Bharat Natyam
This dance is the oldest of the classical dance forms, and its origins can be traced to Bharatha's Natya Shastra. It is a highly traditional and stylized dance form. Strict about the techniques used in performing it disallows any kind of innovations except in the repertoire and forms of presentation. It developed in South India, in its present form, two hundred years ago. It is essentially a solo dance and its sophistication and stylization make it a unique form of art-dance.

Kathak
Kathak finds its roots in katha- story. A band of storytellers, attached to temples in Northern India, narrated stories from epics. Later they added mime and gesture to their recitation. The popularity of the Radha-Krishna legend, led to further innovations in the dance form. With the advent of the Muslim rule, it was brought out of the temples and in to the courts of the rulers. Since then it has been commonly identified with the court traditions of the later Nawabs of northern India.

It is really an amalgam of several folk traditions, the traditional dance drama forms prevalent in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan known as Krishna and Radha lila. Jaipur, Benaras and Lucknow became the main centers of the dance. 

Kathakali
It is one of the most refined and most scientific dance forms of Kerala. It is not more than 300 years old in its present form. This art demands complete control over practically every fibre of the body. Kathakali draws heavily from drama and is danced with elaborate masks and costumes. The stories for attakathas, the verse text for Kathakali piece are selected from epics and mythologies and are written in a highly Sanskritised verse form in Malayalam.

The actor expresses himself through highly complicated mudras, closely following the text being sung. The splendour of the costumes, ornament and especially the facial make-up are absolutely striking. Kathakali has its origins in the courts of the kings of Kerala. It is a highly classical dance form.

Kuchipudi
Kuchelapuram in Andhra Pradesh is the birthplace of this dance. Except that the emphasis is on the animation, the grammar is derived from the Natya Shastra. Each principal character in Kuchipudi dance introduces himself or herself on the stage with a brief composition of dance and song, specially designed for the character to help reveal his or her identity and show the performers skill in the art. The music in Kuchipudi is classical Karnatic. The mridanga, violin and a clarinet are the common instruments employed as accompaniment.

Manipuri 
Manipuri, is the dance form of Manipur and is inextricably woven into the life of the people of the state. The dance form is mostly ritualistic, and has still preserved the dance drama technique, which draws heavily from the rich lore of the legend and mythology. The costumes used in this dance are colorful and bright, and the music is slow and rhythmic. A large variety of intricate rhythmic patterns are played on the drums and cymbals.

Mohiniyattam
This dance form too belongs to the Devadasi dance heritage, like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi. The word 'mohini' literally means the maiden who steals the hearts of men. It is similar to Bharatanatyam, and its movements are graceful like Odissi and the costumes are attractive and sober. It is essentially a solo dance. The dance is very popular in Kerala.

Odissi
This is also based on the Natya Sashtra and it can be traced back to 2nd Century BC., when the Jain king Shastra ruled.  The repertoire comprises numbers, which are built on pure dance design recalling sculptural poses of Temples of Orissa. The dances are performed to poetry ranging from invocations to Ganesha to the verses of the Gita Govinda. Oriya poetry is equally popular. The dancer has scope to improve within the beats and the melodic line framework in the dance patterns and the freedom to interpret the poetic line in a variety of ways to evoke a single mood.

Yaksha Gana
This belongs to Karnataka and has a rural origin. It is an blend of dance and drama. Its heart lies in 'Gana' meaning music. It is about 400 years old. The language is Kannada and the themes are based on Hindu epics. The costumes are almost akin to the Kathakali dance costumes and the style too seems to have drawn inspiration from it. As prescribed in the Natya Shastra, it has the Sutra Dhara (conductor) and the Vidhushaka (the jester).

So now you know the different dance forms. You can select anyone of them, which you like, and start learning. Happy dancing !!!

LIst of classes in Mumbai (classical and western)