Juddan Dancing Girl, from Beauties of Lucknow
This photograph belongs to a series of 21 images of dancers taken at the Oudh Court of Lucknow, part of a larger collection of 24 images that also includes portraits of actresses and musicians. The British annexation of Oudh in 1856 and the subsequent rebellion completely transformed the life of patronage that artists had typically enjoyed under the Mughal Empire (1526–1857). The Indian classical dance style of kathak is found in three gharanas, or forms; the Lucknow gharana is renowned for its expressiveness of the face and graceful mudras (detailed hand movements). Lucknow was also a fertile site for the evolution of music that accompanied dance. A unique tabla (drum) technique developed in the early 19th century has become inextricably linked with kathak performances.
: Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing A…
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
No copyright: United States