When Kathak met Bollywood

Kathak is one of those classics which is quite impossible to fuse with any other style of dance. But this duo who are well-known in shows like Russia’s Got Talent and India’s Got Talent have managed to fuse this classic with Bollywood. Perfoming for the first time in the South, Svetlana Tulasi and Kumar Sharam’s Kosmik Kathak Bollywood Fusion Concert is sure to be a unique show. Such shows are staged to ensure that our classical dance styles are not lost. Kumar Sharma explains, “The youth are going away from our culture. We are trying to make our dance form Kathak as famous as styles like hip-hop or contemporary. This is our attempt to promote Kathak to the youth.” 

Doing a fusion show too is not easy as Kumar stresses on the fact that it’s important to learn the basics of Kathak for fusion dance. This duo will be performing pure Kathak to Bollywood numbers. Svetlana Tulasi, who is half-Russian and half-Indian explains, “The majority of our show will have pure classical Kathak but it will  have infusions of Bollywood, romance, drama, etc. We want to tell a story using the body language of Kathak.” This show will tell the story of a love between a boy and girl, and the obstacles they face. Svetlana adds, “For us, we have a special connection to each song played and this is an opportunity to share that connection with the audience.” 

The duo will be dancing to songs in English, Bollywood numbers from Sanjay Leela Bansali’s movies and also Tera Chehra by Adnan Swami. “I think we are both excited and nervous about performing. Bengaluru is a hub for classical dance and to perform to a crowd who are used to classics is quite nerve-racking,” says Kumar. Joining them on stage is comedian Sundeep Rao who will be adding comic relief as well. “It is great to see that the audience appreciates everything we have done,” Kumar signs off. 

— The show will be held on August 18 at the Good Shephard Auditorium