The family and I traveled to Mangalore with a layover in Mumbai (more on Mumbai to come) for the annual Fulbright Conference (more on that to come as well) which was hosted by Manipal University and USEFI (United States Educational Foundation in India). Upon arriving we settled in at our hotel and attended a lovely outdoor reception dinner which showcased an incredible performance of one of the cultural dance forms of the southern state of Karnataka (this was our second time in Karnataka - formerly in Mysore and Bangalore).
It was somewhat similar to the Kathakali we saw in Kerala, with dramatic hand gestures and facial movements, but unlike the Keralean version this was performed by only women. The dance was accompanied by heavy rythmic percussions, a stringed instrument (not a sitar, but similar) and some mantra-like chanting from a vocalist (not the dancers). The dancers wore thick bands of bells on their ankles that jingled when they moved. As you see, the costumes were incredible - the silk and gold were flowing. In this opening video (see below) the dancers are making a tribute in a form of puja to Lord Shiva - one of the three main Hindu gods and my personal favorite. Shiva and his wife Parvati are notorious dancers - and Shiva once challenged her to a dancing dual (sounds like a healthy marriage!) which she accepted. Shiva did eventually win the competition (but was subsequently beaten by her in a game of dice) and is considered the god of dance. 
The famous idol (there is a picture of it from the National Museum in Delhi in mu Delhi set) of Shiva pictures him with four hands in an elegant dancing posture while stepping on the demon of ignorance. In this dancing form Shiva is also known as "Natraj". The dancers adorn the idol of Natraj, the god of dance, with flower petals before commencing the performance.It was really fantastic to see all the other US Teachers again after meeting them for the first time in Washington with the Indian Teachers and then again for our orientation in New Delhi. But I'll be frank, the opening night was about the Indian dancing girls...
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