Kathak Dance for Beginners
“Kathak Foundations to Performance” is a complete classical dance course designed for beginners and growing learners. This course takes you step by step from basic Kathak movements to confident stage performance. You will learn footwork, rhythm, expressions, spins, and traditional compositions while developing grace, balance, and storytelling skills through Kathak.
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Skill Pathshala Team - 10 enrolled students
Course Description
“Kathak Foundations to Performance” is a structured and immersive Kathak dance program that guides students from the fundamentals of this classical Indian dance form to performance-level confidence. Rooted in tradition and taught in a simple, progressive manner, this course focuses on building strong technique, rhythm sense, and expressive ability.
Throughout the course, students will learn correct posture, basic and advanced tatkar (footwork), Kathak bols, hand movements (hastak), eye movements (drishti bhed), and graceful body coordination. Special emphasis is given to taal knowledge such as Teentaal and Ektaal, helping learners understand rhythm and timing deeply.
As the course progresses, students will practice todas, tukdas, chakradars, controlled chakkars (spins), and expressive abhinaya for storytelling. The final phase of the course focuses on performance training, including stage presence, confidence building, costume awareness, and presentation skills. By the end of the course, students will be able to perform a short Kathak composition independently.
This course is ideal for students who wish to learn Kathak in a disciplined yet enjoyable way—whether for personal growth, cultural learning, or stage performance.
What you'll learn in this course
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Kathak basics, posture, and body alignment
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Tatkar (basic to advanced footwork)
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Kathak bols and rhythmic understanding
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Hand movements (Hastak) and eye movements
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Teentaal & Ektaal with layakari
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Spins (Chakkars) technique and balance
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Facial expressions and Abhinaya
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Traditional Kathak compositions
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Performance confidence and stage discipline
Requirements
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Age 6 years and above
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No prior Kathak or dance experience required
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Comfortable clothing for practice
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Ghungroo (recommended but not mandatory for beginners)
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Commitment to regular practice
Curriculum
- 10 Lessons
- 600 mins.
- Understanding the origin and history of Kathak, including its evolution from temples to royal courts
- Exploring the cultural significance and storytelling tradition of Kathak
- Introduction to different Kathak gharanas and their unique styles
- Basic understanding of rhythm, taal, and laya in Kathak
- Importance of discipline, posture, and practice in a Kathak dancer’s journey
- Correct standing posture and body alignment for Kathak
- Developing balance, flexibility, and body coordination
- Understanding the role of eyes, neck, shoulders, and hands
- Breathing techniques to improve stamina and grace
- Warm-up and cool-down practices for injury-free dancing
- Introduction to basic foot positions and weight transfer
- Learning simple Tatkar patterns in slow and medium tempo
- Understanding the relationship between footwork and rhythm
- Practicing clarity, strength, and control in foot movements
- Developing confidence and stability through regular Tatkar practice
- Introduction to basic hand positions used in Kathak
- Coordinating hand movements with footwork
- Learning simple arm movements for grace and flow
- Understanding the expressive use of hands in storytelling
- Practicing smooth transitions between movements
- Understanding the technique and purpose of spins in Kathak
- Learning preparation and spotting for controlled spins
- Practicing single and multiple spins safely
- Maintaining posture and balance during chakkars
- Combining spins with simple footwork and movements
- Introduction to basic taals commonly used in Kathak
- Learning to recognize beats, claps, and waves
- Practicing footwork with rhythmic counting
- Understanding the role of bols in Kathak
- Developing rhythmic accuracy and timing
- Understanding the importance of facial expressions in Kathak
- Learning basic emotions and their expressions
- Coordinating eyes, eyebrows, and facial muscles
- Expressing simple moods through movement and expression
- Practicing natural and effortless storytelling
- Introduction to simple Kathak compositions for beginners
- Learning basic movement sequences with rhythm
- Understanding structure and flow in a Kathak piece
- Practicing confidence and stage awareness
- Performing short compositions with expression and grace
- Developing an effective daily practice routine
- Improving memory and movement clarity
- Understanding basic stage etiquette and presentation
- Overcoming hesitation and building performance confidence
- Preparing for small presentations and practice performances
- Reviewing foundational skills learned in the course
- Understanding common mistakes and how to correct them
- Building consistency and discipline in practice
- Exploring intermediate Kathak learning paths
- Encouraging lifelong learning and love for Kathak dance
Your Instructor
Skill Pathshala Team
Advanced Educator
Skill Pathshala is an online learning community with thousands of classes for creative and curious people, on topics including illustration, design, programming, photography, video, freelancing, and more. On Skill Pathshala, members come together to find inspiration and take the next step in their creative journey.
- Duration span 600 mins.
- Lectures0
- LanguageHindi
- Skill levelBeginner
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