Kathak is a classical dance of Uttar Pradesh. It traces its origins to the Ras Leela of Brajbhuoomi. The word ‘ Kathak ’ comes from the Sanskrit word “ Kathakar ” which means a storyteller. Where a woman storyteller was referred to as “Kathika” & male storyteller was known as “ Kathakar ”. Kathak is among India’s six major classical dances; it is the only major classical dance from Northern India with a historical influence similar to Bharatanatyam in south India, Odissi in east India, and other major classical dances found in South Asia Kathak is the Sanskrit word for a storyteller. It is derived from the word ‘Katha’ which means stories or the art of telling stories. It is also synonymous with the community of Kathakas, who would travel from town to town, narrating ... Kathak is commonly regarded as one of the seven classical dances of India and is the only one from North India. Kathak has been enriched greatly by the contributions of musicians, dancers, professional women artists and court and landlord patronage. Big and small courts at Lucknow, Benaras, Rampur, Murshidabad, Jaipur and Raigarh, emerged as major patronage sites. This long standing historical association with courts reflects very strongly in the form’s aesthetics and tehzeeb (a word that ... Kathak is a dance genre that originated from the travelling bards of North India and evolved during the Bhakti movement and the Mughal era. Learn about its history, evolution, costumes, and exponents of different gharanas (schools) of Kathak .
