Written by the Artistic Director of Karma Dance, Govind Pillai

Temple of Desire might, at first glance, seem rebellious or confrontational. But what audiences discover is that the performance reimagines Bharatanātyam not by stepping away from its roots, but by tenderly uncovering them…revealing a depth and beauty that has always been there.

Classical Indian art has long held space for complexity. Sensuality, sexual expression, spirituality and feminism have co-existed in beautiful ways that I adore. Yet over time, particularly through colonisation and patriarchal social structures, many of these ideas were softened, hidden, or erased. As dancers, some days it’s confronting in the studio as we push ourselves to unlearn parts of what we’ve been taught. But through this, we’ve shaped a work that reshapes how stories are told, boldly discarding elements of tradition that no longer serve us (such as misogyny and gendered oppression) and instead amplifying the parts of tradition that are most beautiful and most powerful in helping us reckon with the big issues of our modern times.

Is this an act of rebellion? I don’t think so. More than anything, it is an act of belief in the power of tradition, and the importance of reclaiming it.

These days, on my way home from the studio, I begin to see Temple of Desire as a bridge between past and present…not by idealising history or tradition but by engaging honestly with its blemishes and its beauty and asking: what parts of tradition no longer serve us and what parts we choose to carry forward

Temple of Desire comes to the Sydney Opera House on 4–5 June 2026. Tickets available at https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/dance/temple-desire