My Dancing Musing

Hello again! Like many times before, I am back after a long break! When I was struggling for a topic I could write about, one of my Instagram friends suggested that I write about something that is close to my heart. I liked the idea. (Thanks Surekha). So, here I am with my thoughts on “Dancing,” a natural part of me and something I haven’t talked about much on this blog.

“Amma, I want to learn that dance.” was apparently how my dancing journey started as a four-year-old watching another young dancer on stage. My 27-year journey with dance is a result of many gracious blessings like my guru who paved the path for me into the art, the opportunities that let me experience the beauty of dancing, the successes and failures that kept me grounded and the selfless support system (family). Just like any significant experience, dance has taught me many things in life, and there are few I would like to share.

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Be grateful and count your blessings

As a child, I remember enjoying the moments on the stage, the applause at the end (or sometimes in between) and the trophies that came home. That was a child’s way of being happy and thankful. But then adolescence came in my way, and I started to think, “If only I didn’t have to wake up early morning for classes. If only I didn’t have to practice till my legs and body ached.” Unknowingly I shunned away the perks of the sweet pain and took the art for granted and soon realized the void in my life. Fast forward to a different phase of life, I feel blessed and grateful to have dance as part of my life now, and in a way, I have never imagined it to be.

Balance

Dance has always brought in the balance in my life whether it is managing work, relationships, emotions or life in general. Thanks to my mom for making dance and school education equally essential and relevant to me as a child. I was never asked to choose one over the other, and I am now glad for that. It was tough then(maybe hated too), but now I understand how every tough phase has a happy ending. That balance played a vital role in nurturing my ability to prioritize, multi-task and make it a way of living.

Passion v.(with) Profession

Legal professional and a dance teacher is who I am today and I am truly liking it this way. Often people ask me if I want to pursue dance full time (like a profession). May be they meant if I would teach dance full time and I am always skeptical of taking that path for many reasons. I am worried if I could retain the same passion if I make it my only source of income. I may be wrong in thinking so as I have come across many passionate dancers who are able to do this. But my heart hasn’t gone that way yet (never say never). Secretly, I am not yet ready to give up a career I worked hard for and tend to lean towards managing dance along with my law career.

Learner forever

There is some magical beauty in the process of learning anything and I continue to do that as a teacher (probably even more diligently). A creative field has no end for learning. Everyday millions of creators are paving way for learning and experimenting with something new and this keeps me on my toes. Most importantly, teaching dance made me go back to my basics and be a student again to be a better teacher. A dance teacher once told me, “Aim to be a teacher who can not only train her students to be good performers, but also good teachers and that is the greatest responsibility towards our next generations”

Mind & Body Matters

Lastly, they say that mind controls the body but I say the control is mutual. I have have never been on the skinny side but this has never come in way of my dancing. The intricate movements of the dance form, the flexibility, the endurance and the overall magic a body can do with practicing dance instilled confidence in my mind and body. They just seem to complement each other.

“When you dance, your purpose is not a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.”

Wayne W. Dyer

Let me know if you connect with any of the above through any art form or hobby you pursue with passion. Until then. keep dancing! Happy International Dance Day!

-Signing off