Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition.
With lyrics that are rhythmic in nature, the Tarana is a fantasy of movement. In South Indian dance, a tarana is known as a Thillana. Often the culminating piece in a Kathak performance, the Tarana interweaves melody with staccato, a high-speed rhythmic composition that highlights footwork and chakkars (spins), unique to the Kathak style. The choreography and staging of this tarana evokes the Darbar era of classical dance and music in South Asia, when artists performed in intimate royal court salons.