Difference Between Bharatanatyam and Kathak
Kathak and Bharatnatyam are two indian dance forms. As far as their origin, nature and techniques are concerned, they are different from each other. Kathak originated in North India while Bharatnatyam originated in south India.
Kathak is believed to be developed from storytellers literally means ‘Kathaks’ in Hindi. Kathaks or storytellers used to be romantic bards in Ancient North India. They told the stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana with gestures with a view to put more effect on audience. These gestures later developed into dance form termed as Kathak.
On the other hand the Bharatnatyam is believed to originate from an ancient Indian dance called Sadir or Sadirattam. Bharatnatyam expressed the dance tradition. All the dance forms of India find mention in the Natya Sastra, a treatise on dance and music which was written in the 3rd century B.C.
Tanjavur style and Pandanallur style are the eminent schools of Bharatanatyam. On the other hand, Kathak has several major schools which are popularly known as Gharanas. There are mainly three gharanas of Kathak. They are Lucknow Gahrana, Jaipur Gharana and Benaras Gharana.
All these three Gharanas are different in respect of their techniques. However their technique differ slightly. Both the dance forms, Bharatanatyam and Kathak, while performing with gestures use vocal music and instrumental music. The attires of the dancers are entirely different from each other. South Indian Languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are employed in the Bharatanatyam. Both the dance form of India are popular. Both fo them are different in terms of origin, style, and performance.