India, May 3 -- Ancient stories breathe through our skin, finding a way to beat through the chest of anyone sitting in the dark. We carry these old wars with us, knowing the sharp edges of a sacrifice long before the curtain goes up. The opening night of the Kendra Dance Festival at Kamani Auditorium brought us back to that lethal geometry of the Mahabharata.

This year's programming pulls together a curated selection from the Kendra Dance Repertory, striking a balance between long-standing tradition and fresh renewal.

It revisits established works alongside reworked productions, where choreography and stage design keep the soul of the original work intact.

Chakravyuh stands as a retelling that captures the suffocating pressure of a tra...