Kathak

The most widely performed dance in North India is Kathak. The name stems from the word katha, a story or fable. This tradition dates back over 2000 years to Kathakas, the wandering bards and minstrels, who traveled from village to village preaching and bringing to life the meanings and messages of the great mythologies and scriptures through song, dance and commentary. During the medieval period, the Moguls brought this dance into the court setting where it became a popular courtly ntertainment, and acquired an emphasis on refined grace along with complex rhythmical development. Modern-day Kathak is a theater art which has the vigor of dynamic footwork and pin-point spins, the subtle movement of the face and hands, blended with the miming of stories of all kinds. Never simply a silent presentation, it integrates the recitation of syllabic compositions known as bols. It is the only classical dance form that incorporates elements from both Muslim and Hindu culture.

These storytellers were called the Kathakars. Hence the name Kathak. The technique and presentation of Kathak is enhanced with the aware and sensuous royal Persian etiquette as well as the spiritually submissive innocence and beauty from the Hindu religious performance tradition.
Kathak uses very simple hand gestures and less stylised and closer to real life expression or abhinaya. Because of the influence of two distinct cultures, Kathak can be presented in a Hindu costume or in an adaptation of a Persian costume.