Kathak is an acknowledged classical dance form of northern India. Rooted in Brahmanical Hinduism it enacted and interpreted familiar classical mythology and folk lore, with a familiar code of gesture and expression. Born in the temples, it derives its name from "Kathakars", members in times gone by, of hereditary guilds of myths and storytellers who recounted and interpreted tales (or Kathas) from Hindu mythology involving song and dances as these rhapsodists reached the point of ecstasy in their devotion.

The bhakti movement brought in an element of romanticism. Portrayed through the popular tales of Radha and Krishna, human emotions such as devotion, yearning, grief and joy were given prominence. Evolving further from the temple to the court in the Mughal period, Kathak was given a new impetus. Kathak is primarily a dance form communicating simplicity of thought and emotion through a highly complex vocabulary of evocative gestures,controlled vitality and intricacy of footwork. It subtly explores a range of moods with a delicacy and balance, extending the limits of art and representing a grand fusion of cultures.