Maya Angelo, a writer, and a civil right activist commented “Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances”. Kathak, one of the prominent styles of Indian classical dance, undeniably captures this spirit which Maya Angelo talked about in her message as it allows one to speak one’s mind about everything under the sun through rhythmic foot movements, embellished with jingles of anklet bells, hand movements or mudras and facial expressions or bhavas.
The term “kathak” is made up of the Sanskrit words”Katha”(story) and kathakars(storytellers). Kathakars are the bards who are always on the go to convey tales from epics and mythology via their dance, songs, or music.
It hails from the state of Uttar Pradesh situated in the Northern part of India. It exists in majorly three different styles or gharanas: Jaipur, Lucknow, and Banaras. Every Gharana stylistically focuses on a different element of Kathak dance. It is to be noted that the name of these gharanas is attributed to the places where the dance form evolved traditionally.