Bharatanatyam, originating from the state Tamil Nadu, has theoretical foundations rooted in the Sanksrit text Natya Shastra. Traditionally, the dance is used to depict mythical legends and spiritual ideas from Hindu texts. As with most major forms of classical dance, Bharatanatyam has three main elements: nritta, nritya, and natya. Nritta specifies the crisp angles of the body and the basic stance of the dancer.  Nritya is added in the form of facial expressions and body language. Natya seamlessly integrates nritta and nritya to share a story through dance.

Kuchipudi traces its origins to Andhra Pradesh and is based upon the same text as Bharatanatyam, the Natya Shastra. It is a dance-drama performance art, emphasizing the expression of stories over technical expertise; thus it also veers away from the geometric perfection typical of Bharatanatyam, and instead uses asymmetric angles and body postures to reenact daily scenes or stories from Hindu texts.