Shall We Dance ?

It all started with my selection in the school dance team for the annual day celebration. That was my first (and last) performance as a classical dancer on the stage; I was in seventh grade then. Well…well…good old days…beautiful memories! Those applauds, which I heard that night from the audience, still reverberates in my ears.  Pardon me if I get drowned in those nostalgic moments on and off. So, after that performance I was strictly instructed by my parents, not to participate any more in such stupid and frivolous activities. I was a science student and such kinds of hobbies were supposedly not meant for me. You want to know why? Just because I was supposed to be buried in my 10 / 10 cubical under those fat books of anatomy and biology as my parents wanted me to be a doctor. Sounds weird? Hmm! That was the time when parents used to take all the small and major decisions for the child, even to the extent of deciding the number of times, a child should breathe in a day. Ok! I know that was a bit of exaggeration but, trust me, at the age of 12, it seemed like that. 

Well, it didn’t mean that I stopped dancing altogether. I realize now that under the cloak of a meek, polite, obedient and a submissive girl, lay hidden, a fiercely independent, adamant, vivacious and a determined young teenager. I knew for sure that I would never get a chance to join a dance school or give a public performance ever in my life again, so I brought the stage home. That was called ‘making things happen’ from a 12 year old girl’s perspective. From then on, my daily half hour dancing sessions started at home, behind the closed doors of my study room. Not that anyone else knew in the house as, if they had known, I would have been grounded. Music and dance became an integral part of life; it, in some ways, gave vent to the rebel in me. I got so much addicted to music that I almost started sleeping, eating, drinking and living with it. The only time I had to live without it, was during my school hours and the first thing I did after rushing back from school……..You know it by now.  :) :)

Tango is one dance which does something to me whenever I watch it on TV or see the couples dancing elegantly on the dance floor in any of those night parties. The alacrity and poise involved in the Tango dancing steps is simply exquisite. At least I haven’t felt this way about any other dance; to some extent Salsa has been another favorite.  It’s not hard to imagine how a dance originating from Argentina could become so popular across the globe. It deserves that kind of popularity and acclaim. Besides, a touch of European grace to the original dance steps has made it even more acceptable and lovable in different parts of the world. Credit goes even to the film directors who keep adding some flavor of Tango every now and then so that we can savor their movies. I’ve uploaded here my choicest video which should explain why Tango has a huge fan following. I guess it turns in to a miracle when it’s Jalo doing the honors. !!!!

So what role does dance play in my life? It simply rejuvenates me. I feel alive when my body gyrates with the music. (I’ve to make sure that no one is looking, though. Lol). I just do it for my own self and I don’t care if I don’t know the steps. I don’t care if I didn’t take the formal training. For me, ‘Dance’ is a way of life. Dance is a state of mind. Generally speaking, when people feel happy, they dance. As for me, when I dance, I stay happy. :)  So that’s what I love to do when I’m alone. Besides writing, dancing to my choicest music is what I enjoy doing in my leisure time. Can there be any better exercise for the mind and body, than dancing away all your worries, stresses and fears? Dance is to me what soul is to body. It infuses life in me. I could never imagine myself in a state of health which prevents me from ‘doing the dance’.