This was no half-hearted endeavor. Kritika's dignity and composure belied her age, and stage inexperience. The guru's care was apparent, besides the fact that Kritika has been dancing for about 10 years before her maiden performance. To state the obvious, diligence takes time. Guru Subbaraya Pillai conducted the programme with great aplomb. His grand daughter, G.Vanitha, was a competent understudy. Saraswathi gave excellent melodic support. It was a good crew with N.V.Balu on the mridangam, Venkatesan on the flute, and V.Sivasubramaniam on the violin.

Tisra Alarippu was followed by a crisp jathiswaram in Chakravaham ragam, Rupaka talam. The item was packed with traditional adavus of the Pandanallur style, some of which are not seen today. Kritika's movements were deft, and she completed every step despite the pace. The famous varnam of the Tanjore Quartet in Anandabhairavi ragam, Adi talam, 'Sakhiye indha velaiyil' was ample proof of Kritika's ability to switch effortlessly from nritta to abhinaya, and back. The varnam on Mannargudi Rajagopala is a bhakthi-sringara piece, and the dancer dealt with it, with enough prudence. Her geometry of arm movements, and her footwork were good. Also commendable was the fact that there was no lapse in concentration through the programme.

The padams were dealt with fleetingly. In 'Theruvil varano' in Kamas ragam, a composition of Muthu Thandavar, the nayika says, "Will he not pass this way and favour me with a backward glance?" Her wait is in vain, and she feels hurt and disappointed. A vipralabdha nayika in'Netru varen endru' (Pantuvarali ragam, a composition of Subbarama Iyer) feels let down by her nayaka when he does not keep his tryst with her. Kritika then performed 'Maravenae' in Parasu ragam, followed by 'Chinna chiru kiliye' in ragamalika, the latter, a composition of Gopalakrishna Bharati. A tireless Kritika finished with a crisp tillana in Kedara Goulai ragam, Adi talam. Kudos to the guru and the shishya for a fine performance.