Tatkar is the heart of Kathak

 Being a new teacher is very challenging. It teaches you many things — how to teach, how observe children, how to explain concepts to them, and how they will understand. You have to pay attention to many small details.”

So basically, i am a Kathak teachers, and teaching dance is truly an art in itself.

Children think that a dance class means fun, but a dance teacher knows what they have to teach in the class so that the children learn and understand.

One day, I went to take a dance class in  class 1. The children were saying, ‘Ma’am, this is your dance class, right? Please play a song.’ I said, ‘No, we won’t play a song. You have to learn tatkār.’ Then they asked, ‘What is tatkār? Then I said, Tatkar is the heart of Kathak. Many students struggle with clarity and speed in footwork. So I told them we will learn to count with our feet.  All of them said, ‘Ma’am, I know counting, I know counting.’ I said, ‘Good, then we will learn to count using our feet.’ But when I showed them how to do it, they became totally confused.

Teaching proper Kathak to small children is a very difficult task; it is not easy at all. While managing their playfulness, their tiredness, and everything else, teaching them tatkār correctly and properly becomes quite challenging.

Then finally, after some time, they slowly started doing the tatkār—not in a perfect way, but at least they began to understand the pattern: right–left, right–left, left–right, left–right.

They all look adorable while performing.

~ By Mansi Singh

Mansi currently teaches Kathak to students at NIRMAN. She also assists in some creative art projects at the school. She has been an alumnus of our school.