Dance
Karnataka is a treasure of ritualistic dances, all denoted by the generic term Kunitha. Dollu Kunitha is a popular drum dance of Karnataka accompanied by singing. The men of the shepherd community known as the Kuruba community perform the vigorous drum dance. Powerful drumming, energetic movements and harmonized group formations mark the dance. Drums are decorated with coloured cloth and slung around the necks of the percussionists. Puja Kunitha is another dance, in which a wooden structure with a deity is carried on the dancers heads.

Devare Thatte Kunitha, Yellammana Kunitha, Suggi Kunitha and others take their name from the deity or the symbol or instruments which are balanced on the head or held in the hand of the dancer. The Pata Kunitha (a dance by men carrying tall bamboo poles decorated with coloured ribbons and crowned with a tiny silver or brass umbrella), the Gorava Kunitha (a dance performed by men in a black rug-like costume with fur caps and carrying percussion instruments and flutes) and the Kamsale (originally a religious dance, performed by men with cymbals) are some of the other common ritual dances.

Classical Dance
The oldest and most popular form of classical dance in India is the Mysore style of Bharatanatyam, which is widely performed here. Other mainstream classical dances here include Kuchipudi and Kathak.

Music
Imbued with the devotion of Kanaka Dasa and Purandara Dasa, the music of Karnataka flourished under the royal patronage of the Vijayanagar Empire and the Wodeyars. Direct in descent in the Mysore Veena tradition are Veena Seshanna and Veena Doreswamy Iyengar. T.Chowdiah, who gave the violin in Carnatic music a new character altogether. Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjuna Mansur, Kumar Gandharwa, Basavaraj Rajguru and Puttaraj Gavai are some of the illustrious names in Karnataka's contribution to Hindustani music.

Folk
Performing arts represent the cultural segments of a particular region and language. The performances presented on the stage or open fields are blended with songs, dances, facial expressions (with or without make-up), and music. These elements form the basis of any folk performing art. Audience is the most important element, whether it is an indoor or outdoor performance. The complexity traits of the performing arts gained popularity in a few regions because of its regional uniqueness

A folk theatre art form popular in Uttar Karnataka. It is a combination of Yakshagana and Byalatta with themes culled from the great epic Mahabharata.

No less interesting is the Bhootha Aradhane or devil worship, very common in the coastal towns of Karnataka. Idols representing ‘bhoothas' are taken out in a procession to the beating of drums and bursting of firecrackers. As the procession ends, the idols are placed on a pedestal.

The People of Dakshina Kannada perform an elaborate ritual called Nagamandala to appease the serpent spirit. It is conducted in an extravagant manner throughout the night, wherein dancers known as the Vaidyas dress themselves as nagakannikas and dance the night away.

Drama
A trip to the coastal belt would be incomplete without watching the Yakshagana – an elaborate dance-drama performance unique to Karnataka. It is a rare combination of dance, music, songs, scholarly dialogues and colourful costumes. A celestial world unfolds before the audience as loud singing and drumming form a backdrop to dancers clad in striking costumes. Hence the name Yaksha (celestial) Gana (music). This is a night-long event, with elaborately adorned performers dancing to the beating of drums in open-air theatres - usually village paddy fields after the winter crop has been reaped.

Togalu Bombeaata, is the ancient art of leather puppetry that draws heavily from mythology, especially stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This art form is still prevalent in some remote villages. In some places, puppetry is performed to seek rain or a good harvest or to get rid of a disease or pestilence.