Hello everyone,
So I haven't written a blog in a few days... sorry!
You know I go through each day thinking of a multitude of things I want to express here and I'm never sure when is the right moment. So I think I'll make this blog a mix of things today.
Let's start with dance progress, since dance is after all why I'm here. I've completed two items; Natesha Kavutwam and Shivapanchakshara Stotram. I started a third item on Tuesday, Shivastakam, and I've already learnt half of it. My aim is to finish the Shivastakam and learn one more item before I leave, if I manage another two items after Shivastakam I'll be over the moon. I've decided to put on a small, informal solo recital for family and friends when I get back home, to show everyone what I've learned. The idea of a solo performance, albeit a very informal one, is great motivation. I'm practising harder and enjoying practice more and more. My stamina has improved and of course so has my technique. I'm finding more and more that dance is what helps get away from homesickness, when I'm practising I can just put my all into it and only concentrate on the dance, which lets me forget everything else. I particularly like Shivastakam because, although it is a Hindu item, I can find a spiritual connection with it. The item, in short, describes the Hindu God Shiva, but many of those qualities described are ones that I also believe to be true of the almighty. India is teaching me a lot about dance, not just the technique, but also what dance means as a whole. It's a spiritual experience, it's love, it's devotion. Here, if you want to be a dancer then you have to give your whole self to the dance form. It's also interesting that here Bharatanatyam is the total norm, you're no longer the quirky one because you do Bharatanatyam, instead what you realise is that you have to find your own connection with it. Everyone here is a Bharatanatyam dancer, it's normal, so you are forced to find your own love and appreciation for it and make it your own.
A clip of my Bharatanatyam Guru in England, Ananya Chatterjee, performing Shivastakam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDzfnYyLq6I
Moving on to Uday Shankar Nrityotsav 2013... Uday Shankar is a legend in the Indian dance world. I'm quite ignorant myself though, I know he was one of the first dancers to take Indian dance to the West. He created choreographies fusing classical Indian dance and creative movement. My dear friend Wikipedia can tell you more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_shankar. The Uday Shankar Nrityotsav is a dance festival in memory of him and is held annually in Kolkata, inviting dancers from both India and abroad to perform. It's a week-long festival and I've been able to go to every day so far. I can now say I've seen all of India's eight classical dances performed live! I really love performances, not just because I love to watch dance, but also because they inspire me to work harder. They remind me how much I love performing and how much of a connection I have with my dance styles. Performances are humbling too, they remind me of how far I have to go but that if I put the work in I can get there. I also love to see all the audience members because a lot of them are from the dance world, and there are so many young guys around my age there. It makes me feel like I want to eventually become part of the dance world, which is a good feeling. Tomorrow the amazing Malabika Sen is performing Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam and Monday, the final day of the festival, Ilina is performing!
Here are a few photos from the last couple of days...
So I haven't written a blog in a few days... sorry!
You know I go through each day thinking of a multitude of things I want to express here and I'm never sure when is the right moment. So I think I'll make this blog a mix of things today.
Let's start with dance progress, since dance is after all why I'm here. I've completed two items; Natesha Kavutwam and Shivapanchakshara Stotram. I started a third item on Tuesday, Shivastakam, and I've already learnt half of it. My aim is to finish the Shivastakam and learn one more item before I leave, if I manage another two items after Shivastakam I'll be over the moon. I've decided to put on a small, informal solo recital for family and friends when I get back home, to show everyone what I've learned. The idea of a solo performance, albeit a very informal one, is great motivation. I'm practising harder and enjoying practice more and more. My stamina has improved and of course so has my technique. I'm finding more and more that dance is what helps get away from homesickness, when I'm practising I can just put my all into it and only concentrate on the dance, which lets me forget everything else. I particularly like Shivastakam because, although it is a Hindu item, I can find a spiritual connection with it. The item, in short, describes the Hindu God Shiva, but many of those qualities described are ones that I also believe to be true of the almighty. India is teaching me a lot about dance, not just the technique, but also what dance means as a whole. It's a spiritual experience, it's love, it's devotion. Here, if you want to be a dancer then you have to give your whole self to the dance form. It's also interesting that here Bharatanatyam is the total norm, you're no longer the quirky one because you do Bharatanatyam, instead what you realise is that you have to find your own connection with it. Everyone here is a Bharatanatyam dancer, it's normal, so you are forced to find your own love and appreciation for it and make it your own.
A clip of my Bharatanatyam Guru in England, Ananya Chatterjee, performing Shivastakam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDzfnYyLq6I
Moving on to Uday Shankar Nrityotsav 2013... Uday Shankar is a legend in the Indian dance world. I'm quite ignorant myself though, I know he was one of the first dancers to take Indian dance to the West. He created choreographies fusing classical Indian dance and creative movement. My dear friend Wikipedia can tell you more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_shankar. The Uday Shankar Nrityotsav is a dance festival in memory of him and is held annually in Kolkata, inviting dancers from both India and abroad to perform. It's a week-long festival and I've been able to go to every day so far. I can now say I've seen all of India's eight classical dances performed live! I really love performances, not just because I love to watch dance, but also because they inspire me to work harder. They remind me how much I love performing and how much of a connection I have with my dance styles. Performances are humbling too, they remind me of how far I have to go but that if I put the work in I can get there. I also love to see all the audience members because a lot of them are from the dance world, and there are so many young guys around my age there. It makes me feel like I want to eventually become part of the dance world, which is a good feeling. Tomorrow the amazing Malabika Sen is performing Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam and Monday, the final day of the festival, Ilina is performing!
Here are a few photos from the last couple of days...
Moumita Chatterjee from Kalamandalam Kolkata, a disciple of Aunty, performing a Bharatanatyam solo.
Jayita Ghosh from Kalamandalam Kolkata, a disciple of Aunty, performing a Bharatanatyam solo.
Lopamudra Roy Choudhury performing a Kathak solo
Mallika Kandali performing a Sattriya solo.
T. Roneld Meetei performing a Manipuri solo.
Now let's talk about India more generally. I am finally starting to have the experience I had hoped I would and I am now starting to get out of this trip what I wanted to. There will always be ups and downs because that is how the world works but the are enough ups to counteract the downs. I'm learning so much about myself through this journey. My Hindi is improving leaps and bounds and I can just about get what's going on in a Bangla conversation now. I'm also losing weight which is a really amazing thing for me. According to Aunty's scales (which I'm not convinced work) I've lots 5 kilos, which I think is around a stone. So that's not bad at all and I bought a new kurta (Asian top) today to wear to Ilina's performance on Monday and I can tell you now that it would not have fitted me a month ago :)
In case any of you were wondering, I do indeed intend to do a big reflection blog when I leave Kolkata.
That's all for now!
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