A Dancer's Flight

My Recent Adventure

2011-11-13T22:44:00.004Z

This time when I travelled, I decided to pen down my thoughts on a little notepad that I picked up from Hotel La Ville at Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands my first destination. On reading it now, I realise most of my observations are pure entertainment and I think it might be worth me jotting them online as I am bound to lose this little notepad of mine. What brought me to Hague was a performance with ATMA dance; a company class and to be a member of the jury for the India Dance Battle organised by Korzo theatre the night before the performance. Being a part of the Jury was an experience! I sat with Renus, a famous tv dance judge/personality on Dutch television and Revanta Sarabhai (son of Mallika Sarabhai) and this is what I wrote about it in my notes
1/10/11 – “Its so ironical how recently in my last blog entry online, I spoke about finding the best in what you see, While judging the dance battle at Korzo, really challenged this view. How do you look for the best in pieces that have nothing to offer? Is it just dance that makes me so cynical? But even though I thought cynical, I spoke positive and I will never forget that worst Kuchipudi performance I’ve ever seen and had to speak about”
Our performance the next day went well with a lot of positive feedback. I think I went back to the Hotel and crashed so no notes! The next I’ve written is on the 3rd, the day I had the epic breakfast with Pauline! Oh my God! Can the two of us eat? That is an understatement! I also left for Amsterdam right after, so on my way this is what I scribbled.

3/10/11 – “Sitting on the double decked train to Amsterdam now, obviously I had to go sit right on top, no matter how heavy my luggage is. I love these trains, the last time I sat on one was in Paris. Hague was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect. The women and men are so tall and fit it’s amazing. This morning I had the best breakfast ever. I had three soft, warm, crispy croissants; the most I’ve had in one go (Dutch bakers = sensational); freshly cut juicy fruits with thick creamy yogurt and crunchy granola and nice hot green tea to flush it down my system. I also remember having some chocolate butter and crispy bread. Don’t ask me the order it’s all in my stomach somewhere. This is called holiday binging. I woke up this morning feeling quite low and tired but I think the breakfast and the trains have really energised me now and I’m getting excited about getting into Amsterdam soon.”

On 3rd evening I met Beatriz, a friend’s friend, Spanish and living in Amsterdam and ate Thai food for dinner. Talk about global. Beatriz and I hit it off instantly, she’s as indecisive as me and she doesn’t plan anymore either. What was similar in our lives is that we put in or at least tried to put in a lot of energy into our plans, but plans always ditched us and hence we were forced to leave things to time. Our lives tend to have a greater control over us than we do. And that’s our story. I also met two beautiful Californian girls who I shared a room with, in a hostel in Amsterdam. They usually seemed quite blissfully unaware of their surroundings and spoke about their other friends like a story straight out of an American teen high school movie. My! Were they scandalised by the red light district or what? I heard no end of it, but it was really fun hanging out with them. They were quite happy go lucky which is always great.

4/10/11 – “OMG, I can’t believe I spent two fabulous days in Amsterdam, I have to write all about it, although I don’t know If I’ll be able to do it justice. I’ll start with the carnival I happen to see by chance as I made my exit from the Van Gogh Museum, which was amazing too, but yes the carnival was juicier! I was so delighted to see how comfortable all the gay, transsexuals, drags were in their skin. They gave me such incredible eye contact that it made me think whether I was alien? Their territory was evident. The costumes were so creative and colourful, the drummers were dramatic, themes were daring, dancers were happy and confident. I just had such a great time!”
It’s interesting to see how the residents of Amsterdam take so much pride in their city while the tourists are just the exact opposite. They seem to have no respect for the city and throw garbage and puke everywhere. Most of the tourists seem to be young boys and girls trying to get laid or smoke up legally at a coffee shop. So discovering Amsterdam is out of their agenda.
I absolutely loved it though, it was so easy to make friends in that city and also the fact it’s so liberal. I went to a souvenir shop to try dutch chocolate (you know like Belgian chocolates) and he offered me a cannabis lolly! I also saw ‘Want sex? Just Smile’ key chains and ‘Why drink and drive when you can smoke and fly’ tshirts! I loved the canals and the tilted houses. The cyclists are manic but it’s a much greener option than cars.

4/10/11 (late night) – “My definition of Amsterdam – think water water everywhere but not the kind you would drink. Now replace water with sex and drugs. You get the idea. Anyway my flights about to land in Madrid, can’t wait to get there!”

In Madrid I stayed with my gorgeous friend Mudra, who lived quite centrally so everything was walking distance. I walked it to Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, that museum is just beautiful. Along with the architecture of the new and the old buildings, the earlier works of Picasso were just fascinating. If you ever get there, go on the terrace of the new building. The atmosphere is a juxtaposition of the bustling city and absolute peace; I actually didn’t want to leave! I would go back to Madrid just for that museum.

5/10/11 – “Right now, sitting literally on the street in a cafe outside Reina Sofia, eating patatas bravas (potatoes in tomato sauce) for lunch, the only vegetarian option in the menu. Why does everybody in Europe only eat bread, meat and cheese?”
“People assume I’m Spanish, so they refuse to talk to me in any other language. Even after I ask them ‘hablas englis?’ i.e. do you speak English? One of them even said ‘Si’ i.e. yes and continued to talk to me in Spanish! Maybe she thought I was testing her or maybe she thought I’m a snobbish Spaniard who likes to talk in English in her own country! Whatever next time I’m going to try and change my appearance in some way so I look like a tourist or maybe I’ll just learn some Spanish before I go!”
At the cafe before I ordered my famous patatas I had another language tug-a-war with the waiter. ‘No Español?’ asked the waiter and started speaking in fluent French to which I was again gob smacked. ‘No Français?’ ‘No’ I said with a really dull face. ‘No Englis either?’ he said to which I snapped ‘Si Englis si englis si englis!’ and he called one of the younger waiters who knew English to converse with me.
I realised that day I didn’t want to be a tourist. I felt us tourists are so superficial. We go to different countries and touch the surface by sightseeing, museum hopping, eating at restaurants and leaving, but what do we learn? Nothing we haven’t read in guide books already. I want to learn the language and live like the locals do, experience it from inside, even if it’s only for a week. That’s my resolution for my next travel.

I think after the previous entry I became slightly lazy about writing in my little notepad, so for the remaining part of the holiday I’m going to continue writing out of memory. So what is it that I remember the most about Madrid? Oh yeah, they can party, and I mean all day all night party. There are some really arty funky areas in Madrid with streets made of stone, that was aesthetically pleasing. I also loved this sweet shop I ate Spanish sweets from in Sol. I bought Spanish trousers with a ‘made in India’ label, seems like they’re outsourcing as well. I saw Palacio Real, Almudena cathedral and shopped at Gran Via. I loved walking and the last few times I made my way back to Mudra’s place without a map, which was great considering the number of times I got lost, which also is fun. This actually reminds me of an interesting article I read in travel magazine. It read –

Anyone who is constantly travelling is always somewhere else and therefore always absent. There is however one place where you are constantly, all the time, namely yourself. And no matter how simple that sounds it does take a long time before you become fully aware of this.
Excerpt from Nomads Hotel – travels in time and space by Cees Nooteboom.

Angry? who me?

2011-09-28T23:16:00.007+01:00

Its been just so long since I last wrote that I feel like writing for the sake of writing. There is absolutely so much I want to talk about that I don't know where to begin. Ok lets start here, today I met a friend and as we ate lunch together surprisingly we spoke about spirituality. He seems to be a good actor, he kept a straight face at all the spiritual gibberish I spoke about, which I was not expecting! Anyway I was asked if I ever get angry, which not many ask me and come to think of it, I cant even remember the last time I got angry! Not even at my flatmate who yells on the phone at 5 in the morning, puts her clothes in for a wash at 11 at night and always complains and shouts about everything. She amuses me! I love crazy people, being around them can determine who you really are, just by the judgements of your own reactions.

As all my theories are based on observation and analysis, I really want to reason out and maybe think aloud what my thought process really is. Why don't people piss me off? Why do I end up empathising with them to reason out why they behave the way they did and give them the benefit of doubt?

Maybe I empathise because sometimes I feel I've been there (even when I haven't) but I have made mistakes in the past and mistakes are the most amazing things in this world. They teach you like no other.
Sometimes I think Its about finding the best in people, no matter how horrible they seem everyone has their positives, and everyone deserves to be known by their positives.

Or maybe, its just because i don't have any expectations of them? so whatever they do it doesn't change any of my pre judged ideas, because i dont have any. I've noticed change angers people. That merely happens because we are attached to the previous situation. If only we learn to let go of the previous and welcome and accept change we can be at peace with ourselves.

If the situation involves ignorance, I find myself saying to my self 'Oh my God, Bless them! I hope they can forgive themselves for their own behaviour when they do become aware of the act.'

Sometimes I think its Karma - If they do wrong, wrong will happen with them, so why bother getting angry anyway. Poetic Justice is a beautiful thing. You may call me a sadist but I love it when I see nature's justice happening on its own. Why should I get my hands dirty in getting angry and teaching them a lesson? I think the universe or God or the one above us or whatever else you may call it, is much smarter than us. Trying to teach someone a lesson is a responsibility. I always talk about helping others and how one should give a part of themselves to others for their benefit. But in this situation, it may imply I'm confronting them, asking them to deal with something which is outside their comfort zone? Wouldn't that hurt them even more? Why should I be responsible for that? People eventually learn from their own experiences. So let them be.

But its not only people that make us angry. Its usually situations that make them do what they do and everyone deserves a chance to be forgiven. How do you forgive a situation? Now thats a really really long topic on its own. It would definitely bore you out! The gist of it according to me would be to accept the anger creating situation. Most things are beyond your control for a reason and the reason will be clear when the time is right. So dont push it. Keep calm and carry on, a quote created during World War II, still apt in the world of today.

Should we really waste our time getting angry when you can have it all with peace, love and happiness?

Like in dance or any other physical activity breath is the backbone not for survival but for its development, to be able to do more and to take the movement to an even better physical state. In life, peace is responsible not for survival but for the development of the soul. There is no place for anger.

Dance Review Feature - May 2011

2011-05-19T20:05:00.001+01:00

one circle

2011-02-14T14:01:00.014Z

In happiness with dance, in dance with love, in love with peace, in peace with self, in self with creation, in creation with life, in life with happiness, in happiness with dance ..

My circle of life, a state of being.

A Birthday Wish

2010-12-23T01:37:00.000Z

Today is my birthday and I'm six years old..
Okay i didn't really complete that sentence, today is my birthday and I'm six years older than twenty. Although i wish i was just six years old, running around a cake and goodies clad dining table, in a pretty pink frock playing treasure hunt and dancing statues with my friends. But I'm not, and that's because everyone grows up, making a lot of people trying their best to defy their ages in the process, I don't really understand why. Everyone goes through all the numbers from 1 to 80 - 90 maybe even more, and each number is just too special to hide from others!

As children we get conditioned every year by the gifts we receive, the parties our parents throw, the attention we get from our friends, that its OUR day. We deserve to be pampered! After all its the day when we came to life and since we are all so unique and special, we need to celebrate ourselves. So I am that I am, I'll spend plenty on shopping for myself, Ill make a wish list for myself, have a cake and eat it too, call friends to share my happiness! Some people think it is another year to cherish our lives, as we have lived it by defying death. So is that why we celebrate our birthdays? I love what Sam Vaknin, an iconoclastic columnist (according to twitter), has to say about birthdays - "Birthdays are expressions of unbridled, blind faith in our own suspended mortality" - Its like an achievement, and a very narcissistic one.

So then, why do we celebrate our birthdays? To mark an end to our previous year? Or to start the beginning of a new fruitful year? Or Is birthday that day of the year which isn't a part of either the past or the future? If that is so, what can we really do to make this the most beautiful day. Why did the universe contrive for us to be born on this special day anyway? What can we do for it, to be grateful, if at all? At this point, the reasons get subjective. For me it starts with writing this post, being aware, a general feeling of giving a bit of yourself away for the benefit of this world, the planet, its people. You might be thinking, 'oh I could put some money into charity' or 'be nice to people you dislike' or 'donate and not waste food'. But one doesn't need to do things that are considered as kindness by society, it really is how you feel within and whatever makes it, lets try and do it on our birthday!

I have to admit, what I've written is just a seed for my soul, I cant say I'm there yet completely, but i really hope that soon i will celebrate a whole hearted, selfless birthday. Peace. Love. Happiness.

Social Disqualification or Steady Wisdom?

2010-12-05T19:28:00.007Z

More than a year ago when all hell broke lose in my life I decided to bring about some changes in it. Weird as those changes were they made me extremely unsocial, and I had no idea that would be the case. Firstly, I decided to give up non vegetarian food, so when friends decided to go to a kabab place or even Edgeware road to have kababs and sheesha I usually made silly excuses not to join them. Secondly, I decided that no alcohol or any other intoxicating substances would ever enter my self worshiped body. That meant no pubs after work or late Saturday nights. Lastly as insane as I was, I became vegan and a health freak. So no milk and milk products, eggs or even cooked food! Yeah I survived on raw salads for atleast ten months (not anymore thankfully!) and eating out was always a blunder at that time. So yes I made life very hard for myself and forced the beast out of me. It costed me most parties, social gatherings and funny remarks like "are you planning to kill yourself?" Or "are you sick?" or " do you have an eating disorder?" oh this ones the best "are you detoxing your life?" I had no intentions to explain myself coz I wasn't in the frame of mind, however I believed i needed it. So becoming a total social disaster I carried on. Just a week ago I read this and I couldn't help not sharing this with you all on my blog, as now I do have an answer.

Arjuna asks lord Krishna:
What is the definition of a man of steady wisdom?

Keshava (lord krishna) replies:
When a man gives up all desires of the mind and himself delights in his self, then he said to be a man of steady wisdom
He who is unperturbed in misery and free from desires amidst pleasures, who is devoid of all attachment, fear and anger, that sage is said to be of steady wisdom.
He who is free from affection everywhere, and who neither welcomes or hates good or evils has steady wisdom.
The one who sits in meditation, has self control on his senses has steady wisdom as for a person thinking of sense-objects grows an attachment for them; attachment arises desire; desire results in anger; from anger comes delusion; delusion results confusion of memory which further destroys intelligence and hence the man perishes!

Lastly, for an uncontrolled person there is no knowledge and meditation, and for the unmeditative person there is no peace, and if there is no peace how can there be any happiness?

Text from Shrimad Bhagwad Gita

So that brings us back to my story, I took those drastic steps to save myself from getting perished! It also makes you realise that there is such a fine line between pleasure and pain, as something that was so painful for me just last year has now become my strength. It really is all in the mind. Peace.

A way of life

2010-09-19T19:21:00.005+01:00

I think I'm one of those creatures who is absolutely obsessed with the concept of life and how it works. How things always happen for a reason and how everything is circular, in motion (earth rotates and revolves); in philosophies (what goes around comes around); in nature (water cycle); in religion (cycle of birth, rebirth and death) and in various systems and subsystems. As a teenager my sis couldn't help notice how I loved circular things (concentric circular earrings, spiral prints on my tshirts, kurtas and everything i owned, bangles etc) and thought i was a circle freak! its weird but when im about to sleep i feel the insides of my head moving in circles and when I close my eyes for a long time i see polka dots! I'm sure lots of people do but not many people ponder on it as much as I am right now. Unless of course you are Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, whose paintings i happen to see in Museum of Modern Art, New York (http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=3315) Paintings are fantastic and minimalistic and i connected with them immediately, which is why i remembered them even now. But what scares me is that she has a history of mental illness and hallucinations! Does that really make me freak?! i hope not!
Coming back to circles, i don't care much about the human made traditions but a ring is circular, isn't it? A zero is circular (which im very proud to say was invented by Indian scholars) So many times we get caught up in viscous circles, its just feels like a whole way of life.

Anyway, going on about life and its systems (and subsystems) I love finding metaphors in stupid little routine and non routine things and link it with the cosmos of life. It can get really silly at times like i was playing Touch hockey on my phone the other day (its a free app btw) and every time i would hit the disk with too much force it would bounce back and slide into my goal and every time i stayed calm and protected the entry of my goal i would score. you know what I'm getting at. It can get really annoying, but very interesting at times. Its like the concepts are the same but applied differently in different systems. For instance in trees, there is the big bossy Banyan tree who definitely provides shelter and preserves tradition but also doesn't allow other plants to grow under it as it blocks the sunlight, on the other hand there is the Neem tree, every part of it is medicinal in many ways and others like the Cherry tree, that grow lovely white flowers and look only beautiful. So you can see what I'm trying to get at. I guess everybody has a different way of analysing their lives. Some people tolerate it, some take it as it comes, some absolutely love it, some really look forward to it and some who think too much analyse it like i do!
At the moment I'm talking about life so generously, is because i absolutely love it and I am actually quite pleased of the fact that my happiness has come from within and not derived from a person, a new commodity or status or something.
Alright I'm quite bored of typing and staring at the screen now so I'm going to end this quite abruptly. What was this entry about? no idea! i just love talking about life in case you haven't noticed already!

L.I.F.E

2010-08-28T00:13:00.009+01:00

yawn. breathe. eat. run. stretch. meditate. bathe. love.
reach. watch. learn. inspire. feel. trip. write. feed. love.
talk. meet. bless. hug. kiss. drink. peace. share. love.
swim. bask. stretch. walk. listen. immerse. jive. love.
wait. wash. scrub. throw. clean. scream. keep. love.
dance. love. teach. love. create. love. dance. love.
love. love. love. love. love. love. love. love. love.

L.I.F.E or the short for Life Is Fucking Easy, all you have to do is love it and it'll love you back. I wish it hadnt taken me so long to get where I am, even so it is hard to put into words (literally) what defines mine.

The rush of presence

2010-08-20T18:33:00.013+01:00

A friend looking at a brass colossal statue infront of Hammersmith station today "Hey thats cool, how is it Ive never seen this before and I've passed this station atleast 15 to 20 times" "well, thats how present you are!"
Present, is such an everyday word and yet its essence is so powerful. I was in America for the summer and as you already know that continent is known for its vastness and surprising natural beauty. Its just when you see such expansion or anything absolutely stunningly beautiful your mind becomes empty and is captured by this rush of now, the present. You end up gaping at it. Well honestly US isnt that beautiful (the much I've seen), London is far ahead in the artistry and beauty aspect in general terms, but I did get this feeling when i saw the Niagara falls and for like the ten minutes we were on the 'Maid of the Mist' (a boat that takes you closer to the falls) i was just captured by the sheer rush of it. I know it sounds a bit insane probably, like get over it, its just the Niagara but arguably there are two kinds impact that the situation can bring. First, just being captured by the invisible essence of presence and second, knowing that you are captured by the essence and are directly witnessing/noticing its effect on you. I think it then becomes subjective, for me its meditative.

But i have to say its not only the nature's giants that grasp your attention, standing on top of the Empire State building and on the glass floor of CN Tower were quite fascinating too. They command presence you cant get away from it.

Anyhow coming back to the topic, my uncle the other day was talking about actors and stuff and he said the actors he likes are the ones who just come on screen and just captivate your attention. One generally would say its coz she/he has a lot of presence. That doesn't mean a person is beautiful or even a good actor, it just means, according to me, that the actor is so involved in the beauty of acting that he feels the 'rush of presence' in his job, making him a stronger performer. I mean you can tell if a guy is involved or loves his work or not and hence, i feel, to do what you love will make the world love you.

It is a fairly spiritual subject and spirituality in Hinduism reminds me of mindlessly reading out mantras and shlokas. No offense to anyone, I've done the same throughout my younger years and still do. But we have to admit, we aren't pros in sanskrit, so we dont really know what each word means. I recall my class 10 board exams nine years ago, when I use to read the Hanuman Chalisa every morning, like religiously, and it did help me concentrate and get me back to books. But i remember very clearly writing in my journal at that time with a bit of anger that i dont really know exactly what im reading, and what it means but it does work (all i knew was it praises Lord Hanuman, and Ram and Sita in bits) Why does it work? There is definitely something else, a force that pulls you in and improves your mental ability and for me now I can say that is the rush of presence. You read it with your presence, your heart, your inner being there is no way it wouldn't work.

The divine exquisite thought-less feeling

2010-05-26T00:45:00.007+01:00

On the eve of full moon
You came
you come often but tonight I was you.
I want to be where you are,
I want to relive the divinity, the force, the belonging
stronger than love or any other emotion.
and when the chakra left me, i felt incomplete
leaving ashes of beauty
Whats this life for?
The answer lies in you

'One sided Conversation' Rich Dance, march '10

2010-05-23T10:45:00.012+01:00

Maharaja @ V&A

2009-12-18T00:46:00.007Z

Victoria and Albert Museum are hosts to the splendid Maharaja Exhibition this season, finishes on 17th January I think
It concentrated on the Indian kingdoms and their rulers, old school Indian art that sells! of course it was a ticketed which explains the content. However it didn't feel superficial and seemed considerable research was done for the material up for display. The Indian miniature paintings (with detailed expressions, hair, pearls, clothes and everything in the frame) seemed to be the highlight mostly along with some videos, photographs and objects.

Other than the Indian miniature paintings the exhibition concentrated on the artistic details of the courts that I or any other person would have taken for granted if living in the 18th or 19th century! Things like embroidered cloth under a tent, a beaded and jewel woven canopy, meena work on the insides of the belt, beautiful turban jewels and necklaces, diamond, ruby, emerald studded weapons, a gold plated throne, Jewel studded umbrellas, Royal Palanquins (palkis), embroidered gaddis (or royal thrones) were the typical features of the splendour of India's Royal courts. But because they were kept on their own, in glass chambers, it was fascinating to notice the details and feel so proud of our meticulous artists who devoted selflessly into making the Royal courts look magnificent!
My friend and i also observed how the paintings of the rulers, courts, processions never had a mention of the name or family of artists who created it but only the name of the ruler who possessed it. Which is why my heart goes out to those artists even more!
She was also quick to spot if the painting was by foreign artist or Indian, as honestly in the foreign artist paintings, the minute details were missing and the facial expressions seemed much colder and stern perhaps.

Photographs by Man Ray portrayed two sides of the early 20th century British inspired princes. There were fantastic pictures of the Prince of Udaipur in his Indian prince outfit with his wife and three piece suit with his mistress in France where he studied. Another aspect of splendor?
In fact the Indian Princes were so influenced by the west that they commissioned their jewellery from french companies, Cartier and Louis Vitton and no they weren't wearing western designs, but the same emerald, ruby, diamond studded jewels.
The Indian jewels designed by Cartier and Vitton for our Maharajas in 1930s definitely became a trend. The travel bags were amazing by Vitton, with little compartment and boxes for everything. I want one! dream on!

Also the 1st Rolls Royce commissioned by an Indian ruler, that became symbol of modernity was probably another example that embarked the concept of possessing western goods. To see that car right there was such a bonus, there was also footage playing of it being driven around in Jodhpur. I think this is where it all started our obsession for everything western.

In almost every museum in London the last gallery always leads to the museum shop! So yeah you could find everything there from outfits, pens, spiritual books, little purses to ambi printed umbrellas. Even those flat Damarus, that you find in Melas (when we were kids) were there!. overpriced artificial jewellery (overpriced for me as i know they're cheaper in India), ghungroo bracelets, embroidered bags and every damn thing you'd find on the streets of Janpath in New Delhi. I wanted to go home (in Delhi) and Natalie (my friend) was consoling me!

Overall it was really nostalgic for me and i loved it for those reasons. I also enjoyed the variety, the colour, loved the classical music in the background and the fact that after seeing three rooms full of Indian splendor I was gutted it finished and where those two hours just disappeared!

Dancing Naked

2009-12-15T19:32:00.008Z

This post is a part of the Extend Project, includes my experience and personal thoughts on partially planning a live event. Most of it was done by Akademi.

It was about three months to Daredevas (24/11/09 - 25/11/09) when a concept was lingering in my mind and I had an urge to develop it. It took me about month to conceptualise what I really wanted and prioritize what the strength of the piece would be. I think I spent about 35 quid buying music from itunes until I found something that really inspired me. Different people have different things that drive them. For me having the right music is so important, If I don't find it, I can't settle. Anyway I started researching my thoughts and i came across Thomas Hardy's - The Ghost of the Past. I knew I needed text in my piece, I somehow had decided my priority is structure, and the text would really help bring that out.
I started booking rehearsal space to try things out and every time I would come up something different.

Anyhow 26th Oct was my first meeting with John-Marc, our mentor. I had a clear idea of my concept, the structure of the piece, the music i intended to use and the text however what i still had to work on was the movement and choreography! Costume and lights were two things to be planned later. only a month was left and it was high time I start movement and choreography! However i feel if you have the structure planned and concept ready movement is something you can just fit in. Organising the piece and yourself, I felt, was far more important than struggling with the content.

The music required editing, and the text required to be read and recorded. Extra sessions with John-Marc for this reason, along with coordinating a narrator into our busy London schedules was required! Rehearsal space was also turning out to be an issue and i had to book space myself and not wait for akademi to sort that out for me. Oh what a tense week that was, but Amaara (narrator for the text) came to the rescue and things started flowing again. Music score was hence done and dusted. Sharing was on 16th nov and I didn't have a costume! The last week I went to five different High Streets and I just couldn't find what i really wanted. Maybe planning here would require me not to be so picky and make do of available resources, but then, a growing attachment for the live event makes me want to have nothing but the best for it. Oh dear, anyway I did find a costume (which wasn't my choice) and I had to finally settle with it!

The tech run day brought about different issues in planning. Firstly the budget for extra lights was nil, which was a let down for Will and the dancers (definitely for me, don't know about the rest). Will, the lighting designer and me had to make do with whatever was available.
As I was on stage I did a quick risk assessment of the space, lights and psych. As my piece really made me move a lot through space I had to be very aware of my boundaries. The Dress run the next day felt assuring. It does feel great if the events go according to plan!
Anyway an hour to the show, immediate concerns were make up, hair, costume, warm up and inner peace and satisfaction! Irony as it is a concern!

Bah my checklist is done - Concept, structure, music, text, choreography, rehearsals, lights, dress run, video run, risk hazards, well fed, warmed up, costume, make up, hair ..
However when on stage and the show starts, there is absolutely nothing on my mind to plan or think or care about. Its just me in my world, unconsciously satisfied, abstractedly connected.
That is the charm of performance, dancing without inhibition, Dancing Naked.

Watching Yesterday - Jasmin Vardimon

2009-11-20T00:44:00.010Z

Its been quite a while since I watched Jasmin Vardimon's creation - 'Yesterday'(19/11/09 at The Place), to now me actually getting down to write about it. I did start writing it on the 20 of Nov, which is why the date published is 20th, but the truth is I wrote it on 14 Dec! oops, could have gotten away with it! This post is written as a part of the Extend project, that I'm involved in.

The beauty of this performance was the coherence of choreography, the juxtaposition of mixed media and the coordination of the live performance event. Each and every prop used in her piece was used to its full potential and not like fake brownie points earning gimmick. Everything in the piece was there for a reason, which is hard not to eventually agree with as we as humans always tend to associate relationships to any sort of body image or space. Wayne McGregor said the same thing last night on South bank show (ITV1) hence would like to quote him here!
Since for me the most fascinating thing about her work was the use of the extras (props) Id like to discuss those in brief and the impact they had on me and the choreography. Also calling props extras may not feel right, as it felt so much a part of dance. It’s like long nails, make your fingers seem longer but are not a part of your skin. Haha can't believe I just wrote that!
Anyway her piece provided me a sense that yesterday is a memory and we went through a whole sequence of memories, and developed each memory into a choreographic section. She literally captured images on the screen (one of the many props). I remember using this technology at Camera Obscura in Edinburgh to capture our shadows for fun! How on earth did she manage to bring that into a live performance? Its truely stupendous. She also reused the screen on wheels with a moving projection in a sense that we're moving along a time line. That’s what I made of it.
The set design included these vertical white beams (blinds in common language) as the back drop. At first it felt hazardous but the piece was so well rehearsed I didn't think twice on it. Weird enough, for me it had a metaphoric meaning of having a divide between yesterday and today as the dancers moved in and out of the main stage through those blinds often.
The use of the camera, hmm, where should I start? I have seen the use of live camera and simultaneous projection in a couple of pieces before but the way it blended into the essence of the piece looked as if it had been really well thought of. For me it felt the use of the camera brought live intimacy into the piece and confronted the audience with truth, no matter where the time line is. The camera so brilliantly used projected a handmade house on a dancer’s stomach with black ink onto the blinds backdrop. The other dancers enacted the memory of the house burning down by moving in and out through the blinds, while the projection of the house was on it. Pure genius! The pillows (another prop) that came out of the burning house were used previously in a duet towards the beginning and the tearing of it as a sign of frustration towards the latter half. That makes me feel that the use of a prop shouldn't be limited to its literal function and this is the faint structure I felt was present with the use of all props in the piece. I can say that about the gun, the blank ink, the screen, the blinds but not so much for the fishing rod and trampoline, which made one time appearances. I guess to either make a statement or to emphasize. The great thing is that even when each prop had such strong metaphors, for me of course, they never clashed and flew together quite consistently.

Anyhow, I would like to conclude this post by saying that this choreography other than being a brilliant example of a well coordinated live event, had completeness of choreography, developed repetition, amazing wit, humour, sense of timing, great use of technology and of course the hard working dancers were fantastic.

Do watch the Yesterday show reel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxMx9SsHB9U

Swimming Spree

2009-09-16T20:35:00.010+01:00

Firstly I would like to thank Virgin Active, for being kind enough to keep the pool open all year round by having the ability to heat the pool. This further facilitates the emotions of us poor souls who find relief in the feeling of relatively cold gushing water over a warm over-worked body. Also what i really enjoy is the rhythm my breath makes, the sound of movement under water along with the act of breathing in oxygen every four or six arm movements. It makes me feel as if the whole process is as rhythmic as a song!

Well it could be a dance as well, as i feel quite flexible when I am stretching under water ;) but nah would get too monotonous for me..

However, what i really miss about swimming in this pool is that there is no deep end! All of it is 1.2m, which is a bit annoying for me. I remember when i was learning swimming with my friends, we use to challenge each other with "who can stay in the deep end the longest contest" or "who can dive in to fetch the coin" or even go pull each other down in the deep yeah quite silly i know! But I have to admit that I get a strange kick when i swim from the shallow end towards the deep and see the floor beneath slide down and disappear in the dark blue/green (well yeah I guess chlorine levels are exceptional in Indian pools!). I do miss that, but i also like the fact that swimming is treated like this serious exercise and everyone instead of finding coins, pulling legs and wasting time in deep contest are actually busy swimming. Its almost like "gosh I've got to keep up with this swimmer" whose swimming in the same path as yours.
But today the pool was empty, and i had two lanes to myself, and i was in a relaxing kind of mood, swimming leisurely the back stroke, trying somersaults, stretching more swimming less.
As a swimming class had finished just before i arrived in the pool, there were a few floats hanging around, along with inflated toys that kids use. I was tempted, but then i said no way Shreya, i last used one when i was 10! It would be a bit embarrassing being the only adult flapping around with a float, but then some how i managed to convince myself and tried the float. Man i was so slow! But i could really feel my core and hamstrings really work.. and that felt so good. I think once in a while I guess we shouldn't forget that going back to our basics can really strengthen what we have already and probably remind us the things that have changed over the years.. A weird swimming-philosophy day!

Have today, gone tomorrow

2009-09-06T12:16:00.006+01:00

Life has funny ways to remind you how things you own might not exist tomorrow! For instance you had seen your important piece of paper around at some corner of your flat, saying to yourself yeah yeah i know the paper is here and i will pick it up from there when i need it. The time comes, you do realise you need, you go back to that same spot and WHAM its gone! How can it disappear? why did the damn paper do this to me! it was meant to be there, i saw it once, twice or maybe thrice hanging around at the same spot! ugghh but true and the quest remains unanswered.
Well this maybe the case of a billion other things that we own or that exist around us and we never bother to pay attention to them, wallet , keys, files blah blah blah. In my case the goods seem to be quite intangible like my brain (bonkers!) my sense of smell, vision, and other rather embarrassing things that i don't wish to disclose. Recently due to my health setbacks, I’ve actually been hallucinating! not kidding and it does feel scary. It feels like the brain has the power to control all the major involuntary processes of your body and of course we have no idea what its up to, until a third person, possibly a doctor is required to tell you what the hell is going on inside your damn body. So basically what you're thinking is not what your mind is thinking, so don’t even think about taking even your mind for granted, coz you have it today you never know what it decides for tomorrow.

I remember when i was in class 7, things would suddenly go so blurry for my eyes and i was so stupid i would just wonder why? Suddenly I started failing algebra tests coz i would copy the questions wrongly and was forced to do an eye test. We discovered my myopic eyesight started at -2.5 where usually people start at -0.25 or -0.5. Why do we just assume that nothing can go wrong with us and that its always the "other people" getting injured or sick. I mean this isn’t that drastic and class 7 was a long time ago, but really.

These days my compatibility with electronic items has been really annoying me. I usually wouldn’t be bothered and I know these are only material things but in this electronic age you really cant live with out them, even though I would love to..! So, the hinges of my laptop are broken, and to use it I have to literally hold the screen with one hand and type with the other. My phone, is ripping apart slowly and I usually can’t hear the caller too well unless I give it a shake! It also likes to switch on and off when it wishes. My ipod, also seems to have a mind of its own and plays the songs that it wants me to hear rather than me being able to select what I’d like to hear. If it thinks it has had enough, it would switch off and wait for me to plug it on to my laptop. Tantrums I tell you! Even a damn wire doesn’t seem to be congenial with me as its chipping of and I can see the copper beneath! Oh there are so many more stories, but I shall spare you with those. It isn’t as bad as it looks, I am usually gracious with electronics but sometimes things just go beyond my control and they fall, or get sprinkled with water or get sat upon!

Anyway I know I have these goods today, but I do realise its not far when they live their life and will be gone tomorrow.

Everything, I mean everything, did I mention everything? in this world can be gone tomorrow. Even the world can be gone tomorrow and it feels more possible after watching so many American disaster films. They’ve covered everything from aliens to ice age to volcano irruptions! So I guess this is it., your heart, your mind, your health to tangible goods, all need to be acknowledged and taken care off before they’re gone. Trust me I still wont learn!

Loveology

2009-08-27T15:39:00.009+01:00

Human mind is so selfish, no matter what the situation is, it will always be able to calculate the most lucrative route that benefits it. Lets see, for instance "oh no its raining, i don't have an umbrella, damn i need to get indoors now" "wait a minute, i had to get some groceries, great i will do that while i am indoors" or "damn i left my wallet at home" "great i won't end up spending extra today!" or "oh no the bus is late" "great i wont have to mention i got up late, just blame it on the bus!". These days even break ups are advantageous to people. "Hey I'm *single* ready to mingle now!" "oh please pity me, this person left me, and I am going through a horrible phase". That is life.

I wish i could make a big deal about it, and talk about it so openly with people, I would feel so empowered! i guess that's why its done. Anyway, for me love is so personal that i cant think of discussing any aspect (good or bad) of it with anyone other than that special person. But today i am going to come out of my little cocoon and explain what it means to me.

Ye vorld hai na vorld, is main do prakar ke log hote hain, ek jo apne pyar ko pakad ke rakhte hain aur ek doosre ke bina jee nahi paate, or doosre jinke liye pyaar itni gehri chees hoti hai ki saath rehna sab kuch nahi hota. Hum (yaani main) un doosre prakar ke logon me se hain.

For my friends who don't know hindi too well, I've written in Amitabh Bachchan's Bunty Bubly accent, that there are two kinds of people in this world, one, who love so dearly that they hold on to their partners and cant live without each other and second who think love is so deep it doesn't require to hold on but to let go. and I believe in the latter.

For me, you cant make love work, it exists, its immortal and you have to discover it, and the more time and space you allow it, the longer it lives.
If you love someone, you have to let go, and i promise you if its true you will be together forever. But if you don't let go and allow that love to grow, the trust to build and space to nurture, it can get suffocating.

Okay this is sounding extremely didactic, and that's not my intention. Its just an emotional me trying to get across what most people will not relate to. Some people might think i have commitment issues, but its not true, you can still commit if you have mutual understanding of S.P.A.C.E. (that has annoyed some people)

Another fact that keeps the type one people going are expectations and their energy to meet those expectations. But whats the need? You're always expecting to be together, expecting to call / take calls, expected to think before any action, expected to report, expected to be loved back.. If you want to love then just love, just give, don't expect anything return! It's that same selfish human quality.
A person holds on to his loved one because he is selfish, he wants her for himself and expects the partner to reciprocate. This is not what I call love.

Love is fairness, trust, mutual space, respect (even after a break up, as no matter what goes wrong, you do not make a mockery of it in public), selflessness, oxygen, water, fire, dance and music.
Keep loving, never stop loving..

phew.. it's really a crime to be ideological in this world.

Students performing Bharatanatyam at Special Olympics 09

2009-07-28T01:18:00.006+01:00

Sufi's love

2009-06-29T21:59:00.007+01:00

Recently I researched The Whirling Dervishes, which is the dance of the Sufis. This entry is about my experience and why I am so inspired!

Sufism developed in early Islam using the rituals of the Quran and teaching of Prophet Mohammad. However the connection of its teachings to ancient philosophies on the basis of level of knowledge explains why the Sufis had followers from all religions.

Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh, identified Sufi teachings in Hindu Vedas. (Shah, Way of the Sufi, 1968)

Just so that everyone who is reading this is on the same plane as me, an annoying bollywood reference may help. In Jodha Akbar, Akbar consults his Sufi mentors in matters of his heart, when hes trying to win Jodha over. Aaah! ;P

For me, the essence of Sufism is spirituality, i.e. the relationship of the human being with god, knowledge and love, which in Sufism is spread through mankind in the form of music and dance. Even though from the surface the dance of the dervishes may look like men dressed in white skirts and revolving, the deapth of its movement is astonishing.
The word Dervish comes from the persian word

‘Darwish’ which literally means the sill of the door and is used to describe the Sufi who is at the door to enlightenment. The metaphor is just so beautiful it makes you want to be there!

Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the master behind the whirling dervishes, first whirled in memory of his friend Shams, who died quite mysteriously. As he whirled, he felt connection with Shams who he missed dearly and was now united with God. Whirling or revolving is such a basic feature. Everything revolves, our planets, the moon, earth other heavenly bodies. In atoms, electrons protons and nuetrons revolve. The circulation of blood in the body, the orbit of life. Its all so natural and so integral to human life.

When i tried the whirling act, the revolving took me to a different world. However Friedlander writes in her book, The Whirling Dervishes, that the whirling doesnt lead to ecstacy but becomes ecstacy. For me it felt so meditative. I didnt want to stop. Its like you lose track of where your limbs are, where you are and who you are? It really reminded me that this world is just a particle in the universe. it is so minute compared to the cosmic energy that builds the universe. When you finish (or rather wish to stop) it leaves some serious questions in your head. Mine were, what am i here for? what am i suppose to fulfill? it leaves an impression and i thought about it for days. I felt happy, relaxed and calm. Its something so emotional perhaps that its hard not to have an urge to know more about it..

Rumi was a great inspirational poet. some of my favourite quotes of his teachings are:

"A lifetime without Love is of no account Love is the Water of Life Drink it down with heart and soul!"

(Written in Divan-e-Shams)

"The human being resembles a tree; its root is like a covenant with God:
that root must be cherished with all one's might.
A weak covenant is a rotten root, without grace or fruit.
Though the boughs and leaves of the date palm are green,
greenness brings no benefit if the root is corrupt.
If a branch is without green leaves, yet has a good root,
a hundred leaves will put forth their hands in the end. "

(Jewels of Rememberance, Trans. Camille and Kabir Helminski)

"In movement shall be found
The key to every blessing."

(Friedlander, 1975)

"Come come whoever you are
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come."

The above quote is probably his most famous quote ever, and it really is a quote which is for everyone, any religion, any age maybe even an atheist; love and knowledge is for everyone.. and there is room for mistakes, no one is perfect, doesnt matter, start now, start loving..

First LC3 performance

2009-04-27T21:21:00.005+01:00

LC3 is the performing company of the London Contemporary Dance School of which i do feel privileged to be a part of.

Today for me really was a learning experience, we went to a college in Hackney to perform for a kind of audience ive never performed for before. Well i don't really want to be derogatory to the college, but the kids in the audience wouldn't stop talking, the men were hooting at times when they weren't required to and the girls were passing comments as if they were sitting at Lunch.
I ofcourse got distracted, it felt hard to coordinate my mind and body and the soul went fishing. i really do like to feel what i do, and it was so hard to connect. It didnt take me long to judge the audience and spoil my performance.

Anyway the show ended and we had a question answer session, and i was really surprised to see how interested the students were to know more about us. Although the questions were silly! but atleast they took interest. One of them even read my name out of the programme sheet to ask me a question.
I felt so horrible after that. It made me realise no matter what, never loose your focus. It needs to be so strong it can get through anything! Coz at the end of the day in a 100% audience (wherever that might be) there will be a 20% who are genuinely interested in what you do, and you never know, you might be inspiring them..

You can't not like this city..

2009-04-09T22:56:00.018+01:00

This entry has got probably nothing to do with dance, but coz my recent emotions have been so affected it deserves to be written..
People did say Paris is a city of romantic couples, which is why I did not want to go alone! But had to due to tragic reasons.., nevertheless I felt very brave and packed my bags, took a map and hit the tracks. Eurostar was amazing, not that I remember the journey or the scenery as I slept through most of it, but yeah it was quite smooth for a high speed train!

Reached Gare du Nord, was greeted with Bon jour everywhere I went, was awesome! decided to take the metro, the ticket lines were crazy, I read the prices and other information, I stood casually, I felt oh I know how this works, you see I’ve travelled in so many metros before in Delhi, Kolkata, London, I was suppose to be on top of it, until I took probably an hour changing different trains, walking through endless lengths of narrow tunnels, figuring out what exit was in French, thinking 'oh Sortie sounds like sweet name of a stop' when Sortie did mean exit! It really did take me a while to realise that everything was written in French and I had to crack codes on my own.. Boohoo, but I loved it, felt like treasure hunt! hee

Anyway I started with Notre Dame Cathedral, oh so beautiful, I felt almost silly gaping. An added advantage is that it is on the banks of river Seine, so the views are just spectacular. The interiors are as intricate as the exteriors. And of course the stained glass windows, curvy iron gates, carved wooden balconies and an orchestra rehearsal! Apparently they were to perform the same night at the cathedral with tickets that I can’t afford, so I just sat there like a typical Indian and heard most of the rehearsal.

Then I decided to hang out a bit. Well yeah the lamp posts were gorgeous, but even the traffic light posts had carvings on it. I mean even the bridges are carved, a bridge I saw near Eiffel Tower had huge carvings, say like a story, every 5 meters! Plus the gap between from one carving to another would also have substantial carving.

Anyway I next saw the Eiffel Tower, which looked exactly how it looks in the several photographs, except in reality it has many more people around it. I some how got to the 2nd floor of it and figured out the road I needed to take to get to Arc de Triomphe, well it did look like a 3D Paris map so might as well! Came down bought myself an extravagant ice cream with Citron and pistachio (it was getting hot I swear!) and walked towards Arc de Triomphe. Ive always wanted to see the Arc de Triomphe, it's coz when I was young and mum had returned from France she had brought a miniature model of it and to me it looked like the India Gate. So I use to call it the French India gate! Now that I had reached it I had to get a photo clicked with it. So you know I started fattoing the little French phrases I knew to some random girl, Bon Jour, Well I’m not going to type it coz my French spelling is definitely not correct but I said 'I don’t speak French, do you speak English?' in French (I did I did) and got my self a photograph, and then 'Thank you oh no Merci' hee I did that very often, never remembered to say Merci straight away. The one thing I didn’t like about the 1st day of my trip was asking random people to click pictures for me. I mean I am sure they didn’t mind it as they are use to it, but I felt a bit needy, but who cares!

After that I walked down the famous Champs Elysees, where the glitterati hangs out and you can also spot some truly artistic buildings. I did spot one, except it looked like a broken glass wall, but it was quite interesting coz I saw it and then saw it again and then saw it again.

I was alone, so it made me realise I had lot more time than expected. My full attention and concentration was dedicated to sight seeing! So then I decided to go see Moulin Rouge, which reminds me more of Nicole Kidman than the theatre itself. But it looks exactly how it is in the movie and I couldn’t believe I was looking at it right in front of me in reality!

Aah that was a long day.. Finally sat in the underground and went back to my student hostel. Did you know some of the metro trains (RER) are double decked? I obviously went and sat on top no matter how tired I was! And I think their trains are much smoother than London underground trains. However London tubes are more organised with everything is labelled and the Brits are very conscious about safety regulations. But I also feel the Paris Metro engineering is more scientific and intelligent, okay this argument is never going to end.

DAY 2

This was the most fascinating day! It was a bit rainy and I stood in the Louvre courtyard at least 2 miles away from the entrance in a queue. It WAS crazy! Well what do you do then, you can’t keep taking pictures or listen to the conversation of the people standing in front of you in the queue, so you start a conversation of your own. Now this girl was standing behind me and was alone to, and so I asked her to take a picture for me and then didnt stop talking. Though she was a bit loud at first, I felt like saying calm down girl! She turned out to be very knowledgeable and interesting person. She’s doing her PhD in Economics and has been to Paris 5 times! Iam not kidding 5 times! It was her fifth visit to Louvre. It seemed she had completely fallen in love with the city. She knew more French than me (actually anybody would) and gave me a guided tour around the city! And then I didn’t even have to ask random people to take my pictures in the city! Oh I am kidding; she really was wonderful and made the other half of the trip worthwhile!

So we toured around Louvre, saw the Mona Lisa, of which I annoyingly didn’t get a single unshaken picture. It was so crowded. hmph. anyway we saw all four floors and got so exhausted by the end of it that we had the same urge to get out of it as we did standing in that queue to get into the musee (French for Museum). You must see the pictures, ill put the link at the end of the post i.e. if you survive till the end of the blog entry!
Actually there isn’t much left, I spent around 5 hours at the musee, and tried to see everything, although Iam so sure vie missed lots of corridors. What fascinated me the most was the way Napoleon lived! His apartments are unbelievable. I am sure he ate with a gold spoon, I mean silver would be tacky. Another really gorgeous look about the Lovre is the glass pyramids. They look so coherent together, the modern pyramids and the traditional Louvre building. The Pyramids also have that metallic Eiffel tower feel to it and looks very elegant. I also saw the upside down pyramid which literally glows because of all the light that comes through. And I also saw Dan Brown's Holy Grail! ha ha There is definitely something magical about that area though, doesn’t feel real.

Anyway after Louvre, it was a relief to get out and breathe some fresh air and drink Kira (Jam and wine apparently) at a cafe on a pebbled street. I was just getting excited sitting there and Julia just thought I was a freak.

Then we took a walking tour, as Julia didn’t believe in using any kind of transport. We saw Pompidou, a structure in which every element of utility was outside the building. Along with the staircase, elevator, phones, was also the ventilation and drain pipes. We also saw the City Hall, A flower market, the Opera house, Palais Royal, French balconies, a Chocolat shop, the Luxembourg park, the Parliament and phew, all walking! My feet were moaning! But it was all worth it! I think I saw much more of Paris walking and Julia was a great guide, she knew everything.

Finally came back to the hostel, picked up my luggage went back to Gare du Nord (this time quicker) caught the Eurostar. I was expecting to sleep through the journey but I was way too excited about how my holiday turned out to be so awesome and to be honest I still am excited! I am so glad I went to Paris and I would LOVE to go 5 more times!

Audiences

2009-04-01T20:47:00.006+01:00

Wow, i am writing almost after a year, but its just because life has been running so fast never got the time to log in and type.
Anyway i just want to write in some of the basic things I ve noticed about people who watch dance. Since my initial training has been in India my aesthetics of choreography were tuned to Indian audiences. That would make my piece include things like making it obvious, having a strong narrative, maybe even emotional, trying to put in whatever you've got to show off the best choreography you can do. But why? In Indian dance, Ive never seen too many experimental pieces, all pieces seem to have a hit formula. Like most of our Hindi films. Maybe films just corrupt the audiences mind so much about arts and aesthetics that everyone who is watching your piece is 'trying to understand it'; making sense of a story; or even thinking why didn't she/he use splits or leg raises to make her piece look even better not thinking maybe the piece didn't require it? maybe the piece isnt about that. Maybe its time you open your mind to other possibilities or abstract explorations of a theme or topic.
Well, iam not sure if classical dancers in India are truly opening their minds to contemporary choreography. I don't blame them. From day 1 mythological stories are explained. As you start learning abhinaya you learn how to enact them, and told how everything you do happens for a reason and then when you feel its now time to contemporise it all you do is bring contemporary issues like Aids, drugs, gender, feminine issues and work a story around it so it make sense and take it to the audiences, who if are the Indian audiences would love it. But is this really contemporary?

One of my very respectable teachers in school argues that classical dance in India hasn't changed since after Rukmini Devi Arundale's time. I agree and disagree. I disagree because i have seen some really fantastic work, with very important issues tackled, great choreography with good use of space and maybe even different costumes. But has the dance evolved? The dance remains the same, with the same concept of having a narrative at all, be dressed like temple goddesses, having the same sort of abhinaya-pure dance-abhinaya-pure dance exchange structure, having a range of emotions, having surprising quick intricate footwork to get a 'wow' from the audiences.
And i am annoyed, because when you are trying to bring new things to it people still ask ' so what are you trying to say in this piece?';'Iam still trying to understand it',and by people i mean Indian audiences. Damn this is not Ramleela you know. Try and open your mind and notice the details and not look for the main story. The details should be strong enough to tell you a lot about the piece, and that's what the audiences here do. Plus the art scene is developed here and audiences have watched a lot already to appreciate things that are different that a normal narrative piece would probably considered tacky!

You would probably be thinking by now that okay, she is a classical dancer from India and just because shes in London now shes acting all snobbish or something but trust me its like someones thrown a hot water balloon over your head and all the iced barriers in your brain have melted! ok no idea if that made sense to you but I'm not trying to say that i have become a supernova in aesthetics and know what is a great piece, maybe this post has come as a reaction to what some people have said to me earlier, but i really think if you need to develop something, you have got to get into the details, have an open mind and accept different things rather than sit there and say i cant understand it!
Sometimes i feel it is so pointless spending hours and hours explaining people what contemporary is, i mean if i have to explain everything i do and make sure that the audiences understand it then how is it contemporary? It then becomes the usual obvious and narrative piece.
I think a part of keeping a piece contemporary is to leave it open ended for the audiences. After all there should be some audience participation isn't it?

A little bit of History..

2008-06-03T22:00:00.007+01:00

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It is one of the oldest Indian dance forms, has a tradition of more then 2000 years. It is said to be performed in temples by Devadasis (women dedicated to serve the lord) in ancient times. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharatanatyam dance postures.

Bharatanatyam is also thought to have been created by the Bharata Muni, a Hindu sage, who wrote the Natya Shastra, the most important ancient treatise on classical India, which describes everything from Classical Dance, Music, stage craft, literature and fine arts of India.

The two hundred year colonial rule in India brought massive changes to the society and the Arts and everything else Indian. In the westerners' eyes, the Devadasi tradition was considered little better than prostitution, and thus treated; it was inevitable that it fell into disrepute. The medieval Rajas (Rulers of kingdoms) gave less Patronage to the art form and used the dance as entertainment. The classical science of dance was ignored. At that time a dancer was considered a woman of ill repute.
By the 1930s however, the rising national consciousness that had awakened across India led to reformation not only in the social, but also in the cultural spheres. Rukmini Devi Arundale of Kalakshetra and E. Krishna Iyer are one of the few who purified and raised the social status of the dance form. It is now respected and performed on stage by both men and women.

Bharatanatyam is traditionally performed on Carnatic music (South Indian Classical) and both together are deeply grounded in Bhakti tradition (devotion).

Bharatanatyam dancers now have now taken this dance form to new heights with their creativity and included it in contemporary and modern Indian choreography.

Bibliography:
wikipedia.org
geetachandran.tripod.com

My tryst with Bharatanatyam

2008-06-03T19:45:00.007+01:00

The dance form dearest to me is Bharatanatyam, which i began learning at the age of 6 with my first guru Padmashri Geeta Chandran in Delhi, after 1o years of training i performed my Arangetram in 2001, which is a full margam's (repertoire) debut performance in the field of Bharatanatyam. Really, what an experience that was! After that day, there wasnt any looking back. I started performing with Natya Vriksha dance company i.e. Geeta akka's company. I loved performing so much that i began to stop caring about my final examinations! I cant forget the date, 11 May was my Income Tax Delhi university Board exam and i performed on the night of 10 May. Another wonderfully crazy stunt ive performed is to have three shows in one day! Gosh i loved my college life! (2003-2006) and LSR gives you plenty of opportunity if you are involved in a creative field..
Right so about Bharatanatyam (BN), Geeta akka gave us ample opportunities aswell, i performed a solo for an ICCR event and travelled across the country! In 2006 when i came to London i had the pleasure to work with a different guru, Stella Subbaiah, who taught me a different understanding of BN. My school also provided me with some lovely guest teachers in BN like Mavin Khoo, Geeta Sridhar and Krishnamurty sir. With Krishnamurti sir i learnt rhythms, he is so technically brilliant! He helped me compose and work with rhythms id never imagined!

How can a dance form be so rich? It has everything u need - expression, pure dance, abstract qualities, melody in music, unbelievable rhythms, devotion, theatre, discipline, mythology, beauty & aesthetics and a tradition of over 2000 years.

Dance surrounds my life

2008-06-02T21:59:00.005+01:00

It felt wierd as a commerce graduate to eat, sleep, drink, work, holiday, educate in dance at first, and now i feel im so use to it that i cant imagining living without eating, sleeping, drinking, working, holiday-ing, educating in dance!
Three dance forms literally surround my life these days. It feels like as if i gave everything up to put myself in this position! ha Im not upset, im ridiculously thrilled to the extent i decided to create this blog! Anyway coming back to the dances that rule my training, performing and teaching abilities are Contemporary dance, Bharatanatyam and Bollywood! yes bollywood, something i had never imagined myself to do being a true classical dancer. But it didnt take time for my mind to open up and i'am happy about it. What is the point of closing yourself to one style of dancing? I dont know if this is the right example but for me, it reminds me of the famous economic theory of 'Diminishing Marginal Utility'. Believe it or not but i actually remember the example printed in my 1st year Eco text book! The example of the glass of water. The first time you drink its awesome specially if your thirsty, second time is good too, but when you drink it over and over again the utility of water diminishes. Iam not saying that i would never have water again! Water is life! it is so required on a hot summer day! It also forms seventy percent of the human body. Similarly like water, Bharatanatyam forms me. It is already inside me and i cant change that.. However i wouldn't mind drinking the glass of water with a lil bit of lemon and sugar. It would probably hydrate me a bit more.