Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for various performance arts rooted in religious Hindu musical theatre styles, whose theory and practice can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognizes eight – Bharatanatyam,Kathak,Kuchipudi,Odissi,Kathakali, Sattriya,Manipuri and Mohiniyattam.

Ministry of the Government of India includes Chhau in its classical list.

Indian classical dances like Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi and Kuchipudi mainly follow the codes of natya shastra, mythology and classical literature and epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata.