lessons
The seven classical dances of India. Choose one to see what it is, then learn it the way it is taught — one part at a time.
BharatanatyamTamil Nadu · 2 partsThe temple dance of Tamil Nadu
KathakUttar PradeshThe storytellers' dance of the north
KathakaliKeralaKerala's painted dance-drama
KuchipudiAndhra PradeshQuick-footed dance-drama of Andhra
OdissiOdishaThe temple dance of the tribhangi
ManipuriManipurThe lyrical Raas Leela of Manipur
MohiniyattamKeralaThe swaying dance of the enchantressTamil Nadu
The temple dance of Tamil Nadu
The oldest classical tradition, sculpted into temple walls and codified in the Natya Shastra — a fixed torso, bent knees, and a precise language of hand, eye and face.
Uttar Pradesh
The storytellers' dance of the north
Born of wandering kathakaars and shaped by the Mughal courts, Kathak turns rhythm into spectacle — spins, ghungroo-laced footwork, and storytelling through abhinaya.
Kerala
Kerala's painted dance-drama
A night-long epic enacted in elaborate make-up and costume, where the face and eyes carry the story and the percussion carries the night.
Andhra Pradesh
Quick-footed dance-drama of Andhra
A dance-drama named for the village it began in, famed for its speed, its percussion, and the dancer balanced on the rim of a brass plate.
Odisha
The temple dance of the tribhangi
Odisha's temple dance, built on the tribhangi — the three bends of head, torso and hip — with poses that look lifted straight off a temple wall.
Manipur
The lyrical Raas Leela of Manipur
A gentle, devotional telling of Radha and Krishna, with rounded movement and no hard edges — at once the oldest and youngest of the classical forms.
Kerala
The swaying dance of the enchantress
Kerala's lasya form, a solo of soft, swaying movement in white and gold, named for Mohini, the enchantress avatar of Vishnu.