A jump shot, from Kobe to Kathak

The dribbling is quicksilver, strong and startlingly percussive. The jumps look effortless -- and lofty. But this isn’t Staples Center, and instead of purple-and-yellow Laker jerseys, the garb consists of sherbet-colored silk kurtis, or tunics, cotton drawstring pants and hundreds of ankle bells. In fact, this isn’t a game of basketball but a rehearsal by Anjani’s Kathak Dance of India, a Diamond Bar-based company that Sunday at La Mirada Theatre will premiere a work inspired by hoops.

“Kobe Bryant is my favorite,” gushes Anjani Ambegaokar, the 60-year-old dancer, teacher and choreographer who founded the company in 1985 but only began watching the Lakers on television a few years ago.

“The kid is so graceful that the dancer in me started thinking, ‘How does he do that? He’s like an artist.’ I became interested in the rhythms of how they play the game and thought, ‘We can incorporate their moves and even sounds of bouncing balls into a Kathak-style piece.’ ”

In Hollywood terms, “Art of Basketball/Kathak Style” would be considered “high concept.” The 30-minute work, set to a taped original score by Alex Spurkel (a fusion that includes tablas, keyboard samplings and saxophone), is -- just as Ambekgaokar envisioned -- a blend of the kinetic vocabulary found on the basketball court and traditional Indian dance.

Originated more than 4,000 years ago by Kathakas -- storytellers who pantomimed -- Kathak evolved into a full-blown dance form in the 16th century, when Mogul rulers and maharajahs began subsidizing it. One of several Indian classical dance styles, including the southern region’s Bharata Natyam, Kathak (from the north) is characterized by complex footwork and rapid spins as well as solo improvisational elements.

Together with her daughter, 26-year-old Amrapali -- who has been dancing Kathak professionally since she was 10 but whose 1999 UCLA bachelor’s degree followed studies in flamenco, hip-hop, jazz and modern dance choreography -- Ambekgaokar is decidedly pushing boundaries.

Whether purists will call foul remains to be seen.

For Amrapali, who assisted in the choreography of the new piece and also admits to jonesing for Bryant’s on-court pizazz, this is not an issue. “Because I’ve trained in other forms,” she says, “the fun part is to bring in my own training and experiences in creating my style and applying that to my mom’s work. That’s exciting for me.”

In her solos, Amrapali dazzles with foot-slapping finesse, trance-like pirouetting and flourishes of filigreed hand gestures. Add to this her fierce yet graceful way of bouncing a b-ball with syncopated style -- and her ability to hold it gently aloft as if it were a Faberge egg -- and a unique vision emerges.

That vision is enhanced when the entire company (six other women, aged 19 to 27) follows suit, wedding Kathak skills to a 21st century interpretation of one of America’s favorite pastimes.

The relationship between dance movement and sports, while decidedly fresh in this context, is not completely novel. Margo Apostolos, director of dance at the USC School of Theatre, has studied the subject for a number of years, working with students at Stanford and in USC’s athletic department.

“Of all the sports I’ve worked with -- football, track, swimming, soccer, golf, tennis -- basketball has the strongest correlation to dance,” she says. “You can look at basketball players performing and see a balletic form: A layup shot is a nice hop on one leg. There’s also a lot of drama on the court.

“Because of the timing and pace of the game, there’s more unexpected movement, what I compare to abstraction or improvisation. The ball goes here or there, and they have to think very quickly how to recover from that and how to play it out.”

Ambegaokar has also contemplated that aspect of the game. Having used five basketballs in the new work, she’s instructed the dancers to simply pick one up should it get loose. “I tell them to get used to that and then incorporate the movements.”

To keep traditional Kathak devotees happy, she has also incorporated a classical work in Sunday evening’s program: the premiere of “Amrapali -- Raj Nartaki,” a 90-minute dance drama based on the life of the renowned court dancer who became the first female devotee of Gautama Buddha. Funded by a $20,000 National Heritage Fellowship that Ambegaokar won last year, it will feature guest dancers and is to be accompanied by live music.

All eyes seem to be on the ball, however. When asked if the troupe has extended an invitation to the Lakers, Amrapali says no, “but we’re working on getting the NBA interested in our maybe doing a halftime presentation. It’s a nice homage to them, if nothing else.

“Of course,” she adds, “they were playing a lot better last season.”

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Anjani’s Kathak Dance of India

Where: La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Price: $40 to $65

Info: (909) 468-9681