Of course, we all love watching  competitive dance shows. However, what we don’t realize is that if we get off the couch and start dancing, it’ll be a great (also, fun) way to keep your body and mind healthy. If you are thinking of a way to burn the fat from the pepperoni pizza you ate last night, running on a trend mill in the gym sounds mundane and boring. Why don’t you start partaking in dance classes and start reaping the benefits of dance today? Moreover, to keep in touch with your Indian heritage, what about an Indian dance form like Kathak? Why, you ask? Go ahead and read the article. Here are 5 reasons why you should take up Kathak classes.

• Storytelling through Kathak

The word Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word Katha which means “to tell stories”. A Kathak dancer narrates stories primarily through their facial expressions, rhythmic words, graceful twirls and music. Learning Kathak comes disguised as an opportunity to learn about Indian culture and heritage. The stories incorporated in Kathak dancing come from ancient sacred text. Each dance lesson portrays stories of gods and goddesses. This would be a great way for children to learn anecdotes from great epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Apart from this, the dance form consists of carefully crafted aspects of Indian heritage like costume, makeup, theme and music.

• A medium of expression

During their dance exhibit, Kathak dancers are trained to express themselves, not just through their body, but also through their eyes and faces. The dance, in its purest form, helps you identify unrecognized feelings and aids in pouring them out. This in turn helps you attain strong attitude and inner peace.

• Dance movement therapy

As the name suggests, application of this art form has helped individuals address their emotional, physical, psychological, cognitive and social needs. This form of therapy is based on the idea that our mind, body and spirit are co-relational. Dance therapists help their clients develop efficient communication methods, improve relationships and get a better idea of their problems and ways to cope up with them. This therapy has proved to be effective for treating a wide range of illnesses from something as big as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease to everyday problems like stress and tension.

In light of movement therapy, Kathak dancing is a complete dynamic theatre. Kathak is considered a stimulus that affects our body in its entirety. The energetic footwork helps in releasing anger and suppressed negative emotions. The dance form consists of footwork that includes therapeutic torso movements.

• Shed those calories

Well, I couldn’t leave out the cliché because as much as it is a cliché, its also that true. With our present lifestyle that limits physical activities, our body degenerates due to the lack of exercise. Learning Kathak could be your way of rewarding your body and the experience would be wholesome and truly spiritual. Kathak ranks quite high in the wellness quotient, so much so that there’s something called Kathak Yoga which “which takes Kathak into the realm of spiritual practice, requiring the practitioner to bring mind, body and spirit into unified focus.”

• Health benefits

Experts believe that this form of dancing is an effective cardiovascular exercise which improves one’s stamina, blood and oxygen circulation, attentiveness and strengthens our bones and muscles. In addition, it is also believed to delay wrinkling. Kathak is based on the belief that there’s a powerful amalgamation of our mind and body. Hence, vigorous Kathak footwork can increase the blood flow to soles of our feet.

Every Indian dance form is truly divine. As for Kathak, it’s a way of speaking what your heart wants to say through your eyes and your arms and feet harmonize that emotion. All in all, I think its time you get up and find yourself a Kathak trainer in your neighborhood.