There are eight Indian classical dance forms as recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Ministry of Culture, India. Each of these forms have evolved over the years drawing in many artists who have dedicated their lives to them, ensuring the art continues to live and blossom through generations. They hail from different states and contribute to the rich the culture and heritage of India. We have listed four of them here with their origin, main characteristics and highlighted some of the most popular artists in each of these dance forms who have done India proud and carried the mantel forward with much aplomb. These forms are: [...]

Indian Classical dance is a result of a continuous evolution through hundreds of years, metamorphosing itself with the times, the generations, the kingdoms that supported its growth and dedicated families of dancers who spent their whole life in learning, researching and most importantly documenting this knowledge. As this started being handed down to future generations it only grew further, branching out and reaching more people, drawing in connoisseurs from all walks of life, roping in students who wanted to help build this legacy further and make it what it is today. Among the many facets to it, most classical dances like Kathak use multiple gestures to create a [...]

History One of the oldest forms of Indian Classical Dance, the origin of Kathak dates back to 4th century and was traditionally attributed to the travelling writers and poets of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers. They would communicate stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music in a manner similar to early Greek theatre. And therefore you see a mixture of hand and foot movements combined with facial expressions as Kathak dancers tell various stories. The eyes and eyebrows work as a medium of expression of the story the dancer is trying to share. The legs and torso are generally straight, [...]