| S.No. | Classical | Folk |
| 1. | It is a highly evolved form of dance | It is at early stage of evolution. |
| 2. | Classical dance has its genesis in Natya shastra of bharat muni. | No such relationship with Natyashastra |
| 3. | Has well defined steps, gestures known as karanas and angahara. | No such well defined steps, gestures etc. |
| 4. | The level of standardisation is very high in classical dance. There are institutions to maintain the standards. | No such standard in folk form |
| 5. | These are associates with temples or courts | Developed by local people in the context of fairs, festivals and season |
| 6. | They enjoyed recognition by sangeet natak academy. | No such recognition
|
| 7. | Eg. Bharatnatyam, kuchipudi, kathakhali, Mohiniattam,odissi,sattriya, Manipuri, kathak | Eg. Tera tali, gavari, mand etc. |
