कथक नृत्य उत्तर भारतीय शास्त्रीय नृत्य है। कथा कहे सो कथक कहलाए। कथक शब्द का अर्थ कथा को नृत्य रूप से कथन करना है। प्राचीन काल मे कथक को कुशिलव के नाम से जाना जाता था।

Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as Kathakar ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the Hindu epics and mythology through dance, songs and music. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word katha which means "story", and kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories".