SAVITA SASTRY, a Bharathanatyam exponent, captivated the audience with her solo ballet performance on the second day of the Soorya-Thalam Festival at Regional Theatre.

Titled Music Within, the theme dealt with the story of Mallika who was considered to be 'an everyday person', despite being visually- and hearing-challenged. Being used to the world of silence, Mallika was unaware of her handicap. The dance explored, through subtle nuances and graceful movements Mallika's conversation with her alter-ego which finally led her to the discovery of the origin and essence of sound. She found out that she was different from others. It dawned upon her that to understand music one did not require any particular language as it could be heard through the heart.

Savita has been actively performing for 10 years until she moved to New Delhi. Now in her second year in the country she considers herself to be a story teller who narrates thought provoking stories. She is also a traditionalist when it comes to performing Bharathanatyam, but she would like to "open" the tradition without losing the basic aesthetics. "What I execute is Bharathanatyam but I try to present something refining the art which stimulates all levels of body, mind and soul.

"I work with Ranjit Babu when it comes to choreography though the conception is always mine". Music is by Rajkumar Bharathi, grandson of Subramanyam Bharti, a freedom fighter. I do Pranayama daily. Bharathanatyam is the fifth veda and we artistes normally perform on an artificial space. It's important to get that calmness of mind and connection to your spirit. While trying to convey a story or a message, technical flaws should not mar it. So perfection in dance cannot be overlooked.

"Dance is an intense form of exercise. A balance has to be maintained with proper stretching. Certain muscles have to be strengthened before trying out new poses and I use Pilates to complement that.

"Patience is a virtue that is lacking among the current generation of youngsters. I would advise them to try out a bunch of art forms and choose one and focus on that. It will help them in sustaining perfection", the dancer said.

Savita plans to return to Thrissur on November 8 at the behest of the Sangeeta Nataka Akademi to conduct a workshop on Bharathanatyam where she will be teaching the traditional margams and performing too.