Dance is a small word but holds great significance in so many ways. People perceive dance in different ways, Some think about it as a way of showing happiness or an escape from their life and on the other hand, there are people who believe it is a waste of time and energy.
Personally, Dance for me is what makes me feel alive and it gives me a sense of peace where I feel everything that I am doing and I feel fulfilled. I think everyone should try dancing to feel this calm where there’s nothing except you, your soul and the music, you would realize you can’t think of any problems currently going on in your life. In these past months, I have tried meditation but still, don’t feel the peace of mind when I do an Improvisation class. It’s simply magical, a feeling that can’t be proved with words. It feels like you are moving in sync with the world. Every step feels pure because movement never lies. For some time, you just feel like you are moving nonchalantly and you have let go of yourself into the sound of the music. I never gave thought to how I became a dancer but Martha Graham once told her student who asked her if she was a dancer to whom she simply replied with “If you have to ask, then the answer is no”. She believed that she was chosen to be a dancer and so do I. I have been dancing since I was 5 years old, at this point, it feels like a part of me. Funnily, I still remember my mom shouting at me because of the bruises I got while dancing at random places. Without Dancing, my life would feel Incomplete because I grew up with it. Gradually, I learned that it takes a lot of dedication and practice to become a dancer. As a dancer, you would fall every time before perfecting one movement and trusting your body.
I have learned a lot of things while being a dancer like honesty. you need to learn how to be honest with your movements and yourself so you can be one with the movement so your steps look effortless and smooth and in life, I prefer to be honest than overthinking about what I should have said or done.
When I started dancing, I never thought that it would be an integral part of my life and help me shape my personality. In every performance of the dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which we are rewarded with achievements, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. It’s that satisfaction that inspires me to dance more.
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players
William Shakespeare
Have you ever thought why is the World compared to a stage and not a school or a journey??
Well because it’s the STAGE that gives you freedom to be different from others.. its the STAGE that helps you show your skills and imagination which can amuse others… its the STAGE that gives you the liberty to show your emotions and craft your own story..
Being a dancer makes me love the STAGE more because that is where I can share my story.. that is where I believe that people will hear me out, will understand me and will share my emotions.
For a long long time, dancers have been looked upon like entertainers. In India the origin of Classical dance form was to impress our Kings. But eventually people realized that there is a story behind each dance, its not just a means to muse someone but its also a way to understand the cause behind it. Now when we are in the 21st century, we have means to learn not just Indian classical forms but also international dance forms.. Dance connects each one of us to a cause which defines our movements and intent..
While Covid shook the entire World, there was one common platform that brought everybody together, and that was Dance.. Amidst the pandemic if there was a ray of hope for happiness and connectivity, it was the online dance classes where we could learn new choreography, meet new people, interact with various age groups and be secure at home..
DANCE is not just a talent, its like a therapy to those who feel disconnected to their surroundings, its like a lover that spreads joy to our soul, its like a friend which can handle all our emotions, its like a magic which connects us to our universe with a language of our own..
We don’t have to go to a studio or learn dance professionally to understand the roots.. we just need to play along with our imagination to define an intent…
Gazing at the traffic signal, I realized how dance is connected to simple things from our daily lives…
Red asks me to stop, and admire the movement of others.
Yellow asks me to be prepared by warming up and finally
Green means to just go with the flow
That’s how relatable dance is in real life. It’s like being adaptable just like the breeze flowing from your face to your hair when you are traveling in a car, it’s like being as light as a dew drop which follows gravity, yet being subtle and smooth. It’s like the fire which extends our emotions to the audience.
In a world full of dancers, there will never be pain, no discrimination, no hatred, no tears but just positive energy passing from one soul to other..
So why not let yourself out without having the fear of being misunderstood, without having the fear of being told what to do, without having to just follow, But to lead. Trust your body and the music within to explore what we all know as DANCING..
A fire within us thriving to release
A hope deep inside trying to revive
An happiness to spread, A grief to share
A world of imagination to transpire
Tiny steps a baby takes
Fierce movement of water that breaks
Gallops of a winning horse
Breeze that can tear you apart
A story that explains it all
Takes your soul to an imaginary world
connects you to a cause that’s real
Please spare some time and heart to hear
For a long time I was chained
I tried t youo break it with power and fame
but then I realized that I can be free
only if you want me to be
I'm that child deep within
who danced to a tune unknown
expressed it with movements of its own
was happy to be in a dream zone
Release it now and lets be free
I'm standing with you as your tree
I can give you wings to fly with me
Lets DANCE TO A MELODY..
Lets DANCE TO A MELODY..
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author
Moving rhythmically to music is what everyone calls dancing. But believe it, you won’t even need music if you dance to the rhythm of your body. As Martha Graham truly said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul”, and that’s so true. You often hear people saying that they are a ‘non-dancer’, they can’t dance. It’s just a stereotype and only because someone can’t move in a certain way or on particular music, doesn’t make anyone a non-dancer. However, everybody can dance. “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful… This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking” – Agnes De Mille
I was a child when I started dancing and performing. I was never a trained dancer, actually it never really bothered me. For me, dancing was expressing and pouring my heart out and it still is. As I grew up I tried learning many dance forms and dance became my passion. My inner self got immersed in the beauty of movements and the ultimate rhythm of my body. I started worshiping dance. I never had any ideal though. Achieved many milestones as I grew up. However, as they say, things never last long. Back then dancing as a career wasn’t approved by “Society” and hence couldn’t pursue dance as a career. I left dancing. Later after years, I realized how much I miss dancing, how much I miss being myself, how much I miss the Rhythm and I decided to pick up from where I left. I took admission in India’s best dance company. Thanks to my dance school and the instructors, I fell in love with myself and my dance all over again. I promised myself to never leave dancing again.
However, the journey ahead wasn’t easy. I often get this a lot “Are you able to dance and learn at this age?”, “Are you sure you want to try difficult things now?”, “Ballet? Now?”. I know with age catching things up becomes difficult and takes a lot of time, but it’s not impossible. There is no right or wrong age for dancing. Dance is an emotion. Isn’t it?
There are dancers who dance to express or for fun and there are dancers who get trained and pursue dancing as a career, may that be performing or teaching. It’s a human tendency towards dancers that they are a non-essential part of the society and dance is mere entertainment and nothing more. Dancers go through a lot of struggle and spend many hours, days, years to get trained to be a professional. Dancers are not just performing artists; their bodies are also the instruments through which the art is created. The quality of this art, therefore, necessarily depends on the physical qualities and skills that dancers possess. The stronger and more flexible a dancer’s body, the more capable it is of a wide range of movement. Nearly all professional dancers start training at a young age in order to shape and develop their bodies correctly.
Let’s have a look at some amazing benefits of dancing.
Dancing allows people to express how they feel at a given moment, helps in expressing themselves. People come together through dance. It provides entertainment for people of all ages, races, and backgrounds, it develops a sense of community and team spirit. Dancing helps bodies and minds relax as the music and surroundings take people away from their anxiety and frustration for a while, it’s a source of relaxation. Also, dance builds confidence, self-esteem, and discipline.
Not just emotionally, dance helps keep oneself fit and healthy. Dancing is a great form of aerobic exercise since it works many muscles in the body. Muscles become stretched, conditioned, and toned while the heart rate increases, pumping blood at a faster rate. Many people dream to have a dancer’s body. Dancing helps improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety. Within the scientific community, a growing number of researchers have proven that, while dancing, an abundance of mood-improving chemicals are released within the body of the dancer. According to research carried out by The Arts in Psychotherapy, when unleashed, these chemicals help improve one’s mental state; even one “lively” session of dance can reduce depression.
After having a major setback in life, dance was my rescue. The dance was my peace. The dance was the only thing I loved. Every time I grooved, dance took me to some another world. As hypothetical it may sound, but dance proved the greatest therapy and made me feel alive. Dark times seemed brighter day by day and I could witness a lot of positive changes mentally and physically over the period of time.
As Merce Cunningham said, “You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.”
Lastly, Ashley Lobo once said, “Dance is true sharing, a listening with an open soul, A giving of your being whole, honest, fearless, real & you”. Dancers carry this through their entire life.
For there’s no greater peace,
Puts everything at ease,
When you laugh or cry,
Shall never shy,
Excuse from drama,
Peace from trauma,
Dance brings sunshine,
You age like wine.
-Nikita Zanvar
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
Often, we are to make choices without being skeptical & away from second thoughts. Choices that are our own, with complete confidence, surety & trust. But, there is this iota of doubt which stays and you feel helpless at times. The liberty to thrive in that/with that skepticism is an arduous and at times a toilful job.
Art, in its own virtue, allows to explore that iota of doubt to nurture creativity. The fact that it gives so much space to imbibe never lets boredom take over, heals the void in its own gradual manner. An opportunity indeed, to dive in the unknown.
The path often unfurls on its own but to hold on to is a matter of time!
What’s yesterday IS a story to tell
What’s today WILL be a story to tell
What’s NEXT is a wish for a fairy tale!
What comes with, are parcels;
Full of unknown instances
What’s left behind, is a bundle;
Full of known reactions
VICIOUS Cycle of Time !
What’s happiness! might be a definition for yesterday
What’s grief! Might be a part of today
What’s mood! A stimulus to a situation
What’s stress! A stimulus out of a situation
All these! Words emerged over Eras; But
What’s worth it! Is a matter of TIME!!!!!
Until a day…where there’ll be no tomorrow
Until a life…where the identity is swapped
Until a moment…where everything seems superficial
Until a TIME…where everyone seems flawed yet perfect!
Cause TIME….TIME flies…
Seize the “NOW”…Cause what stays is NOW or possibly NEVER!!
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
How often has it been that you feel- everything is ok, yet something is missing? You are fine; health and work is good; but there is just some emptiness, somewhere a piece of you is missing. And how often is it that we try and fill that void by indulging; indulging in social media, superficial relationships, debauchery and sometimes merely Netflix? It may make us feel good at that moment, but not for long. The void takes over, again and again, and we wonder- when will I find that lasting peace, that happiness, that content and calm, that stays?
When I was little, they said study well, get a good job and you will be happy. I got older and they added – A healthy body leads to a happy life. Then, they spoke about a balanced mind and positive thinking. And it is all definitely good advice. But it is not enough. We have missed a point all along.
A human being is made up of four elements – The physical body, the intellect, the mind (emotions) and the soul. For a happy and a healthy life one must nurture and take care of all of these elements. A normal, busy life in the 21st century has surely emphasised the importance of a healthy body, human intelligence and balanced emotions. However, what we have neglected is the nurturing of ones’ soul. The soul, residing in the heart, believed to be the size of one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, is the source of consciousness in the human being. It is that element, which fills up the void in our hearts and makes us one with the Universe and the Creator.
So how do we take care of our soul, they asked? Well, to each their own. Some meditate, some go in isolation/silence, some find it in religious practices, some find the connection with their soul in service to the needy, while some in music, dance and arts. What is most important, in whatever path we choose, is to transcend beyond the realms of one’s mind, body and intellect and let it reach that tiny soul of ours. The more we enrich our soul, the more longevity we find in our happiness, the more we feel that lasting peace.
I dance. With each passing day, it has brought me more joy than before. Dance is not just my fitness activity, or creative ground, or an expression of my emotions any more. Dance has made my soul larger, and me more fulfilled. Dance alone takes care of all the four elements for me.
With all other things, do something for your soul too. Find that thing that you connect with. But whatever you do, let it reach you till that tiny space in your heart, 1/10000th part of the tip of your hair.
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
“People often say that the best way to become one with the universe is to meditate. Little do we know that the universe resides within our being. The source of light and life, all of it is attributed to the glory of the universe. Who says one has to be deep in meditation to feel one with the universe? Is that the only way to connect to the originator of them all?
Look back and ponder, how many times has it happened to you that you are deeply lost in some form of art that makes you happy, not caring about anything else going on around you? That state of being one with yourself and your art, where nothing else in the entire world exists for you, is the state of being in a trance. Stop a dancer and ask them what trance means to them, and you will inevitably find out that their movement is what makes them transcend to another realm altogether. What is that, if not the power of feeling a connection with the universe? There is no need for any form of an external source. Just you and your art are enough.
People often go by the textbook definition of spirituality which involves focus and meditation that connects the being with the superpower. However, what most people don’t know is that every person can have their version of spirituality. That the definition of it may be common but the experience of each one is completely different. Your movement in your personal art is the embodiment of your definition of spirituality. The utter release of any worldly entanglements and muddles simply to realise the real potential of your being and endless ways in which it connects you to a higher power, is enough.
Track your way back to the Hindu Mythology and it will prove to you how dance and art in general plays such a crucial role as a mode of meditation. No wonder why Shiva created an eloquent and passionate dance form of tandava and got recognised as the divine dancer Nataraja. Scholars have exhausted their energies in studying the details of the symbolism in Nataraja’s artworks and the dynamism of his movement with new elements emerging in each analysis. Such is the power of movement.
Therefore, the next time someone asks you to indulge in meditation; all you have to do is indulge in your personal artform with all your soul. Feel the energies come together for your unification with the universe. Feel the power of the universe dedicating itself to transcend you into a realm that can never be described, it can only be felt. Feel and move. Just feel and move.
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
“Dance; purposefully selected sequence of human movement.” Dance in its most raw form can be Movement and How we initiate, explore and experiment with it, It is no different than any other form of art. It is to express or oppose our views about a particular subject. However, how can we say what is real and what is not?
If we go back and focus on each cell in our human body we will notice that as a matter of fact, motor neurons carry messages from our brain to the rest of the body, giving us clarity for our actions and the way we move and thus dance is basically our motor neurons telling us how to move. You will be mesmerised by the way your brain can work, if at all you are a dancer. It works in a rhythmic sometimes perplexing and bizarre ways. The outcome can also be unanticipated at times. The movement of a dancer initially comes from the muscle memory it has built up after days, months or maybe years of training for it. Muscle memory plays a crucial role; it can be altered and can adapt to changes throughout the process of your training The movement and its authentication can be summed up into what the conscious and unconscious mind of an individual’s line of thought and muscle memory at a particular time holds. That ‘time’ can be the moment on stage, on the studio it is being practiced at, or even your own homes, while you are lying on the bed.
When you hear the word “Real,” the first thing that will instantly click in your mind would be originality. The word itself talks so much about genuineness and honesty, and it is exactly about these things. A dancer should be genuine and honest in their work, and when I say genuine and honest I do not mean that they can’t be inspired. Inspirations opens up endless possibilities and does not confine you within a loop. Something inspired by, to an extent can be real too. But we should acknowledge the fact that, to be rare, being real is important. Superficiality is susceptible to neglect, it might seem fascinating on surface, but the feeling of accomplishment may not ever be achieved. The question remains “then how do we achieve it? “
As rightly stated in the Johari Window, We; as individuals should understand the concept, that there are things that are known to us, things that are unknown to us, and things that we don’t know that are unknown to us. To make our ideas and our movements more authentic in nature and to comprehend them in their most raw form, we should jump into the unknown as much as we can, as there is a possibility of achieving the unknown which is unknown. This can only be done through constant learning. Learning is a virtue, either it is learning about yourself, about the outside, or even about the unknown. Moreover, Learning will add to your muscle memory, making you, an individual, distinctive from others. It will make you stand out in a crowd of thousands, giving you the rare thing you have been looking for!
Dance Inc. India does not endorse the opinions/views expressed in the blog. The thoughts expressed in the blog are solely of the author.
