A unique mix of east and west, of classical and contemporary, of old and new graced the stage as the Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe performed to an enthusiastic crowd Saturday night in the Ames City Auditorium.

The troupe was brought to Ames by the India Cultural Association of Central Iowa.

Our dance is not traditional. There¡s a lot of folk elements. It¡s not [Indian] classical. You can make a dance out of anything,Œ Shankar says as she points to the wooden stage. Even a design on the floor can be a dance.Œ

The 15 dancers have each been in Shankar¡s tutelage since four or five years of age.

They¡ve been with me since they were very young,Œ she says, and after they graduated from my school, they became performers and instructors.Œ

As part of a two-month tour of the United States, this brief stop in Ames was met by a welcoming community.

The audience loved it. We gave them a standing ovation. The people that didn¡t come missed out,Œ says Madhu Gadia, president of the association.

Ames is the smallest stop on the troupe¡s tour, that includes cities such as Houston and Cleveland.

Larger places, while having more people, their reactions are subdued,Œ Shankar says. But in smaller places, the audience reaction is so much more enthusiastic.Œ

Shankar has been dancing since she was a small child and in her own company since 1978. She says chances of retirement are thin.

I¡ll stop dancing when God wants me to or when the audience rejects me,Œ she says.

Shankar says the performance is inspired by spirituality.

I believe in God, I believe in spirituality. We do our duty ¢ through us, God wants to perform,Œ she says. God is in human beings. We are one.Œ

Shankar has greater ambitions. She says she strives to bring a universal message to an audience not limited to the Indian community.

We are all related, all one in the world,Πshe says.