It shares its emphasis on percussion with older folk dances of Tamil Nadu, such as kummi and kolattam.

A percussion instrument called parai in Tamil, without the jingles, is often used for dappankuthu or similar dance forms.

A similar instrument called TamaTe in Kannada resembling a Ganesh tambourine is also used for such dance forms in border areas such as M.M.

Cinema is also responsible for incorporating singing into the instrumental genre of dappankuthu, with the trend flourishing in 2000s and giving birth to the modern kuthu pop.

[2] Kuthu has come a long way being combined with street styles and incorporated with hip hop culture, most noticeably when infused in the songs "Boyz" and "Bird Flu" by M.I.A.

[6] Now we see many Indian choreographers all over the world who combine Kuthu with street styles who are gaining global attention.