Like all other forms of dances classical Indian Kathak has its roots in religion. The term Kathak is derived from the word Katha which means “story”. Kathak is one who tells a story and here it refers to the story teller who accompanies it with dance, mime and gestures. The kathak school of dance has, like other schools a remote past history, but the contemporary Kathak dance as we see it today on the stage seems to have flowered in the 19th century in Jaipur in North India.

Revolving around the story of divine Lord Krishna and his consort Radharani, Kathak originally drew aspiration from Vaishnaism. Saturated and deeply steeped in the Radha Krishna themes Kathak tradition developed in the temples of Vrindavan, Mathura and Jaipur.

Classical Indian dance has two main division-Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressional dance) In Nritta no attempt is made to interpret any story or theme. The nature of the dance is pure and abstract. In Nritya, the expressional dance the dancer does abhinaya – mime with the help of hand gestures and appropriate body movements while registering subtle nuances on the face.

A typical Kathak performance begins with the dancer offering a prayer to the presiding deity. This is known as Vandana. It is of an interpretative and expressional nature. It may be in praise of the goddess Saraswati, Ganesh or Vishnu. In the beginning the dancer performs abstract dance. The items that are presented are known as Torahs, Tukras, Parans and Tatkar. These technical terms lay stress on rhythm and time beats. They are shown within a unit of time length which is marked by a refrain called lehra which is played on the sarangi (stringed instrument) or harmonium.