Kathak is a beautiful and elegant dance which expresses stories through elaborate hand movements and steps. It can be performed by both male and female dancers, and it is called the ‘dance of love’ as it is often performed together by men and women. Dancers wear ghungroo (bell instrument worn on the ankles) on both ankles and dance to the tabla (small drums played in pairs) and sitar (traditional stringed instrument with 18-21 strings). The relentless rhythm of the ghungroo heightens the excitement in the atmosphere, while the quick steps called ‘tatkar’ and spins executed to the fast paced rhythms are elaborate, sophisticated and full of energy.\n\nIn ancient Hindu temples, storytellers used to tell legends through song, music and dance. The name 'Kathak' is derived from the sanskrit word ‘katha’ which refers to the professional art of storytelling, and ‘karhakas’, which means ‘storyteller’. Kathak originated in Northern India in the 3rd to 4th century BC, and was transmitted as a form of puja (prayer ritual) until the 15th century, when it developed into a dance for court banquets under the influence of Persia and the Mughal empire.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙One of the 8 major traditional dances recognized by the Indian government\n∙Uses the ghungroo (a bell instrument worn around the ankle)\n\nPerformed by Amit Khinchi\nChoreographed by Amit Khinchi

Introduction\n\nIn Malaysia, there is a living traditional art where a storyteller develops the oral tradition, otherwise known as oral literature.\n\nOral tradition is the original source of Malay literature and translated into written literature. One of the practitioners of this oral tradition is known as 'Awang Batil'. Apart from specialised storytellers such as Awang Batil, there are other transmissions of oral literature throughout the country, especially in villages through folk stories or stories of elders that are collected, rewritten and made into collections for children to read.\n\n\nAwang Batil\n\nAwang Batil is a storyteller who provided entertainment and education to the people, especially to the villagers and local community. Awang Batil entertains and educates the community through many classic stories that he inherited. Through those stories, the community is entertained and educated.\n\nOnce upon a time, Awang Batil functioned as a story book, novel, radio, television, movie or video as it is now. He would travel from house to house, village to village, state to state including the state of Kedah, Penang and some areas in the Southern Region of Thailand, especially the Setol Region.