Dancing to (he)art's content

 Dance is a unique art. True, I am no good at it. I can dance only to the Marathi children's song "nach re, mora" which was taught to us during the school days or  tops, i might emote "ya kundendu..." dedicated to Devi Saraswati or the Ganesh Stuti "vakra tunda", though not very effectively or efficiently. Ah, yes, like everybody else, i, too, would be able to manage the "ganapati mandal" special 'kite flying/cutting' step! 

Just because I dance with a lame foot, it does not mean that I do not appreciate the art form. For one thing, I am rather well-acquainted with the "Natyashastra" which I have studied formally. I do hence understand the intricacies of the entire "Ras" theory, and how dance conveys it.

I do appreciate this art which is a combo of the kinetic, aural/oral and spatial, along woth others, intelligences. It is a unique mix of the literary, musical, and gestural (both bodily and facial) art forms. 

It is hence that on the international dance day (sure, a day later), this tribute to this unique art form! Its western ballet form, a treat to eyes and ears, is responsible for instituting the international dance day! Yes, in 1982, the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on April 29, the birthday anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810) the creator of modern ballet.

May be, because I respect the art a lot (my newspaper reviews on various dance forms, including the folk 'yaksha gana' or an interview with the Kathak maestro, Sitara Devi or write-up's on the Bharat Natyam expert, Shobhana, were appreciated by the danseuses themselves!), i do have doubts about the cheapening and dumbing down of this art form.

This process includes a Gautami Patil or lavani guru's of her ilk or very young girls gyrating to the vulgarest songs on different channels or the millions of season specific dance classes such as garba special or the marriage sangeet special types run by thousands of dancers!

 Hardly, however, are there any attempts to modernize the traditional modes to reflect contemporary issues or to use dance as therapy, for instance. Is it indeed dancing to (he)art's content? That is the question! 

Pratima@ Pune never ceases to surprise me. On this auspicious day of Nrisimha Jayanti, I got to know lovely details about the beautiful, centuries old Narsimha temple in the heart of Sadashiv Peth. I have promised myself that, at the earliest, I shall try n visit this holy and artistic space! 

Quote of the day:                                                           "Dancing is like dreaming with your feet," says Constanze.

Word of the day: gyrate                                              Gyrate means to move or turn quickly in a circle or spiral around a fixed point, often referring to dancing through such body movements/motions as spinning, twisting, or circling.