Malavika's technical prowess was evident in the opening 'Sringara Lahari'. A composition on Devi, Shiva's consort, it is a composition of Mysore Lingaraj, in ragam, Neelambari. Her varnam in Varamu ragam, Adi talam, 'Ananda swaroopam' dealt with Lord Padmanabha. Picturing Him with a lotus from His navel, together with His consort Lakshmi, the devotee seeks her Lord in Tirumalai. She waits in anguish, 'Yain indha mayamo' to catch a glimpse of the Lord behind the veil. In surrendering herself to Him, the dancer uses the metaphor of the oil lamp. The lamp flame denoting the light of longing, oil as emotion, designs on the pot as jewellery adorning the devotee, and the wick that burns, as concentration . This detailed explanation was necessary as the actual portrayal was difficult to comprehend. Her nritta was deft and precise. Special mention must be made of her 'payre adavus'-one jump covered more than half the stage. The sholukattus were by Prof.Chandrasekhar, and the lyrics by S.V.Seshadri. The item was set to music by Meera Seshadri.

Malavika next presented a piece from the 2000 year old Aham poetry, 'Kaiti shelvai tozhi', set to music by Meera Seshadri. The prelude was set in Valachi ragam, and the poetry in Nadanamakriya. Coming across young couples in love, the nayika is reminded of her absent lover. She dreams of him. On waking, she tells her sakhi, 'His embrace seemed so real, that when I woke up, I looked for him...I feel so alone and spent, as is a lotus which is drained by the bee.' The mood and the music blended well, and Malavika acquitted herself admirably. 'Sakhi prana', a javali in Chenchuruti ragam, Adi talam, followed. The vipralabdha nayika, is hurt and angry at her nayaka's betrayal. This was dealt with very briefly. Malavika went on to do an excerpt from the Mahabharatha. The music in ragamalika, was composed by Meera Seshadri. In the Dandaka forest, the Pandavas hunted for pleasure. Many animals died. At night, when the hunters are asleep, in a dream, a deer emerges from the darkness to plead with Yudhistira , to stop this senseless killing. The episode between the hunter and the hunted was characterized by split second timing, and excellent footwork. The deer speaks of the river of blood and the carcasses strewn around. It was a moment of tragedy, but Malavika's rhythmic tapping of her feet belied the intensity of the emotion. The deer's musings on it's plight, and the destructive tendency of the human race was also a bit vague.

Malavika concluded with a thillana by Dr.Balamuralikrishna in Brindavani ragam, followed by the poem Vande Mataram. Her thillana stood out for it's crisp jathis and sculpturesque poses. The dancers dedication to the art was there for all to see, with her total involvement and thoroughness in each item. Her aesthetic dress of peach and gold was disturbed by her constant changing of the fan during the abhinaya pieces. Apart from this minor distraction, she presented herself with dignity and poise.