The dance of life

"Why do you dance?", they ask me.
Why indeed? I don't really have an answer to that question. Or maybe, I don't have any ONE answer.

Try this.

Dance is therapeutic (HEY!!! don't you dare suggest i need therapy). It stimulates both the cerebral hemispheres, provides a workout for the neck, arms, legs, waist and even the eye muscles. For children with cerebral palsy, it's physiotherapy. Language for the hearing impaired, de-stressing play for the autistic, mathematics for the dyslexic. And oh... joy for me.

According to the NATYASHASTRA, an ancient scripture, dance, apart from being a good exercise to increase the strength and flexibility of the body, boosts memory and will power, enhances concentration, teaches music, history and spirituality. It also makes the dancer smarter, sharper, and is excellent for teaching basic math.

The Natyashastra tells an interesting story about the origin of dance. At the beginning of the Dwapara yuga (the era of Krishna and his cohorts), the Gods and their sub-Gods were really bugged. They'd had enough... They were sick of humans, in whom the four vices- kama (lust), krodha (hatred), lobha (greed), eershe (selfishness)-were becoming more and more pronounced. They decided they needed entertainment, to take their minds off the vile creatures, the scum of the Earth.

So they went to Brahma. Yes, the Brahma of too many heads. They pleaded with him to create a fifth veda, one which would both refresh and entertain them. Brahma listened, nodding all four heads. Then, he screwed up his face.. sorry, faces in concentration, and he extracted one element out of each of the pre existing four vedas- text from rigveda, rhythm from yajurveda, music from samaveda and emotion from atharvana veda- and voila! Natya, the Panchamaveda, was created.

This veda, Natyaveda, they called it, was given to Bharatha. He learned dance, practised a lot, mastered it, and even trained his 100 sons (pretty virile guy, eh?). Shiva taught Thandu Thandava, the dance of force and fury. Parvathi taught Ushe laasya (grace). This Ushe married Krishna's grandson, and they settled on Earth. Once thay all got here ('they' includes Bharatha, his 100 sons, Ushe and her husband, and Thandu), they scattered themselves all over the globe, and began spreading the knowledge they had.

Every geographical entity gave their dace form a different name. Fair enough, considering the dance forms themselves varied from each other, owing to the way they developed. Yes, I'm saying Merengue and Mohiniattam, Ballet and Bharathanatyam, Salsa and Sathriya were all once the same.

Well, Bharatha patented the forms of dance that sprouted up in India. Actually, he says he didn't. 'Bharathanatyam' does NOT mean Bharatha's dance. It doesn't even mean Indian dance, for that matter. "Bharatha" is an acronym. Bha- Bhava, Ra- Raaga, Tha- Thaala. Once upon a time, ALL the classical dances of India were Bharathanatyam (all of them... Bharathanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Kathak, Odissi and Mohiniattam, and the not-so-classical Chou, Bihu, Sathriya, Koravanji, Yakshagana, Bhagavatha mela, Ummatthaat, and many, many more). But with time, each region developed it's own distinct style, and today, we have a rich cultural variance that is hard to find elsewhere.

In 2 B. C., our Bharatha wrote his book, the Natyashastra. He wrote about the birth of dance, the purpose of dance, how one should dance, for whom one should dance, what a dancer should wear... A rather comprehensive manual, you may say. He even laid down rules regarding who should dance and who shouldn't. He said a good dancer hould be young, strong, quick, eloquent, intelligent, dedicated and must be a good singer, or at least have some sense of music.

More interesting is his description of one who should NOT dance. Here's a rough translation of the sanskrit shloka...
" A person who has green eyes, scanty hair, sagging breasts, thick lips, is too tall or too short, is too fat or too thin, is a hunchback or a bad singer should refrain from dancing".

The earliest dancers were the devadasis. Dance and music were offered to temple deities along with aarthi and flowers, as a form of prayer. When the Turks invaded India, most temples were vandalized and the devadasis were forced to seek refuge in the courts of Maharajas, Sultans and nawabs. They became Rajadasis. With the advent of the British rule, Indian dance suffered a major blow. No temples, no courts either. So the Rajadasis sank even lower. They became 'naach' girls... bar dancers of yesteryears.

Indian dance lay dormant for several years. Then, a small group of dancers, revolutionaries, started performing. They danced out their emotions, they danced to the beat of patriotism. Their dances screamed out against oppression. They carried out their propoganda against the British in the dead of the night, all through dance. They danced out their yearning for a independent nation, thereby becoming an integral part of the Freedom Movement.

After the struggle, dance rose again. The times when the idea of Brahmin girls dancing was considered scandalous were gone. Today, dance has become a hobby for many, a commitment for me. I'm proud to be a part of this country, and this culture. And I find dance to be a way to express my pride and faith.

Besides, dancing is a joy in itself. When you feel the music well up inside you, it spills over. That is dance. When you feel the first drops of rain on your face and embrace the monsoon with outstretched arms... that's dance. When a young child with hearing impairment pirouettes to express his delight, that's dance. Next time you're listening to some rocking music, and your feet begin to twitch, don't let it stop there. Feel the rhythm, let go, and have a good time. Live that glorious moment of abandon. Because dance... is life.

Why do I dance? I dance because I'm alive.

And I'm alive because I dance.