Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, originated from Northern India. This dance form traces its origins to the the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers. These bards, performing in village squares and temple courtyards, mostly specialized in recounting mythological and moral tales from the scriptures, and embellished their recitals with hand gestures and facial expressions. It was quintessential theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to enliven the stories.
Its form today is the product of various influences in the past: mythological tales portrayed by kathakas or ancient itinerant bards, temple and ritual dance, the Bhakti movement and Persian influence of the Mughal courts from the 16th century onwards; and the impact of these elements continues to readily discernible. There are three major schools or Gharanas of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage: the gharanas of Jaipur, Lucknow, and Banaras (born in the courts of the Kachwaha kings, the Nawab of Oudh, and Varanasi respectively); there is also a less prominent (and later) Raigarh gharana which amalgamated technique from all three preceding gharanas but became famous for its own distinctive compositions.
Today, Kathak has regained its popularity after the period of decline during the rule of the British Empire (where it was frowned upon by Victorian administrators), and it is now one of the eight officially sanctioned classical dance forms of India. Kathak's current form is a synthesis of all the input it has had in the past: court and romantic aspects sit comfortably side-by-side with the temple and mythological/religious. Kathak has a constant in modern Indian and Pakistani cinema. Women such as Madhubala, Rekha, and Madhuri Dixit have shared the great beauty of Kathak on a global level.
