Sylvie Guillem and Akram Khan.

Sylvie Guillem and Akram Khan Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, England September 20, 2006

You have to give it to Sylvie Guillem, arguably the world's most famous dancer. At 41, her dazzling career as a ballerina may have peaked, but she continues to seek new terpsichorean heights to conquer. In 2003 she danced with the Ballet Boyz; last year it was in the physically challenging contemporary world of Wayne McGregor. This fall she has chosen the mysterious and eloquent form of Indian classical dance in a program called "Sacred Monsters."

Her partner and teacher is Akram Khan, Britain's best exponent of kathak, who exudes grace, breathtaking energy, and charm. For this project the two dancers moved inside white structures separated by a black abyss, reminiscent of a polar ice cave. The three musicians and two singers sat to one side. Though dressed identically in loose trousers and T-shirts, Guillem and Khan are opposites. Her long, red tresses hung loosely around her face or in a braid; he is bald.

She is a lean, long-limbed airborne dancer; he is muscular and grounded. And although she is taller than him, in their duets (choreographed by Khan) their bodies moved as one.

In one dance Guillem clasped her feet around Khan's waist and bent backward, their mirror-imaged arms recalling the multilimbed Hindu god Shiva. Feet too were worth concentrating on: Guillem's glorious pair, taped tightly for support, pointed and flexed beautifully, while Khan's bare feet drummed the floor like a hummingbird's wings.

In Khan's kathak solo honoring Lord Krishna's playful nature, he swiftly covered the floor with feline leaps and swirling turns, while Taiwanese choreographer Lin Hwai Min's solo for Guillem seasoned her supremely flexible body, high extensions, and balance with Asian movements. With a delicious French accent, Guillem talked about her childhood, lolling on the floor and adjusting her body with jerky clockwork-doll motions until finally one hand arrived where she could rest her head on it.

These two "sacred monsters" (a 19th-century term for theatrical icons) seemed completely at ease with each other. With her ability to adapt to new dance disciplines, Mademoiselle Guillem shows she still has much to amaze us. See www.sylvieguillem.com and www.akramkhancompany.net.