Katthak, as I learn

I thought I'd have to begin by correcting myself. I would always pronounced the name as "katthak," with emphasis on the doube-ta. This notion was initially shattered when Wikipedia enlightened me with this: "This dance form traces its origins to the the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers. "

However, it further stated: "The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means s/he who tells a story, or to do with stories. The name of the form is properly katthak, with the geminated dental to show a derived form, but this has since simplified to modern-day kathak. Kathaa kahe so kathak is a saying many teachers pass on to their pupils, which is generally translated, 's/he who tells a story, is a kathak', but which can also be translated, 'that which tells a story, that is Kathak'." Done. I'm correcting all entries in my blogs right now :P

It goes on to say: "There are three major schools or gharanas of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage: the gharanas of Jaipur, Lucknow and Banaras (born in the courts of the Kachwaha Rajput kings, the Nawab of Oudh, and Varanasi respectively); there is also a less prominent (and later) Raigarh gharana which amalgamated technique from all three preceding gharanas but became famous for its own distinctive compositions." My teacher learned the Lucknow gharaana (my logical spell-check fetish at play) style for 11 years, and now mostly teaches the same, although she sporadically points out differences in the styles of various gharaanas.

Now, from a lay person's perspective (LPP - I'll use this term frequently to explain things as simply as I can): you begin with learning the theka, which is--literally--stomping to a certain slow, but evenly paced rhythm.

• You are to stay put in your position, and not move forward, backward, or sideways.
• Your hands should be held together in front of you, at the chest-level, a little away from the body.
• Your legs should be held closer together (not sticking, though), with the feet pointing diagonally forward.
• Your back should be held straight (the natural spinal arch is apparent and looks graceful), and you should face straight ahead, smiling (if possible :P).

[Expect a picture some day.]

PS: Rash, I know I might have missed a lot of what you wanted to know. I'm not too inclined to learn the social connotations of this dance form, but I'll keep adding what I learn. Hope you like it.