Kathak\u00a0(\u0915\u0925\u0915) is one of the eight officially sanctioned classical\u00a0\u00a0(\u0936\u093e\u0938\u094d\u0924\u094d\u0930\u0940\u092f – Shastriya) dance forms of India. Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha (\u0915\u0925\u093e) meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means he who tells a story, or to do with stories. In ancient time,\u00a0 the professional story-tellers called Kathakas used to tell story from Indian epic or mythology with some element of dance.\u00a0 These story-tellers or Kathakas find mention the the literary references\u00a0(\u0938\u0902\u0926\u0930\u094d\u092d – Sandarbh) from the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE. As the tradition of Kathakas were hereditary, and dances passed from generation (\u092a\u0940\u0922\u093c\u0940 – Peedi) to generation thus preserving it till present times.\u00a0 It is the most popular dance (\u0928\u0943\u0924\u094d\u092f – Nritya) from India and could be seen in many popular cultures across the world.<\/p>\n
There are two major variant of Kathak called Pure Dance (\u0928\u0943\u0924\u094d\u0924 – Nritta) and Expressive Dance (\u0928\u0943\u0924\u094d\u092f – Nritya). The first variant which is also called conventional Kathak progresses in its tempo from slow to fast which end in a dramatic climax. Often the performer will engage in rhythmic play with the time-cycle, for example performing composition mainly of footwork to the rhythm on the percussion. Whereas in Expressive Dance (Nritya), the performer has to express feeling through their dance postures. The latter one is more suited to smaller audience (\u0926\u0930\u094d\u0936\u0915 – Darshak) such as courts which allow audience to see the performer facial expressions (\u0905\u092d\u093f\u0935\u094d\u092f\u0915\u094d\u0924\u093f – Abhivyakti) conveying a particular feeling (\u092d\u093e\u0935\u0928\u093e – Bhaavna). In both form, the music is normally provided by tabla and sitar setting the necessary rhythm on the percussion and composition respectively.<\/p>\n