bant means to divide, to partition, or to distribute. in kathak this is what dancers do with rhythm
• 1. Amir Khusroo, one of the most versatile personalities of medieval India, was born in 1253 in a place called Patiyali, Uttar Pradesh, and died in 1325, this legendary personality was born of a Turkish father and an Indian mother. Abul Hasan Yaminuddin, better known as Amir Khusroo after being decorated with the title of Emir by one of his patrons, had the unique distinction of being a soldier, courtier, sufi, poet, writer, and music maestro.
• 2. Amir Khusroo was his pen name. He was known for his immense contribution in literature and music. In music, he created ragas, developed khayal, tarana, qaul, and qawwali, as also invented tabla and sitar, the two instruments that clearly distinguish and characterise Indian music from others.
• Nikhil Banerjee

  Nikhil Banerjee (1930-1986), a distinguished Sitarist, was born in Calcutta on 14 October 1930. His father, Jitendra Nath, was also a fine Sitar player, under whom he began his study. He also studied under Birendra Kishore Ray Chowdhuri (Gouripur) and Ustad Allauddin Khan. He was honoured with the ‘Padma Shri’ award in 1968, later the ‘Padma Bhushan’. On January 27, 1986 he died of a heart attack.
• abhinaya

  Abhinaya, a Sanskrit term that translates to expression, is the heart and soul of Kathak, enabling dancers to communicate narratives, evoke sentiments, and connect with audiences on a profound level.
• damdar

  Damdar Tihai is when there are two rests of equal duration after first and second pieces of the Tihai phrase.
• naghma (lehara)


  the melodic phrase which supports the rhythmic structure of any taal
• chakradar


  when a tukra repeats itself three times with/ without any gap (literal meaning: having a rotation/ spiral)
• four types of abinaya


  1. angika (body)
  2. vachika (singing)
  3. aharya (costume)
  4. sattvik (inner emotion)