Gesamtkunstwerk & Kathak

*Image from Wikipedia

A North Indian classical dance form called “Kathak”, I believe, is a good example of the Gesamtkunstwerk because it combines aspects of music, theatre, and literature into one dance form that gives the audience a sense of the “totality of experience”. Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word “katha” meaning “story” and kathak dancers are essentially storytellers; in fact, originally katak dancers were nomadic bards that performed mythical and moral stories from great epics such as the Mahabharata, with the accompaniment of music and stylized gestures. Today, kathak dancers exemplify the same spirit of storytelling, except now the stylized hand gestures and body movements have been abstracted and have a more expressive quality that represents universally understood human emotions such as love, lust, joy, heartbreak etc. While instrumental music from the hand drum and sitar still accompanies the dance, dancers create their own rhythmic music through complex footwork and bells that are tied around the ankle. Although this dance form doesn’t directly aim to “change the world” in Wagner’s sense, it played a big part in sparking a new found nationalism during Indian independence from the British and provided moral messages of freedom and equality. So, kathak embodies the Gesamtkunstwerk in its amalgamation of theatre and literature in its storytelling, music and dance in its footwork and hand gestures, and in its spirit to educate and entertain fully; creating a “totality of experience” through dance.

Design is a Process: Welcome back!

First of all, “Hello again”. Sometimes in design when we say something is “done”, in actuality it is just the beginning! Design is a process and I should have known better than to claim something is “my last blog”. So, for now, I’m back and will be posting sporadically!