Performance of Thumrī in Kathak Dance

During the eighteenth century, Lakhnau, the capital of the royal state of Awadh, emerged as the refined center for the arts. Over the next centuries, kathak maestros and elite tavāifs (soiree singers and dancers) enthralled patron connoisseurs with their exquisite thumrī performances, receiving lavish rewards. T. humr ī exemplified an aesthetic synthesis of the devotional (bhakti) and worldly themes based on undifferentiated love situated in the s'rngāra rasa (amorous, erotic sentiment). This essay is an attempt to highlight the infinite performative possibilities improvised by the dancer through imaginative interpretations of the thumr _ ī song-text and the connoisseur spectator's interactive response in culturally specific meaning-making. T. humr ī performance epitomized the poetic “nāyikā,” who dominated prolific classic and regional literature over the millennia.

Duke Scholars

Author Purnima Shah Dance Program