Kathak Ankle Bells

These are bells for Kathak dance, the Indian dance form which is one of the ancestors of Flamenco. Focus of the dance style is rhythm, a lot of it abstract and evolving.

The bells are plaited onto a rope. You can see some loose bells on the right hand side of the photograph. The rope is wound around the ankles and tied together. These only have fifty bells per rope, a professional will have a hundred per rope, which weighs a lot!

The padauk flooring they are sitting on is naturally bright red which I felt nicely set off the bright gold of the bells.