Women dancers suffer a lot from male directors' belief that high heels are sexy. I was watching the movie of 'Anything Goes' last week. Donald O'Connor danced beautifully and Mitzi Gaynor looked like a robot.

I bet Mitzi would have danced far more beautifully in flat shoes.

Oh, and she probably had a stiff foundation garment from bust to mid-thigh under her pretty formal. That can't have helped.

Here's another thing that keeps the OP's dance from being folk - the sheer fabrics in the costumes. That kind of fabric is expensive and tricky to sew, needing special techniques. (It wiggles like crazy.) True, it is used for saris, but saris aren't tailored.