Desi Tamasha

The Kathak Festival has started and it's intermission for the Day 1 evening performances. Jaiwanti from Chhandam was okay, but Charlotte Moraga was awesome! She's quite a treat to watch and has a unique stage presence. Her jugalbandhi with Salar Nader, the tabalchi, was a bit strange tho'. They weren't really doing the same thing, were they? Most of the people in the audience couldn't tell what was going on. Charlotte and Salar ought to simplify their piece. Other than that, her performance was great. I like Roopak taal - and she really seems to like it too.

Aditi Mangaldas, disciple of Kumudini Lakhia, started off well. All modern dance-y and everything. But the piece was a bit flat compared to Charlotte's virtuosity, physical strength and variety.

The headliners of the day follow: Mata Prasad, Ravi Shankar, Krishna Mohan and Vashwati - all Mishras... Hope this will be 'special' as the announcer promises. :)