Dance comparison between Kathak from India and Flamenco from Spain: Bettina Castaño and Swati Sinha

Flamenco Dance by Bettina Castaño and Kathak dance by Swati Sinha, in India.
Flamenco is a genre of Spanish music, song, and dance from Andalusia, in southern Spain, that includes cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance) and palmas (handclaps). First mentioned in literature in 1774, the genre grew out of Andalusian and Romani music and dance styles. In recent years flamenco has become popular all over the world and is taught in many countries: in Japan there are more academies than there are in Spain. On November 16, 2010 UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Flamenco performance has evolved during the history of this musical genre. In the beginning (the 18th century at the latest), songs were sung without any guitar accompaniment; during the 19th century, the guitar was used to accompany songs, and since the second half of the 19th century, the solo guitar is played in flamenco concerts. From flamenco's beginning in the 18th century most performers have been professionals. For most of the genuine life of flamenco, a folk art that has remarkably conserved an extraordinary level of conservatism within the caucus of European folk music, with its unmistakable rhythmic patterns and tones that mark its varied forms, or 'palos', flamenco has actually been the concern, like speech itself, of non-professionals in the countryside.
Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance and central asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era.
The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means he who tells a story, or to do with stories. The name of the form is properly katthak, with the geminated dental to show a derived form, but this has since simplified to modern-day kathak. kathaa kahe so kathak is a saying many teachers pass on to their pupils, which is generally translated, 's/he who tells a story, is a kathak', but which can also be translated, 'that which tells a story, that is 'Kathak'.
There are three major schools or gharanas of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage: the gharanas of Jaipur, Lucknow and Benares (born in the courts of the Kachwaha Rajput kings, the Nawab of Oudh, and Varanasi respectively); there is also a less prominent (and later) Raigarh gharana which amalgamated technique from all three preceding gharanas but became famous for its own distinctive compositions.
Source: Wikipedia
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[@michaelmccartan8739]

indian culture is very beautiful and mysterous.

[@sm0000]

Mysterious ???

[@pravindurgasahu]

Thankyou sir as well as yours🙂

[@shardarai810]

There's nothing mysterious. It's just that you people are never told fully about it. Plse someday come to India and experience it.❤️

[@kns2268]

Indian is always great country

[@RudrakshSinghChauhaan33]

Indian culture is beautiful and deep that's why it's a mystery to the foreigners. It's like an ocean of endless knowledge in every field.

[@Aman-qr6wi]

All indian dances stem from a classical indian texts in sanskrit known as "Natya Shastra" which translates to "science of performative art"

[@knightarmor6981]

Shastra doesn't mean science. It means manual

[@sivakumarsubramaniam2388]

@@knightarmor6981a manual with scientific explanation

[@SobrietyandSolace]

I always had an inkling that flamenco originated from within Romani communities and that they in turn originated from India before I started the rampant googling. The visual and auditory cues all point to it. It's nice to have such a clear and concise comparison whilst appreciating the two forms and cultures as individual with some crossover.

[@joalexsg9741]

Same Indo-Euroepan roots, as the Ossetian dances are the roots of European classic ballet!

[@NishantSingh-qe7vv]

kathak is so much older than any dance form date back before christ

[@joalexsg9741]

Yes, Nishant, that´s exactly why I said it's very Indo-European, and of course, Flamenco has its roots in Kathak.

[@xzzx8254]

Moors brought Indian entertainers to Spain way before the arrival of the gypsies .Who knows

[@shyammadhavan6468]

Its not limited to dance .. European languages are derived from sanskrit...as also classical music theory

[@gypsyqueen6773]

almost all gypsy dances are similar to indian dance, not only flamenco dance has something to do with indian dance, russian gypsy dance, polish gypsy dance are also similar to indian dance, yes flamenco is the oldest gypsy dance, but then other gypsies came along Dances that have similarities with the Indian dance gypsies originally come from India so what did you guys expect

[@renalilab1373]

Regards ❣️🌿🕊️

[@ravidholakiya8239]

Just a few months ago I got to know about your history and how you've been marginalised for more than thousand years I felt very sad, my heart goes to you guys !! & It's Amazing to see you still holding on to our culture❤️ Love from Gujarat, India 🙏🏻

[@scooby5478]

Gypsies migrated from India way back in 1000 AD due to invasion from North West of India. They used to live in present day Rajasthan of India.

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

@@scooby5478 they migrated because the brahmins kicked them out

[@scooby5478]

@@AyanAli-py7ci 🤣🤣🤣.... ek joke aur....earth is flat. ( asmani kitab)🤣🤣🤣

[@fdk539]

Being Pakistani and maternal side from India I would like to comment that Kathak is very hard to get perfection. Lot of stamina and practice is required. Whether it's dance or music our sub continent music is unbeatable.

[@jam-ss2jc]

So your mom migrated to Pakistan during partition?

[@abdeljalil.bucharest3271]

@ooga booga booga its not true . Flamengo is made by arabs who were in Andalusia

[@kaceobrwa7039]

indian music * , don't appropriate indian culture .

[@Shiva-nx1tn]

​@@abdeljalil.bucharest3271 wrong flamenco is madeby Romani people who migrated from India Rajasthan

[@vishvendarsingh8102]

Kathak is always best dance form in the entire world....🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@pgrnair]

Seems you have not seen Kathakali, the most consummate and intricate dance of India

[@spiritualkrishna765]

Kathak is originated from Banaras.

[@abhi-hr5jk]

Kathak is second.... for me it's Bharatnattyam😊 I love it ❤

[@infinite5795]

@@pgrnair Kathakali is not a old dance in comparison, just some 4-5 centuries old.

[@slomojohnjoshi5990]

Bharatanatyam and Kathakali 😌

[@Dude_997]

Both dance forms are of indian origin that makes me proud..❤ Flamenco has a huge ROMA HERITAGE attached to it.

[@attaraxiia]

el flamenco es andaluz no romani

[@Shiva-nx1tn]

it Is Romani Search In Google Though It Invented In That region By Romanis ​@@attaraxiia

[@uwu.4175]

que lindo! siempre me agradó el flamenco y el kathak, pese a que no soy ni de españa ni de india jskja. las dos bailarinas lo hicieron estupendamente!

[@bijitabhattacharya6021]

This is a beautiful example of cultural exchange. Enriching and valuable! It was a visual treat to watch them dance.

[@zahraaesmael342]

Is it really exchange though? The Gitanos of Spain are related to Indians. They originate from Indians

[@bijitabhattacharya6021]

@@zahraaesmael342 Originated and inspired of course, but Flamenco has European influence. Why Flamenco is juxtaposed with Kathak it is because of the footwork. Flamenco is powerful with its connection to nature, like how the birds flutter their wings and depict their emotions. Kathak comes from "Katha", which means storytelling, based on the divine love of Radha-Krishna and the connection to nature. Both the performing arts are pure magic. You can't help but appreciate them.

[@zahraaesmael342]

@@bijitabhattacharya6021 footwork, hand movements, gestures, time signatures of music, the sound of flamenco singing...all based on Indian roots. Literally the only European thing about it is the clothes and parts of the language.

[@bijitabhattacharya6021]

@@zahraaesmael342 And so I said Inspired of course but there is a strong influence of European culture. It is subtly similar but distinctly different. Kathak's biggest highlight is Abhinay. Through facial expressions, dancers tell a story, whether it is viraha, vedana, utfullya, or abhisar, these are an integral part of Kathak. Being inspired is a wonderful thing, but we cannot take away the uniqueness of Flamenco...correct? Let us acknowledge the beauty of both dance forms. Kathak is not just about footwork, hand movements, gestures, it is about abhinay.

[@Shiva-nx1tn]

​@@bijitabhattacharya6021 no,It actually came from India Kalbelia and kathak are there dances which make Flamenco .Check Romani migration from India .They have made flamenco .They are actually Indian origin

[@jaelynjones392]

This was BEAUTIFUL it cruel to cut off the end 💔😥😊

[@simplykathrynrebeca]

I’m getting dance battle vibes from this

[@harrymerits1217]

kathak remains the best!!

[@jiveshvaridevidasi3983]

More chaste.

[@joalexsg9741]

I think it´s not a matter of comparing to find which is supposedly superior but of having the sensitivity to enjoy the beauty of two dance styles of common Indo-European roots. It´s the same as the Ossetian tip-toed dances and European ballet, the similarities between certain Indian rhythms and Medieval Celtic melodies, etc.

[@joalexsg9741]

No doubt Kathak and other similar Indian dances are more delicate but the point here is not to compare and compete in anything but to show the amazing beauty of the common Indo-European roots of both these dance styles, preserved through time and space!

[@NishantSingh-qe7vv]

@@joalexsg9741 wat do u mean by indo european .kathak date before christ even much older nritye shastra is the book of origin of all indian classical dance forms .

[@DipayanPyne]

@ Jo Alex Sg The whole idea of Indo-European cultures/languages is questionable, especially given that the Europeans made so many assumptions in the development of the theories that they call the truth. Sad...

[@lorrainelittlewood6651]

Absolutely fantastic. So brilliant to watch.

[@infinite5795]

Of course, Flamenco has Hindu/Indian origins through Roma people, with Arabic and Andalusian influences. While Kathak has Hindu origins with Persian/Central Asian influences, they are very Northern-Indian in the areas of origins and are vastly different from the Eastern and Southern classical dances, which are way purer than the aforesaid.

[@idkatthispoint-s9s]

Persian influence doesn't make it less purer, just a little less Indian. Kathak is just enriched in its beauty by Persian influence

[@infinite5795]

​@@idkatthispoint-s9sKathak's still purer gharanas like Jaipur and Banaras Gharanas have preserved the essence of the pre-islamic Kathak very well, no wonder most Kathak artists are actually versed in these 2 Gharanas. Its just the Lucknow Gharana, which is heavily persianized and unoriginal as it was transformed into a tawaif/prostitution culture from the original Hindu one, which is generally shunned even by moderate Muslims because of their conservative culture and is dying a slow death.

[@mangopudding5979]

There are no Andalusian/Arabic influence. Flamenco has Indian origins with Unique Romani creations.

[@ZoeRPM]

I saw this comparison on Central Television's series 'Here and Now' many years ago.

[@Kapish.k.narayanmurthi]

Amazing... it was a bliss to my ears as well as my eyes . Absolutely mind blowing ❤

[@jasudevda5221]

Just amazing😍❤

[@vineetgaur1982]

Wonderful video.......thanks for sharing this!!! Do you have full length of this performance?

[@ankitgangoriya1581]

Flamenco dance was actually kathak only, which was bring by our Romani brothers

[@nivasinigamalayadrisht5790]

The whole spirit of Flamenco is polar opposite to Kathak or any Indian dance for that matter. There is absolutely nothing Hindustani/Indian in Flamenco except its history.

[@SexyBeautifulBabe]

@@nivasinigamalayadrisht5790polar opposite is a stretch .. more like mother , daughter .. the only ones who danced flamenco in the those times Romani people who were from India..

[@bharatavarsha10k]

Shocked. Just watched Swati ji's Podcast and it's wonderful. Shocked to see these similarities between two dances of continents apart. One more reason to why we should be very very proud of our culture, how it has no boundaries and transcended across the boundaries ❤

[@vincy9343]

Both r fabulous but my 10 points gose for kathakali

[@sohitparihar6173]

Its kathak maam kathakali is different

[@chanelx5325]

That's cause ur Indian yourself

[@pravindurgasahu]

@@chanelx5325 🤣

[@annarks70]

Beautiful!

[@WildFilmsIndia]

+annarks Thanks for viewing, annarks! Do subscribe to our channel wildfilmsindia on KZbin for a steady stream of videos from across India, as part of our ambitious 'Visual mapping of the Indian subcontinent' project. Also view our 'Best of India' video playlist on KZbin, and visit and enjoy your journey across India at clipahoy.com , India's first video-based social networking experience! Team WFIL

[@abhisekdas1554]

Flamenco is Romani dance , Romani people come from indian origin ... Places like Hindukush mountain , pak , Afg , and modern day india also ... Its not a myth .. historically Romani Cultural is similar like indian culture 👍

[@harshabanad]

our bharat lady is divine and gracious.

[@shovonahmed392]

Katthak is always best. India ❤️

[@suhascharya834]

No any expression no any costumes and jewellery This shows the beauty and richness of Indian culture compare to other countries.

[@anonymous-bd4hx]

U fool flamenco dance is of Romani people who were forced to leave india during islamic invasions

[@avikatrigun1764]

Indian culture is best 😍🙏🇮🇳

[@bijohnshaha1209]

fabulous!

[@ProximaCentauri88]

wao..

[@mymusicmusic2527]

Very good !

[@human8454]

Thanks to gypses they passed our dance to Europe

[@VINAYUK_27]

Both are very similar acept hand movements

[@jackt6461]

I love flamenco has anyone noticed that its a bit pike tapdancing

[@praveenkumar-ze7jr]

Unbelievable !

[@Luvluna19]

Wow Both are stunning ✨🤌🏻

[@Kapil_Abhi]

Love for our Romani Brothers and Sisters ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🇮🇳🚩❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@rajkumat7856]

I love flamenco because it does have some similarities to classical Indian. Even the music reminds me of Indian folk music from the North of India. Nobody knows if there’s a link but as the original gypsies were from India and came to Europe maybe that’s the link?

[@kan05135]

Bravo

[@SonaRajgor]

Indian is best just see the indian clothes, makeup ,jewellery, foot jewellery & without heel sandal is best

[@ainfinitia]

Respect

[@pallavi2821]

Amazing

[@shashakawaiiemocute2166]

OMG YaSSSS

[@faceoff_theyear]

Wherever you belong we all are One 💕 Happy Women's day ❤️

[@EngPheniks]

Civilizations of Mediterranean Europe are no strangers to Indian history since the time of Alexander the Great and then came Vasco da gama. It is sure that Indian culture is very much in sync with Mediterranean cultures.

[@akshaysharma8940]

Its the mediterraneans that borrowed from ancient Indians

[@LightLoveLaugh]

The mediterranean and the whole of europe is inspired from indian culture, go search for how ancient our language and culture and how science and tech, mathematics and music and art and culturr came from us urself

[@saumyapandey2372]

It's vice versa my friend. Indian culture is vast and rich on it's own. Vasco da gama didn't brought any culture to India.

[@sushendradebnath9063]

Romani people are basically indian origin and flamic dance is kathak both are similar

[@vishakhduttsingh1752]

India is the place for genesis of art

[@coulorfully]

that would actually be cultures of Africa

[@user-gp1lw8vf3r]

I Love 2

[@dattaeswar6086]

abhijit chavda sir is pretty right

[@rankingresearchdata]

Bharatnatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, Kathak and others are toughest to perform

[@AGhere]

What's this,.... I want to see moreeee

[@Adyjetu]

wow wow n wow....

[@WildFilmsIndia]

+Adarsh Prakash Thanks for viewing, Adarsh! Do subscribe to our channel wildfilmsindia on KZbin for a steady stream of videos from across India, as part of our ambitious 'Visual mapping of the Indian subcontinent' project. Also view our 'Best of India' video playlist on KZbin, and visit and enjoy your journey across India at clipahoy.com , India's first video-based social networking experience! Team WFIL

[@RafiqulIslam-uf6sk]

Both beauti in different perspective

[@ladychloris]

Could You please write names of the dancers? Thx!

[@WildFilmsIndia]

We're so sorry - we seem to have mis-placed these details as this footage is old. Will try and get the same for you soon! Thanks for viewing, ladychloris! Do subscribe to our wildfilmsindia on KZbin at kzbin.info for a steady stream of videos from across India, as part of our 'Visual mapping of the Indian subcontinent' project. Also view our 'Best of India' video playlist on KZbin, and enjoy your journey across India at clipahoy.com , India's first video-based social networking experience! Team WFIL

[@kdorrn999]

Flamenco Dancer: Bettina Castaño , Kathak Dancer: Swati Sinha@@WildFilmsIndia

[@WildFilmsIndia]

@@kdorrn999 Yaay, Bettina! Thanks for identifying your video... Much appreciated. Great work. When do you return to India?

[@prateekbhardwaj9943]

@@kdorrn999 wow you are the dancer! amazing beautiful performance we love flamenco and Spanish culture!

[@pravindurgasahu]

Bravo! mesmerizing performance Madam Bettina you are a wonderful dancer ...I will watch your other video's too if availaible.

[@aaaaa5805]

Khatakh is best ❤️🙏

[@hemantabrahma7494]

Flamingo hats off from india

[@happyfriend341]

10 best anime crossovers

[@kannansivakumar1873]

Flamigo - girl who has fits

[@mikeygordon211]

Flamenco dance are come in 1570 ad from spain through the america which give the birth of argentine tango dance.Now flamenco dance are the most popular dance throughout the america,europe and africa.

[@ayanmaity259]

And flamanco originated from Kathak.

[@pranavtiwari6772]

@@ayanmaity259 Flamenco didn't originate from Kathak. Flamenco has influences from Rajasthani tribal dance, because Romani people were originally from Rajasthan.

[@infinite5795]

@@pranavtiwari6772 yes, it's wholly a Indian gypsy or Romani creation, with the music being Arabic and it got fostered in Andalusia of Spain.

[@SexyBeautifulBabe]

@@infinite5795the music isn’t Arabic .. it’s 100% Indian . Romani people were the only ones who danced flamenco in Spain before it became so popular .. the only thing somewhat European is the clothing

[@suuzq02]

Flamenco 💃 is the dance of power originally from Gypsies from rajasthan who migrated to Andalusia Both are beautiful dances of empowerment!!!!! Shame on biased comments See the similarities

[@attaraxiia]

el flamenco nacio mucho antes de la llegada d elos gitanos...

[@Shiva-nx1tn]

​@@attaraxiianope

[@haileeraestout5567]

The Woman From Spain Won In My Book

[@lubbulz1]

The floor is feeling the intricate intriguing intense feet tapping rhythms and sounds of TAKAR 👣 & TACONEO 👠

[@Ikillwish]

dude u cant mess with indian in music and dance

[@Shivamverma-dl7rw]

Indian ghoomroo sound very melodious and flamenco foot beat is very harsh lag raha stage toot jayegi

[@nivasinigamalayadrisht5790]

I hope you had the guts to say this to a Spanish on face.

[@justmegumi34]

Español

[@rahimditta2053]

Flamenco is influenced by the Indian gypsy diaspora

[@therapeuticmusic0]

El flamenco es todo creación gitana, durante el éxodo de los gitanos conocían dinferentes culturas y se enriquecian con ella, de ahí toda esa complejidad en el flamenco

[@attaraxiia]

El flamenco nació en Andalucia mucho antes de la llegada de los gitanos

[@moko8870]

Maximum assimilation is seen in Spanish folk culture.

[@macagaji9020]

Compas de tangos. 4. lo que le quieras meter entra

[@shubhamsinha6251]

It seemed that spanish girl was trying to break the floor

[@redl1ner170]

This is quite an interesting video, the spanish lady is not dancing real flamenco though. The thing is we cannot ignore the fact that Romani community is all over Europe. Hungary, Bulgary and Romania are the countries with the highest percentage of romani population in Europe, much higher than Spain, and yet none of these countries have flamenco. Cultural fusion is ok, cultural appropiation it is not. Peace.

[@oight]

they have romani music/dancing in all these countries which is very similar, it's just not called flamenco. flamenco is not just the dance but also the singing/instrumental. at most romanian weddings, romani people will perform similar music. they have been persecuted the most in some of these countries which is why it's not as widespread as it is in Andalusia. southern spain just integrated the romani community far more than other countries, and added some berber/arabic influence. i don't think this is a good example of flamenco dancing tbh.

[@Extremirl]

Kathak ❤️🚩

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

Gypsies run music in Europe Look at gypsy jazz and gypsy pianist

[@nidhisharma2613]

This is JUGALBANDI , NOT comparision

[@mikeygordon211]

Flamenco dance rocks with more leg stomping.Flamenco dance from spain are the best and great in the world.

[@DipayanPyne]

Kathak also has a LOT of footwork. You just havent seen enough. Moreover, Flamenco was HIGHLY inspired by Kathak, both in terms of music and dance. History tells us that. So many people in the west simply deny that, coz they can not digest that something that they call 'theirs' has roots in something Indian. Sad ... Regardless, Kathak is incredibly artistic and graceful in its own right.

[@thechosenone2894]

just fyi flamenco is derived from kathak.......kathak is mother of flamenco

[@arlenecerf8833]

@@thechosenone2894 yup it was brought by Romani people in Andalusia region of Spain. Romani people created flamenco - which is a combination of gypsy , Castilian and even Moro influences. Flamenco is a Spanish Romani dance specific in Andalusia

[@JoseCarlos-uc4wc]

No, it is not from Andalusia. Stop topics!!!!

[@DidaxS]

Yes, it is? Flamenco appeared in Andalusia.

[@Ummo-gz2di]

Esto no es de Andalucía, es de Massachusetts. Anda Pepe, vete pal carajo

[@capitantrueno6403]

@@Ummo-gz2di No es andaluz. Para expresar ideas no hace falta insultar.

[@LightLoveLaugh]

Lol 😂its funny that when u realising so many things came from indiaz it become hard for ppl to digest that