Kathak is one of the eight traditional dances of India, and it originates from Hindi-speaking northern India. Each dance is considered to be telling a story, with intricate feet movements and facial expressions explaining the narrative. The word Kathak comes from Sanskrit (a precursor to modern Hindi) for story (katha) and one who tells a story (kathakar). In fact, modern Hindi has retained those words, although I'm not sure if the pronunciation is the same. The original dancers of Kathak are thought to be wandering groups of performers, who would later play a role in entertaining the courts of north India.
There are three main forms of Kathak, with the distinctions being in the relative use of feet and arm movements, and facial expressions. They are performed with the purpose of expressing stories - usually of great religious or mythical figures - although now the people of India may not be knowledgeable enough of the art form to understand the "language" of the movements. Kathak can be performed with Indian classical instrumental music, as well as with Slokas and Bhajans, which are Sansckrit/Hindi religious songs of devotion to Hindu deities.
Gypsy Kathak dancers are thought to have influenced the development of movement art in Europe as well. In fact, some people believe that the popular Spanish Flamenco dance is based on Indian Kathak dance. If you watch videos of both, you will indeed see many similarities.
Here is a TED talk and performance of Kathak dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=Fz_Tpp0q73A
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