Sharing Mythili’s lineage of mentorship under eminent artiste Malavika Sarukkai is the Bengaluru-based dancer Jyotsna Jagannathan. Moving back from Kenya meant that her foray into the dance world was much later than her peers. Yet, the notable progress made through two decades of her committed efforts serves as an inspiration for late entrants and bloomers. A promising artiste, who compromised her medical career for dance, believes in a deeper sense of purpose. “What am I trying to communicate? What is the take-away for the audience?” are questions that feed into her performance planning and design.

Shweta Prachande, 28, a senior disciple of distinguished dancer Priyadarshini Govind, offers a traditional viewpoint. As an ardent admirer of the timeless design of ‘margam’, she describes it as a tool to enrich a dancer’s vocabulary and a deeper understanding of the form, while comparing its rich grammar to Shakespeare’s literature. “It is for connoisseurs, and to evolve into an informed audience, one must take the time and effort to grasp the nuances,” she states firmly. A regular participant in many festivals, the talented dancer is well-known for her qualitative performances in the classical arts circles. It is noteworthy that Shweta, originally from Pune, comes with an overall understanding of the art, including ‘Nattuvangam’, music and Tamizh texts related to dance.