Kathak is a classical dance from north India, one of the eight forms the Sangeet Natak Akademi recognises as classical. A Kathak dancer works with two tools: chakkars, fast spins often taken on the heel, and abhinaya, the storytelling carried in the face and hands.

Ankle bells (ghungroo) mark the footwork, so the Kathak dancer plays as a percussionist too, trading rhythmic patterns with the tabla in the same rhythmic cycle.