Dance in India exists since ancient time. Various dance forms exists in India. A few of the classical dances are discussed below:

(1) Bharatnatyam:

‘Natyashastra’ by Bharatmuni and ‘Abhinav Darpan’ by Nadikeshwar are . two books which are considered to be the original source of Bharatnatyam.

(2) Kuchipudi:

• This dance form dance originated in 15th century. It is quite famous in Andhra Pradesh.
• This dance is majorly based on describing women’s beauty.
• Guru Prahlad Sharma, Raja Reddy, Shobha Naidu, etc. are some of the well- known dancers who have preserved this ancient dance.

(3) Kathakali:

Kathakali is believed to be originated in Kerala and is very famous dance there. In Malayalam language, the word ‘katha’ means story and ‘Kali’ means play. So, Kathakali is a form of narrating story while performing (playing) dance. The word Kathakali has been derived from the dramas based on ancient epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata composed in Sanskrit and Malayalam languages.

(4) Kathak:

• Kathak originated in northern India.
• It is developed by ‘Shrungar Bhakti’ done by the Vaishnav community of north India.
• This style of dance has been kept alive by Pandit Shrit Biiju Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Kumudini Lakhia, etc.

(5) Manipuri dance:

• Manipuri dance originated from Manipur in east India.
• This dance style is mainly based on Ras Leela and Bal Leela of Shri Krishna.
• Manipuri dance is divided into two types, i.e., Lasya and Tandav.
• Guru Amobisingh, Atombosingh, Guru Bipin Sinha, Nayna Zaveri, Nirmal Mehta, etc. have gained worldwide fame in Manipuri dance.
• People of various states perform these dances on various occasions. They have taken these dances from to international levels.