The occasion was a combo of Pradosham and Mahasivarathri. On stage was a combo of two veterans.

At Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's auditorium in Chennai, on Sivarathri, an exclusive concert by two dance gurus, was showcased. Senior artiste C.V. Chandrashekar danced to the vocal and nattuvangam of guru Adyar Lakshman. The two-hour performance saw a packed hall with young dance students, senior gurus from Kalakshetra like Sharada Hoffman, Balagopal and several art enthusiasts.

A solo Bharatanatyam recital at 70-plus, is what CVC (as he is popularly known) seemed to enjoy. And his execution of adavus made you sit in awe.

Danced by CVC that evening were an Alarippu in Tisra Dhruva tala (composed by Adyar Lakshman), Varnam - 'Manavi..' in Shankarabharanam, an Ashtapadi, 'Kaana kan kodi' on lord Shiva and the well known thillana in ragam Paras.

Says CVC, "It made me feel 60 years younger. It brought back memories of my Kalakshetra days, when Lakshman and I used to dance together in the early 50's. It was also a concern for us that we have to give our best, when we're presenting a show after so many years. We've been practising together, everyday, for two weeks now and it was an enjoyable experience..." Says Lakshman, "We've been wanting to do this for several years and we finally did it. It was possible with the blessings of God and our Gurus."

It is 11 years now, since the duo came together on stage. It was at the silver jubilee of Adyar Lakshman's dance school, years ago, that CVC performed to the nattuvangam of Lakshman.

It seems as though senior gurus now wish to team up at performances. Yes, CVC teamed up with dance guru V.P Dhananjayan at the same venue, in November last year.

Meanwhile, at 'Vazhuvoorar Smarananjali' a homage to yester-year dance guru Vazhuvoor B. Ramiah Pillai held recently, Pillai's senior sishyas - Rhadha, Kanaka Srinivasan and Padma Subrahmanyam, performed together for the nattuvangam by Chitra Visweswaran and K.J. Sarasa.

Interesting combos are interesting to watch indeed!

If you were at these shows in Chennai, or have seen similar performances, share you experiences with us. Mail us at editor@kutcheribuzz.com