Breathless Nilanjana

We tried experimenting with a new song- breathless. The lyrics were hauntingly beautiful and so was the soulful rendition of the song. The challenge for us was to dance to this in our own inimitable Odissi style.
5 days were left before our show in Philadelphia Kali Puja, 2008. All other dances had been rehearsed. Only my solo was a last minute addition - a shocker. Would I be able to pull this off?
We worked on the choreography on Monday and I practiced day and night for the next 4 days. I could not pass this opportunity, the yearning to try something new. The other dances went on without a hitch. My solo was up. I told myself it didn't matter there were not that many people. They had seen my best dances, a 2 minute dance wouldn't make much of a difference. With that attitude I breezed through the song with confidence. Knowing fully well that confidence is the key to a performance.
The audience loved the song. It became the highlight of the show. I knew in my heart it wasn't my best. I confess we have rechoreographed it since then and done it to our satisfaction.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that TV Asia televised this entire dance on their special show, Dance Gurus which ran a feature on Guru Mitra. All the folks in Jersey congratulated "Breathless Nilanjana" on her success.
You don't know who is watching your show. A select few may make more of a difference than a packed hall.