Dancer, choreographer, interpreter of life and energy, disarming rebel, Chandralekha has striven in the last four decades to discard the frills of Bharatnatyam, and seek instead, its essence. The purity of the human form. Its relation to the self and cosmic currents. She has performed worldwide, won acclaim, and some flak for exploring ‘the road not taken’. Today, a nimble 66, she remains undaunted, true to her convictions, celebrating the body and life.

The theatre is packed. Not only with faces you always see at cultural events in this swanky auditorium at the south end of Mumbai, but with people who are more often seen at protest meetings and seminars.