I love solitude. Yet, whenever we perform, we come together in ways the audience can never know, and I’m beyond grateful. This time, it began with a performance that fell through. Our teacher, Guru Mythili Raghavan, was more than a little upset. Immediately, in stepped Ashwini to organise another performance for us. We would, after […]
My Year in Dance: 2023
I love when I write in detail about a performance shortly after the show! The emotions are fresh, and so many details that we slowly forget are still crystal clear. In April 2023, we performed Chandalika, which was an exceptional experience. Even though I wrote about it in detail, I didn’t mention twisted ankles, work schedules, […]
Online Dance Class
Yesterday, at dance class, we broke into spontaneous applause. You know how sometimes, when someone’s internet connection falters during an online class, the layout suddenly changes? And if you’re completely unused to anything technological, what are you supposed to do? Yesterday, our dance teacher Mythili Mami clicked those three vertical dots, found and clicked ‘change […]
Arangetram – Sakshi and Shivona
As I write this post, I look back at the number of times I’ve written about an Arangetram. Some are just posts sharing details of upcoming arangetrams, but others … The emotions after – in August 2013 A reflection on the idea of the Arangetram itself What I felt after an Arangetram in 2014 Our […]
Performances Ahead
Why do we dance? And why do people suspend their lives for a couple of hours to watch? Performing arts seem to exist in a world of their own, with their own rules and rigorous demands. What other field has a saying like ‘The show must go on’? I think the joy of a performance […]
Dashami Poojai
Each year, we have a poojai at dance class for Dashami. Now, at the Academy of Indian Dances, there are four teachers, including me. Mythili Mami is, of course, head; that goes without saying. On Dashami, a little girl crept up to the corner where we were standing. “I want to speak to Ma’am,” she […]
What Went By
It’s taken me a while to write about the last month. How full of emotions it has been! We performed in Kalakshetra for Pushpa Teacher and Jaya Teacher, my teacher’s teachers. We peaked and fell, rising and falling with a tide of emotions. We felt we underperformed, and then we were overwhelmed by everyone’s responses. […]