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 all, perform in a temple: Marigold Balaji Temple in Kalyani Nagar.We continued to practise the way we always do—together.But then, two weeks ago, I injured my knee, and all our girls reminded me of what makes us *us*. I had tears in eyes as I watched from the sidelines.One piece was rechoreographed. Everyone’s part changed. Watching it, though, no one would know.In another piece, two dancers (Nisha and Resham) had to exchange roles.In a third piece, Manasi stepped in to do my part, despite all her stress of travel and … [Read more...]
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, and all the last-minute re-choreography we were forced to do. Perhaps we will perform it again; perhaps we won't. But a show on this scale is always a precious memory.Shortly after the show, we also staged a performance for the children of the Academy. Bharatanatyam is a performing art, and unless children have the opportunity to perform, they lose interest. Pressed for time, unsure of how we would pull it off, we still managed a full performance for the students of the Academy of Indian Dances!And then, in December, we performed in Bengaluru too.If … [Read more...]
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 layout', and chose a tiled layout. We all roared with appreciation and clapped. To understand the import of what she achieved and why we were so excited, here's a little background.The BackstoryMy teacher uses nothing technological. She still uses audio cassettes, as far as she can, rather than CDs -- because CDs are so difficult to rewind and fast-forward on a player (rather than a computer). She is uncomfortable with a smart phone. Swiping is strange to her, and impossible if your hands are wet. Touching … [Read more...]
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 2013A reflection on the idea of the Arangetram itselfWhat I felt after an Arangetram in 2014Our Arangetram anniversaryI write so frequently about the Arangetram because for us, at the Academy of Indian Dances, each Arangetram is significant for everyone. I don't know if this is true for other dance schools too, but for us, it is a moment when all of us are charged with emotion. We are excited and nervous. Even though we are not going to be on stage at all, we are all part of the experience. We are part of this moment in each dancer's life.After today's Arangetram, 49 girls from the Academy will have reached this landmark. These dancers are scattered all over the globe. Some … [Read more...]
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 is that it feels like a huge secret that the artistes share. A secret is special. It creates oneness, like being part of an inside joke. What unfolds on stage is just a tiny part of everything that goes into a performance - hours of rehearsal, chatter and choreography; rising tempers, annoyance and laughter; work, play and food; balancing family, professional lives and dance.Where we perform is often secondary, for me. What I, as an individual dancer, "get to do" is also secondary. It's dancing together that unfailingly gives me a high.Knowing another dancer so well that I can predict what she will do … [Read more...]
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 whispered to my teacher.None of us knew how to respond to that - even the children call Mythili Mami 'big teacher'. She's the first "Ma'am", who makes the decisions. But clearly, this little girl did not want to speak to her."What happened?" Mami asked. "No, I want to speak to ma'am," repeated the girl. Much amused, Mythili Mami let her come to us."I have to call my mother!" said the little girl. "Okay ... Why?" She glanced back at Mythili Mami and turned back to us. Like most of the others, she was dressed up that day, with kajal, earrings and a pearl necklace. "I … [Read more...]
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. The teachers praised the performance; nothing else is important. My heart is brimming with joy and gratitude.In Bangalore, I did a two-day reading workshop. I wrote about day one here on the blog, but kept postponing it, even though I've been waiting to talk about how wonderful it was to conduct a workshop there.Atta Galatta is a delightful place, with the perfect ambience for a reading workshop. What warmed my heart is that the store ordered ten copies of The Story-Catcher, some of which were bought by the children after the session. (If you're in Bangalore and … [Read more...]