KathakPrepared by KalaSudha
Foundation Kathak
Foundation Kathak, prepared by KalaSudha: tatkar, hastaks, padhant and the cycle, first compositions, a stepped turn and a short abhinaya study.
- Your path
- 9–12 months
- Modules
- 1A–1C
- Lessons
- One-to-one or in a group
- Ends in
- A KalaSudha certificate
Overview
About Foundation
Foundation Kathak takes beginners from preparing their practice space to an eight-minute programme. It is the first level of the Kathak course prepared by KalaSudha, taught in live online lessons. Your teacher approves your space, floor and footwear and the area you need to travel in, so you can practise at home.
Module 1A builds clear tatkar, the footwork, with deliberate weight transfer. You recite the tatkar in padhant and clap the suggested Teentaal. You then coordinate four hastaks with the feet and show a first feeling through gaze and gesture. Module 1B adds density changes, a thaat, an opening greeting, an amad, three tukras, a stepped turn and reading and writing bols.
Read the full overviewShow less
Module 1C brings a simple tihai, a gat nikas, the stylised walk, and a two-minute abhinaya study, the expressive dance. You learn the text and music of a song without needing to sing, and watch two contrasting Kathak examples. See the Kathak discipline page for the art form.
Each module has 14 topics, eight core and six electives, and your path is 12 of them. As a typical guide, Foundation takes 9–12 months, and you agree the pace with your teacher. In a cohort, you dance the module rehearsal for fellow learners, and an elective has you dance a short sequence in unison with a peer. Foundation ends with an eight-minute programme with two minutes of expression and leads to a KalaSudha award (see certificates). Ask about Foundation in the Academy.
Modules
The three Foundation modules
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1A
Module 1A: The body, the feet and the cycle
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Prepare your space with an approved warm-up and alignment. Build clear tatkar, recite it in padhant and clap the suggested Teentaal. Then coordinate four hastaks with slow tatkar, show a first feeling through gaze and gesture, and find sam in a lehra.-
Space, Posture and Practice PreparationCore
Prepare the practice space and establish a teacher-approved standing alignment and warm-up.
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Tatkar and Foot ArticulationCore
Produce clear foot strikes through the first teacher-selected tatkar pattern.
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Padhant and the First CycleCore
Recite the tatkar and clap proposed Teentaal with sam, tali and khali.
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Hastaks with the FeetCore
Coordinate four teacher-selected basic hastaks with slow tatkar.
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Gaze, Gesture and a First FeelingCore
Communicate a simple situation through coordinated gaze, hands and facial expression.
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Hearing the Lehra and Reference PitchCore
Locate the accompaniment's cycle and tonic while distinguishing pitch height from rhythmic speed.
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Guided Movement and Sound ReviewCore
Record and correct a posture fault and a foot-articulation fault.
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Module 1A PresentationCore
Present basic footwork, coordinated movement and a short expressive response.
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Ghungroo Fitting and SoundElective
Learn how your teacher ties ghungroo and how the fit changes the sound of your footwork.
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Hand and Gaze CoordinationElective
Work on moving the hands and the gaze together so both follow one agreed movement line.
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Recitation MemoryElective
Build your memory for recited patterns by learning short ones and returning to them after a gap.
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Movement Through SpaceElective
Take a slow phrase through the space around you, travelling in different directions and coming back to where you began.
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Gesture and Everyday NarrativeElective
Use connected gestures to tell a small everyday story, as a first step in expressive dance.
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Practice Video ClinicElective
Set up a camera that shows your whole body and lets your feet be heard, then learn to spot corrections in your recordings.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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1B
Module 1B: Movement and first compositions
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Move between single, double and quadruple density at an agreed base pulse. Learn a thaat, a salami or rangmanch pranam and an amad. Add three tukras with padhant and a stepped turn, and read and write bols.-
Review and Coordination ResetCore
Review posture, foot placement and rhythm before extending the movement vocabulary.
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Tatkar in Changing DensitiesCore
Move between single and double density and introduce controlled quadruple density at an agreed base pulse.
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Thaat and the Opening SequenceCore
Learn one thaat and a teacher-approved opening greeting within the cycle.
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Amad and Three TukrasCore
Learn one amad and three simple tukras with their padhant.
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Controlled Turns and ExitsCore
Learn a teacher-approved stepped turn with coordinated head use and a stable exit.
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Reading and Writing BolsCore
Read and notate one tukra using matras, divisions and agreed notation signs.
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Guided Composition RehearsalCore
Rehearse the opening, amad and tukras with full-body video feedback.
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Module 1B Repertoire ReviewCore
Present the movement and composition set and explain its notation.
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Additional Simple TukraElective
Learn one more simple tukra alongside the forms the module already asks of you.
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Turn Entry ClinicElective
Work on how you enter and leave a turn, using the method your teacher approves and keeping your balance.
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Footwork at a Lower Base PulseElective
Slow the base pulse and work through a density study your teacher sets, keeping every foot sound clear.
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Notation from RecitationElective
Write down a short phrase you hear recited, then speak it back from your own notation.
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Alternative Opening GreetingElective
Learn a second opening greeting your teacher approves and the context it belongs to.
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Expressive PausesElective
Explore how changing the pauses in a phrase changes what it says.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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1C
Module 1C: Gat, expression and first performance
8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 14 topics
Count and dance a simple tihai, learn a gat nikas and study a song's text and music. Develop a two-minute abhinaya study and watch two contrasting Kathak examples. Then present an eight-minute programme with two minutes of expression.-
Foundation Review and Practice RepairCore
Resolve outstanding footwork and coordination faults before portfolio presentation.
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A Simple TihaiCore
Count and perform one simple tihai within the proposed principal cycle.
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First Gat NikasCore
Learn one teacher-selected gat nikas with its chal and return.
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Music and Text for DanceCore
Study the taught song's text, reference swaras and characteristic raga phrases without requiring a sung performance.
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Short Abhinaya StudyCore
Develop a two-minute interpretation using gaze, gesture and changes of intention.
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Watching and Responding to PerformersCore
Compare two contrasting Kathak examples and respond to a partner's rhythmic cue.
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Guided First ProgrammeCore
Rehearse an eight-minute programme combining nritta and expression.
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Foundation Portfolio and VivaCore
Present the Foundation programme and defend all sixteen skill milestones.
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Second Gat NikasElective
Learn a second gat nikas your teacher chooses, with a chal that differs from your first.
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Short Kavitt InterpretationElective
Study a supplied kavitt with your teacher, first for its words and then as a short dance interpretation.
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Singing a Short PhraseElective
Use your voice as optional support for your dancing, keeping a short sung line in time with the cycle.
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Partner Unison StudyElective
Practise dancing with another person, matching timing and space with your teacher or a peer through a short shared sequence.
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Alternative NarrativeElective
Take on another short story in abhinaya and show the viewer who is speaking at each moment.
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Listening to Another CycleElective
Widen your listening by reciting Dadra and Keherwa, as proposed, and following one of them in a recording.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
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Why Foundation
What Foundation builds
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Footwork you can hear
Tatkar starts slow, with deliberate weight transfer. Your teacher listens for clear strikes and watches for uncontrolled stamping. -
Turns without dizziness
Learn one stepped turn with coordinated head use and a stable exit. The course asks for control, not a number of consecutive spins. -
A first story
Show two intentions with one gesture, then build a two-minute abhinaya study with gaze, gesture and changes of intention.
Lessons
Ways to learn
One-to-one
Learn at your own pace. You book online lessons through KalaSudha in your own time zone.
Register interest in 1:1 lessonsIn a group
Learn in a group on a timetable.
Ask about group lessonsQuestions
Questions about Foundation
Entry, pace, assessment and what you show to finish the level.
Kathak padhant is the spoken recitation of bols, the rhythmic syllables, and Foundation teaches it from the first module. You recite the tatkar while clapping Teentaal, then recite each composition before you dance it.
Module 1B shows you how to read and write bols with matras and divisions, so you can recite an unfamiliar four-matra phrase from notation.
To start Foundation Kathak you need practice wear, a space your teacher approves and a camera set up to show your whole body with your feet audible. Your teacher decides on footwear or barefoot practice.
Ghungroo come in when your teacher introduces them, with a tying method and fit they approve. The course sets no fixed number of bells.
Chakkars, Kathak turns, start at Foundation with one stepped turn your teacher approves, using coordinated head use and a stable exit. You repeat it four times with a controlled entry, balance and ending.
The course asks for control rather than consecutive spins, and your teacher sets the turn progression for your level.
The Foundation level of the Kathak course ends with eight continuous minutes of dance, including at least two minutes of expression. Your teacher adds practical, aural and oral checks with a notation task.
Responsiveness is tested separately in four cue-response exchanges with a live partner: a teacher, an accompanist or a prepared performer. Each clause is marked met or not yet met.
Next steps
Ready to begin Foundation?
Tell us what you want to learn and where you are today. An academy advisor will help you find a good next step.