Venue: Kamani Auditorium

It’s very rare to come across performances that make you forget to blink. “Fastest feet on fire” – A performance so brilliant and engaging that you forget who you are sitting with. Awe inspired shutterbugs forget to click and there’s silence in the auditorium. All you can hear is tapping of the feet of two extraordinary dancers. Pandit Chitresh Das at kathak and Antonio Hidalgo at Flamenco – “Fastest feet on Fire” took our breath away.

Two internationally acclaimed performers accompanied by a host of excellent musicians, created an event that transcend you to another world altogether. It’s an amalgamation of two dancing styles, two countries, two cultures and two ideas that blend together beautifully without losing their individuality and the result is high energy explosive entertainment. Like the brochure read- “No rules, No Retakes and sometimes No Rehearsal” – One can see a lot of things done impromptu and improvised then and there. That’s the stuff only maestros can create.

Biplab Bhattacharyya on tabla, Jayanta Banerjee on sitar, Debashish Sarkar on vocals and harmonium created music with their outstanding skills. Simply A++. Gasper Rodriguez‘s Spanish Guitar created dreamscapes in thin air. Francisco J Orozco Yiyi’s  vocals and flamenco rhythms were unforgettable.

Along with years of experience and mastery in Kathak, Pt. Chitresh Das’s performance can give any youngster a run for his money when it comes to energy and enthusiasm.

Antonio Hidalgo with his drop dead gorgeous looks had a physique tailor made for flamenco dance. He had different costumes for different performances matching with the stage backdrop color. We liked it and the fact that none of the artists tried to overshadow each other.

Pt. Chitresh’s students Seema Mehta, Reema Mehta & Rachna Nivas performed a piece on Kathak Yoga that was vibrant and one it’s kind. It’s great to see artists experimenting with classical stuff and creating new forms of artistic expression.

It was an unforgettable evening that lingers in your memory for long.