What’s exciting about ‘something new’ in dance? Not much, if one goes by danseuse Malavika Sarukkai. At the Times Chennai Festival, she took the audience on a journey – and transported them to a place far, far away from the concrete jungle.

Even as the accompanying artists indulged themselves freely in ragas Amritavarshini (perhaps why it started raining a bit outside!) and Nattai, Malavika’s ‘revisits’ to some of her memorable numbers drew thunderous applause from the discerning audience.

As the danseuse herself stated, “Classical dance is not just for novelty but is about moments of reflection. A piece gets a certain amount of maturity only when you revisit and re-invest in it.”
Her use of the stage to express herself through dance was commendable, according to some who’d come for the performance.

The Birdsong, one of her favourites, was a contemporary number that had a lot of depth in terms of theme. This number drew parallels between a bird and a pilgrim and Malavika’s expressions and moves perfectly conveyed it to the audience who were enthralled by the performance.