Dancing in Madness

Dancing in Madness is a solo instrumental composition by sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. The track appears on her 2013 studio album Traces of You. Shankar performs the piece on sitar, accompanied by minimal percussion and electronic textures. The composition blends Hindustani classical raga structures with contemporary production elements. The label Deutsche Grammophon released the album on October 4, 2013.

The track spans 4 minutes and 29 seconds. It opens with a slow, meditative alap before transitioning into a rhythmic gat section. Shankar employs meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) techniques characteristic of the Maihar gharana style. The percussion, provided by Tanmoy Bose, incorporates tabla and electronic beats. The piece does not follow a traditional raga framework but instead explores improvisational motifs within a modern context.

Anoushka Shankar produced Dancing in Madness alongside Nitin Sawhney. The album Traces of You received critical attention for its fusion of classical and electronic influences. The track exemplifies Shankar’s approach to expanding the sitar’s sonic possibilities while maintaining ties to her father Ravi Shankar’s legacy. No specific raga is named in the liner notes for this composition.