As I waited for the next song to be announced, I was ecstactic to show my friends and family my favorite dance by far. It was one of the dances that I struggled to learn because half of my body portrays the god, Shiva, while the other half is to portray his wife and goddess, Parvathi.

 

I heard the singer begin her the intro and the spotlight shone above me. From the corner of my eye, I could see my teacher of eleven years smiling face as I successfully portrayed the unity of Parvathi and Shiva or creation and destruction with my movements.

 

I could hear the mridungum's strong beats and the violin's melodius tunes entertwining with each other to emphasize the harmony of the dance as it came to an end. I took the final pose and bowed to the audience as the lights to the stage dimmed once more.