Yes, we really performed. Even though the picture does not show it, I was really there too. … [Read more...]
Performing at Kalakshetra!
To say that we are honoured, privileged and humbled all at the same time is to say nothing at all. We are going to perform at Kalakshetra, the place where our beloved guru became the dancer and person she is ... What words of mine can begin to touch upon all our thoughts and feelings?Like a little girl, I will say I am excited. I have butterflies in my stomach, but I am almost giddy with excitement. I am happy, nervous and determined to do my best.What warms my heart is that we have friends from Pune who are coming all the way there just to watch us. It fills me with joy, love and gratitude. Being a dancer is this - being filled with emotion - fleeting, transient emotion, as well as deep, lasting emotion.If you are in or around Chennai, please come. It will make us very happy. Do pass the word too. … [Read more...]
Arangetrams and Anniversaries
My dance teacher does not remember the exact date of her Arangetram, but she does remember that it was in 1964.Just for today, I'm going to pretend to myself that her Arangetram was the 29th of October, 1964.Because today, I think of all the time that has passed since our Arangetram: my sister's and mine. It's ten years since ours. 29th October, 2004. Ten years.Ten years of learning, performing and teaching. Ten years of acquiring a blend of pride and humility. Ten years of discovering beauty and expression. Ten years of understanding our bodies better - not so much through talent of our own as because we persevered.And just for today, I will pretend that our ten years marks my teacher's fifty years. Because then I realise how much farther I can go. Ten years, then, is nothing. … [Read more...]
Biskitwali
My dance teacher regularly gives the Salvation Army children food and biscuits, so everyone there, from the workers to the watchman's son, knows her. The little ones have given her a name, too - 'Biskitwali'. The most endearing feature of the epithet is that no offence is intended , and none is taken.Yesterday, I parked my bike outside my teacher's house and a cheeky child came up to me with his bright smile. "Dance class," he proclaimed.I nodded."Dance class?" inquired another child."Haan!" The tone said 'naturally, don't you know even that?'. "Tereko nahin malum kya?" Top-speed speech, barely completing each word, heedless of grammar.I took off my helmet and scarf."But what is that?" the second child asked in Hindi. "What is 'dance class'?""Arre!" the first one said, as if talking to a dunce. "Wo biskitwali hai, na? Wo actually dance teacher hai. Tereko … [Read more...]
Experiences on Stage
I'm sure every performer could write a book about things that go wrong on stage. The most wonderful part about performing on stage is the fact that nothing is predictable. Even after practising for, say, a year, something is bound to go wrong.I remember when we performed the Ramayana on stage. Deeply inspired by performances we saw at Kalakshetra, we wanted to put up something grand, something that audiences in Pune don't see very often. My dance teacher choreographed a beautiful dance ballet in Kalakshetra-style - the Ramayana.A problem we face very often is that we have very few committed dancers, which means that each dancer often has to play more than one role. Changing took rather longer than planned, and Ravana was not ready in time for his grand entrance at the Sita swayamvara. Unwilling to leave the stage empty, we went on to stage to play for time.Then ensued the most … [Read more...]