Lucknow Mahaotsav held in Lucknow during the 4th week of November & 1st week of December, Sharadotsava held in the month of December at Agra and Taj Mahaotsav also held at Agra in the month of February are the festivals offering rear opportunities not to be missed by any one. The dance and musical events are real opportunities to experience the cultural heritage of India in various dance festivals organized by the tourism department of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh has produced eminent music personalities like Abdul Karim Khan, Alladitta Khan, Faiyaaz Khan, Mustaq Hussain, Ramdas, Vilayat Khan, Kanthe Maharaj etc. This State has the credit to introduce the famous Kirana, Ahalauli, Agra, Sahaswan, Rampur, Banaras schools of music. Apart from Tulsi, Kabir, Surdas, Jayasi, Rahim and Raskhan, the great Mirza Ghalib, Ratan Nath Sarshaar and Chakbast ornamented the music and poetry in Uttar Pradesh. The invention of Thumri and Ghazals is the perfect example of cultural synthesis in the field of music.

This cultural diversity can be seen in other fields of life in Uttar Pradesh. The institutes where one can get training in this form of classical art are Kathak Academy, Lucknow. If interested one can find some time to learn the art from the masters like Ravi Shankar Mishra and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Many foreigners have learned and even mastered the art of Kathak, Issabelle Anna from France has learned the art for 5 years under the guidance of Pandit Jai Kishan Maharaj. The attire & make-up, moves & gestures, the whirlwind spin and the movement of feet, the perfect coordination of these characteristics with the background music creates the ambiance of heaven, where a person feels free from enslavement of this world. Watching the live-show of Kathak dance may seem as mesmerizing,as finding the glacier in the Sahara Desert.

Kathak dance has earned laurels from all over the world.

This form of dance narrates the epic tales from the Ramayana and Mahabarata through the rhythmic footwork, spectacular spins, and the dramatic representation of the themes with the chimes of the ankle bells. The pride of northern India - Kathak has its origin in Uttar Pradesh and is thought to be the one of the important dances in 8th form of classical dance.

Kathak music beats