nautch

thumb|Nautch dancers in Old Delhi, c. 1874 thumb|Nautch dancer in Calcutta, c. 1900 thumb|A Raja awaits the arrival of Nautch dancers thumb|A Nautch girl performing, 1862

The nautch (, meaning "dance" or "dancing" from Hindustani: "naach") was a popular court dance performed by girls (known as "nautch girls") in later Mughal and colonial India. The word "nautch" was a British corruption of "Nach", the Bengali word for dancing. In the early part of the 19th century, it was the resident Bengalis British supported and created elite with who they associated most with and they picked up their culture from them. The culture of the performing art of the nautch rose to prominence during the later period of Mughal Empire and the rule of the East India Company.