India is the only country on this planet that can boast of having 8 classical dance forms! Each form is a perfect gen in itself.
Historically Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, had an outstanding influence on the intellectual and artistic lives of the people across India. It was in the medieval period that regional languages developed and with-it regional dance forms and other arts too developed.
They are:
A) Kathak – from Uttar Pradesh in the North.
And from the eastern parts we have,
B) Sattriya – from Assam
C) Manipuri – from Manipur
D) Odissi – from Odisha
E) Kuchipudi – from Andhra Pradesh F) Bharatanatyam – from Tamil Nadu
From the south west coast, we have
G) Kathakali and Mohiniattam – from Kerala
These forms mostly adhere to the tenets laid down in the monumental text on performing arts called Natya Shastra, written over 2,500 years ago by Sage Bharata.