Meaning together in Bengali, the hour-long dance recital explored the idea of being bound to ideas, stories, and ultimately other people. The lights came up on the two dancers wrapped in colourful South Asian shawls, seated and facing each other. Nova began chuckling and her amusement became loud laughter. Louis' shoulders started shaking, but you soon realized it was sobs. Throughout the piece, his anguish and joy came from his interactions with his mercurial partner.
The 1st section had them moving deliberately, holding mudras and other Indian poses accompanied by sparse electronic sound effects grounded with tabla percussion. Louis pursued and doted on Nova, while her reaction to his ardour was more ambiguous. In the 2nd section, the music switched to Western classical music. Nova had donned her sari in the shadows while Louis spun and balanced one-footed. After he put on a suit jacket offered by Nova, the two danced and raced around the stage in giddy romantic ecstasy. It ended with them, once again seated, sensually undressing each other. But this idyll didn't last. In the final section, Nova stomped and raged while Louis rolled around trying to avoid her anger. It ended with him several times preventing her from jumping off a ledge.
Though the beginning of the piece started abstractly, there was a strong narrative throughout, especially for a contemporary piece. The underlying references to Shiva (male deity) and Durga (female deity) were clear, especially in the various multi-armed poses. Meanwhile, the image of a ferocious woman standing over a prone man hearkens to the classic depiction of Kali (goddess of destruction) and Shiva.
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