When there?s fusion music and twinkle toes for company, a fast dipping mercury hardly matters. Audiences at The Telegraph 31st Nite countdown celebrations at CC&FC on Wednesday saw Bharatanatyam dancer Shobana kick up a storm along with tabla player Tanmoy Bose. With his Taaltantra team ? comprising Sourav Roy on keyboards, Ratul Shankar on percussion, Ryan Shah on drums, Moinak on bass guitar ? Tanmoy played pieces combining instruments and vocal recitals by Supratik and Deboshree.

As Tanmoy swerved back and forth from the tabla to the darbuka, Violin Brothers Deb and Jyoti Shankar joined in, along with Debashish Bhattacharya on the guitar. The group belted out a five-beat cycle with which Tanmoy performed konakol, a form of recitation practiced in North Africa. This was followed by Trinetram, a three-piece raag-based composition with the Violin Brothers.

(From top): dancer Shobana kicks up a storm to tabla player Tanmoy Bose?s beats at CC&FC, part of The Telegraph 31st Nite countdown; revellers have a ball at the masquerade party at Cloud 9; DJ Feroze churns out latest hits at The Telegraph 31st Nite countdown at Saturday Club; Barefoot performs at the same event. Pictures by Pabitra Das and Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Four recitals into the show, Tanmoy made way for Bharatanatyam dancer Shobana to display some of her deft footwork. The lead actress of Pamela Rooks? Dance Like A Man kicked up a storm dancing to a track performed by Taaltantra. She mesmerised audiences with her second recital, a thumri piece set on Krishna Leela, portraying a wide range of emotions. In the third piece, arranged by Taufiq, Shobana fused Bharatnatyam with folk dance.

Tanmoy sprung a surprise in the end by bringing in dhaki Gokul Das to perform the traditional instrument along with Taaltantra, before wrapping up the show with a Salsa number.

Bare bash

Calcutta doesn?t believe in waiting with bated breath for the final night of the year. The countdown to The Telegraph 31st Nite at Saturday Club on Wednesday was rocking harder than ever.

?The countdown has proved that city spirits only soar higher. People want more fun and I am going to ensure that nobody leaves without their share,? winked resident DJ Feroze.

The East-meets-West party kicked off at 8.30 in the evening with local band Barefoot belting out old favourites like Summer of 69 and Country roads. Nostalgia was the mood of the moment and requests were flying thick and fast.

DJ Feroze conquered the console next, churning out the latest hits. ?I know the taste of the crowd here and I am going to play some hardcore Hindi masala music after they are done with the English numbers. And yes, the title track of Dhoom, which has ruled the roost this season, is going to be there as well, but in my style,? signed off the console king.

Face-off

Mask, mask, who?s the fairest of them all?wondered revellers at the masquerade ball on Wednesday at Cloud 9. The restobar at The Astor witnessed beautiful party people put their wicked face forward in the run- up to the big night on December 31.

The guests were offered a choice of colourful masks that only revealed the twinkle in their eyes as they grinned wider than ever. Painters and artists present added to the colourful celebrations with guests queuing up to sport funky tattoos.

?The city is already bursting at the seams with live bands and exotic dancers, so we thought of providing some innovative relief,? smiled Saurav Chatterjee, CEO High Life, the event management company that organised the event.