Satpathy then danced “Vibhanga, broken & rebuilt”—an abstract dance piece inspired by a Carnatic musical form called a Thillānā. Here, she used a rhythmic-melodic composition of infectious joy and freedom to fuel her process of dissecting and reworking Odissi movements stored within her dancing body. Each movement was suffused with the innate pleasure of its exploration—from a sensual weight shift into tribhanga (triple curved pose) to a burst of ribcage circles that expand into spiraling patterns around the stage. Satpathy’s eyes flirted with her gesturing hands until she suddenly exploded into rhythmic footwork that propelled her about the space. Then with measured pacing, she allowed us to savor her sumptuous poses—perfectly synchronized with the luscious, earthy vocals sung by Bindhumalini Narayanswamy in the recording. The dance built into an outpouring of intoxicating energy. 

“Virahi—in longing” provides a marked contrast with its slow build-up of emotion that follows a narrative from the Gita Govinda love ballad by the 12th century poet-saint Jayadev. In the verses that inspire the choreography, Lord Krishna pines for his beloved Radha and implores the sakhi (confidant) to intervene in reuniting the two. Satpathy painted a picture of lovesick lethargy as she began on the floor to sorrowful strains played on the flute and violin. To the repeated vocals pleading “Sakhi He,” she launched into a stream of floorwork, replete with dreamy movements and gestures of blissful lovemaking surrounded by nature’s perfection. Carried away with imaginings of reunion, Satpathy traversed back and forth along a lit diagonal (lighting design by Itohan Dedoloyi), while deftly transitioning between the roles of Krishna, the sakhi, and Radha.

For the final ecstatic dance “Vimukthi,” Satpathy took inspiration from the spiritual poetry of the 15th century Indian mystic-poet Kabir Das, whose lyrics transcend religious affiliation. She immediately shifted the energy with rapid-fire claps, jumps, and percussive foot slaps to vocalized and drummed percussion. The floor filled with a pool of light and a projected latticework design, upon which Satpathy danced with spiraling twists, repeated turns, and spritely jumps. Driven by the poet’s lyrics celebrating the formless Divine who fills all space, she repeatedly moved forward and back, her arms cajoling the surrounding molecules into a state of excitation. Then directing the energy outward, she sent a burst of blossom gestures from her heart. Finally, she set free her creation, spinning like a Sufi—her head inclined as one palm reached for the heavens and the other toward the earth—giving a visible form to the “formless Divine.”