What must I already know before Intermediate Kathak?

Intermediate Kathak starts after Foundation or a placement against its milestones. You should dance clear tatkar in changing densities, an amad, three tukras and a simple tihai arriving on sam, a stepped turn and a gat nikas. You should also have a short abhinaya study and be able to read and write bols.

How do I learn parans and tihais in Kathak?

Kathak parans and further tihais come in module 2B of Intermediate. You learn two parans, one with a simple chakradar construction your teacher approves, and explain its repeated sections. You also learn three tihais, including bedam and damdar treatment, notate their gaps and arrive on sam in performance.

How do I learn gat bhav and song interpretation in Kathak?

Kathak gat bhav and song interpretation come in module 2C of Intermediate. You develop two gat nikas into one coherent gat bhav with clear character and spatial changes. You then interpret a chosen song: you explain each line and perform four minutes with distinct intentions and accurate musical entries.

How is the Intermediate level of the Kathak course assessed?

The Intermediate level of the Kathak course ends with fifteen continuous minutes, including at least five minutes of expression, plus your complete portfolio and live questions. You also give a short written or dictated explanation with examples. Four live exchanges, including a changed cue and your recovery from it, test responsiveness. Every Intermediate milestone must be met, and no averaging makes up for one that is not.

KathakPrepared by KalaSudha

Intermediate Kathak

Intermediate Kathak, prepared by KalaSudha: tatkar density, turn entries, tukras in two cycles, parans and tihais, gat bhav, song interpretation and upaj.

Talk to an Advisor See the modules

Your path: 9–15 months
Modules: 2A–2C
Lessons: One-to-one or in a group
Ends in: A KalaSudha certificate

A Kathak dancer in a red kurta and ankle bells holds a pose with one arm extended in a bright practice room with a wooden floor and a patterned rug

Vue d'ensemble

About Intermediate

Intermediate Kathak broadens your repertoire and deepens your interpretation once your Foundation milestones are met. You enter after Foundation or a placement against its milestones. It is the second level of the Kathak course prepared by KalaSudha. As a typical guide, Intermediate takes 9–15 months, and you agree the pace with your teacher.

Module 2A develops tatkar through single, double, triple and quadruple density, ang coordination, turn entries in context and a second thaat and amad. Module 2B expands to six tukras, two in the suggested Jhaptal, two parans with a simple chakradar and three tihais, including bedam and damdar treatment. You also trade short footwork exchanges with a teacher or accompanist and recover after a displaced entry.

Read the full overviewAfficher moins

Module 2C turns to narrative and upaj, bounded improvisation. You develop two gat nikas into one gat bhav, interpret a song line by line and compare the Jaipur, Lucknow, Banaras and Raigarh gharanas through sourced examples. In a cohort, an elective duet has you exchange two characters with a partner on a shared spatial plan.

Electives include gharana studies with material a practitioner approves. The level ends with a fifteen-minute set including five minutes of expression and leads to a KalaSudha award (see certificates). Ask about Intermediate in the Academy.

What you will be able to do

Sustain each of four tatkar densities for two cycles with the intended sound.
Perform two distinct turn entries and return on sam without uncontrolled travel.
Recite and perform six tukras, including two in the suggested Jhaptal.
Perform two parans and three tihais, notating the gaps and arrival of each.
Perform a gat bhav and a four-minute song interpretation with clear intentions.

Before you start

Complete Foundation Kathak or meet its milestones in a placement with your teacher.
Be able to dance an amad, three tukras and a simple tihai arriving on sam.

Ask about placement

Modules

The three Intermediate modules

Intermediate develops technique first, then compositions and tala, then narrative and improvisation. The last module closes with a fifteen-minute set and the complete portfolio.

2A

Module 2A: Coordination, technique and development

8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 16 topics

Review your preparation and correct a recurring habit from video. Develop tatkar through four densities and coordinate hands, gaze and body. Connect turns to a composition and expand to two thaats and two amads.
1. Placement and Physical Self-ReviewCœur
  
  Check Foundation evidence and review preparation and movement habits.
2. Tatkar, Sound and DensityCœur
  
  Develop tatkar through single, double, triple and quadruple density at a controlled base pulse.
3. Ang Coordination and Movement QualityCœur
  
  Coordinate hands, gaze and body movement through a teacher-selected study.
4. Turn Sequences in ContextCœur
  
  Connect teacher-approved turns to a composition with a controlled exit.
5. Developing Thaat and AmadCœur
  
  Expand the cumulative repertoire to two thaats and two amads.
6. Musical Phrase and MovementCœur
  
  Distinguish heard melodic phrases and align movement to their phrasing.
7. Guided Technique RehearsalCœur
  
  Review the technique sequence and isolate a measurable weakness.
8. Module 2A PresentationCœur
  
  Present the coordinated technique and expanded opening repertoire.
9. Extended Coordination DrillAu choix
  
  Combine hands, gaze and footwork in a longer study and learn to find and fix faults in it.
10. Additional Turn TransitionAu choix
  
  Join turns smoothly to the phrases before and after them, building on the turn technique you already have.
11. Footwork Dynamic ContrastAu choix
  
  Learn to control how loud your feet sound, so volume becomes a deliberate choice in your footwork.
12. Movement AnnotationAu choix
  
  Learn to mark movement on a video so that another dancer could follow your sequence from it.
13. Jaipur Supplied Footwork StudyAu choix
  
  Learn a footwork study supplied by a Jaipur practitioner, with its bols and the way it is danced.
14. Lucknow Thaat StudyAu choix
  
  Study a Lucknow thaat supplied by a practitioner, with attention to its pauses and ang.
15. Banaras Natawari PhraseAu choix
  
  Learn a natawari phrase from the Banaras line as a practitioner supplies it, speaking it first and then dancing it.
16. Raigarh Composition EntryAu choix
  
  Learn an extract from a Raigarh composition supplied by a practitioner and where it comes from.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
2B

Module 2B: Compositions, tala and layakari

8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 16 topics

Review notation, then expand to six tukras across two cycles. Learn two parans with a simple chakradar and three tihais. Clap and recite the suggested Jhaptal and Ektal, and complete footwork exchanges with a partner.
1. Rhythm and Notation ReviewCœur
  
  Review learnt notation and recite the principal cycle before adding compositions.
2. Six Tukras Across Two CyclesCœur
  
  Expand the cumulative repertoire to six tukras, including two in the proposed additional cycle.
3. Paran and Chakradar IntroductionCœur
  
  Learn two parans, including one simple teacher-approved chakradar construction.
4. Three Tihais and Their PlacementCœur
  
  Learn three cumulative tihais including bedam and damdar treatment.
5. Additional Tala UnderstandingCœur
  
  Study the proposed additional practical cycle and recite a further cycle.
6. Responsive Footwork with a PartnerCœur
  
  Develop short exchanges with a teacher or accompanist without losing the underlying cycle.
7. Guided Rhythmic RehearsalCœur
  
  Rehearse compositions across the two proposed practical cycles.
8. Module 2B Presentation and Written CheckCœur
  
  Present the rhythmic repertoire and explain its composition structures.
9. Additional Ektal StudyAu choix
  
  Learn a composition in Ektal, as proposed, and how it divides across the cycle.
10. Tihai Variation ClinicAu choix
  
  Learn a counted tihai template from your teacher and build your own variation inside it.
11. Bol Sight ReadingAu choix
  
  Build your reading of bol notation so that new patterns can go from the page to your feet.
12. Composition RecoveryAu choix
  
  Practise keeping a composition going after an interruption, picking up where you are rather than starting again.
13. Jaipur Paran StudyAu choix
  
  Learn a Jaipur paran your teacher approves, speaking its bols aloud first and then dancing them.
14. Lucknow Tukra TreatmentAu choix
  
  Learn a Lucknow tukra as your teacher dances it, paying attention to the shape and flow of each phrase.
15. Banaras Syllable-to-Movement StudyAu choix
  
  Work with two natawari syllable groups from the Banaras line and the movement your teacher assigns to each.
16. Raigarh Chakradar StudyAu choix
  
  Learn a supplied Raigarh chakradar extract and how it is counted through the cycle.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.
2C

Module 2C: Narrative, interpretation and upaj

8 core + 4 teacher-setfrom 17 topics

Develop two gat nikas into a gat bhav and interpret a chosen song. Compare two accompaniment ragas and four gharanas. Respond to an unfamiliar prompt with bounded upaj, then present a fifteen-minute set.
1. Repertoire and Practice AuditCœur
  
  Review the cumulative portfolio and plan correction of an interpretive weakness.
2. Gat Nikas and Narrative DevelopmentCœur
  
  Develop two cumulative gat nikas into one coherent gat bhav.
3. Interpreting a SongCœur
  
  Develop a second expressive study through the text and musical phrasing of a chosen song.
4. Raga and Accompaniment UnderstandingCœur
  
  Compare the reference swaras and characteristic phrases of two taught accompaniment ragas.
5. Four Gharanas in PerformanceCœur
  
  Compare sourced examples from Jaipur, Lucknow, Banaras and Raigarh.
6. Guided Upaj and InteractionCœur
  
  Respond to an unfamiliar rhythmic or narrative prompt with a bounded improvisation.
7. Guided Intermediate ProgrammeCœur
  
  Rehearse a fifteen-minute set combining rhythmic and expressive work.
8. Intermediate Portfolio and VivaCœur
  
  Present the programme and demonstrate all sixteen Intermediate milestones.
9. Sung Text and TalaAu choix
  
  Bring your voice into your rhythm work with a passage your teacher chooses, an optional study for those preparing for examinations.
10. Duet InterpretationAu choix
  
  Work with a partner on a short duet in which the story passes between two characters.
11. Second Song InterpretationAu choix
  
  Learn a second song study that contrasts with your first, and what the song is about.
12. Performance Review WritingAu choix
  
  Learn to write a performance review that points to exact moments in a recording and names its sources.
13. Jaipur Kavitt StudyAu choix
  
  Study a Jaipur kavitt supplied by a practitioner, its text and how it is danced.
14. Lucknow Gat Bhav StudyAu choix
  
  Learn an approved Lucknow gat bhav study and the way it builds character and intention.
15. Banaras Angika StudyAu choix
  
  Study angika, expression through the whole body, in a piece from the Banaras line supplied by a practitioner.
16. Raigarh Repertoire ComparisonAu choix
  
  Hear two attributed Raigarh compositions side by side with your teacher and learn a passage that shows how they differ.
17. Narrative SequencingAu choix
  
  Explore how the order of moments shapes a story by reworking three supplied scenes into a new study.
Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both.

Why Intermediate

What Intermediate builds

Repertoire across two cycles

Expand to six tukras, two parans and three tihais, with tukras in the suggested Jhaptal as well as in Teentaal.
Narrative and song

Develop two gat nikas into one gat bhav, then interpret a song line by line with accurate musical entries.
Bounded improvisation

Answer an unfamiliar rhythmic or narrative prompt with a short upaj that keeps the cycle or the meaning.

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 lessons

In a group

Learn in a group on a timetable.

Ask about group lessons

Questions

Questions about Intermediate

Entry, pace, assessment and what you show to finish the level.

Still have questions?

Our support team can help you find the right answer.

Contacter l'assistance

Étapes suivantes

Prêt à commencer Intermediate ?

Tell us what you want to learn and where you are today. An academy advisor will help you find a good next step.

Talk to an Advisor Retour à Kathak

Next level

Advanced

Explore Advanced

Intermediate Kathak

About Intermediate

The three Intermediate modules

Module 2A: Coordination, technique and development

Module 2B: Compositions, tala and layakari

Module 2C: Narrative, interpretation and upaj

What Intermediate builds

Repertoire across two cycles

Narrative and song

Bounded improvisation