I indulged myself with a night of dance and I picked Sacred Angkor – a performance by Roshini Pillay Kesavan and Neewin Hershall.

Sacred Angkor tells the stories of Vishnu – stories every dancer grew up with. It was like coming home. Bhavayami and Thillana brought a sense of nostalgia – a sense of home coming.

This is not a detailed review – just a few points to serve as a reminder of the beautiful evening.

I loved the jatis and its choreography. The choreographers kept it traditional with a modern spin. They were well-balanced.

I loved the understated costumes and jewelery. No golden zari or over the top jewelery.

I loved the drama aspects Neewin brought in. I know somersaults and jumps and turns are not Bharatanatyam but they fitted in well with the story. They did get a tad repetitive. Soorpanaka, Ravana – everyone got the same movements to show their strength.

I loved how the dancers switched characters. There was the inevitable comparisons but I felt both the dancers complimented each other very well.

The orchestra especially the violinist and flautist were awesome

The lighting, the narration (I will even forgive the accent) and the curtain coordination deserve a huge applause. I have *never* seen better coordination in Bharatanatyam shows around the world.

Now to misses – I did not leave the theatre with an urge to find a teacher and start dancing again. I did not fall in love all over again. I am not able to pinpoint what it was missing. It is probably something to do with me and not with the dancers.

There was a bit of disconnect somewhere particularly in Act 2. I was getting bored luckily it was short and Act 3 – Bhavayami did bring back my attention and interest.

Call me a snob but I watch footwork during jatis more than the hand movements. I look for the mis-steps. “thi-ti-tais” becoming “thit-tais” is a total no-no. No matter how tired you are. Especially when there is no mirudangam beats and just nattuvangam and the salangai to carry the sound. I hope Ms.Pillay realizes that.

Hopefully this indulgence is the beginning of many more to come.