“Good Evening! And thank you for coming to our daughter's debut
dance recital this lovely summer evening!”   Thus welcome the parents of the debutante dancer, from a stage beautifully decorated to resemble the halls of an ancient Indian temple. Their daughter is about to give her debut dance performance to an audience comprising of friends and family, class-mates and co-workers, acquaintances and strangers that have come from far and wide.  Their daughter has been a student of an ancient, highly disciplined, traditional Indian dance form for a mere 10 years or so…

A few hours prior to the welcome address, as the debutante is getting ready for the performance, her mind wanders to the very first time she saw an Indian dancer in all her glory.   The debutante must have been 3 years old.  She remembers being mesmerized by the vivid colors and the gold embroidery of the exquisite silk costume. The jewelry so heavy and ornate that she was surprised the dancer did not collapse from its weight.   The tiny bells tied to the dancer’s feet produced a wonderful jingle as she moved.  The painted face and the beautiful smile… She now looks at herself in the mirror and is astonished to find herself as splendid as the dancer she had seen as a child.

The debutante is now decked and ready to take the stage…  As she walks behind her teacher to a temporary shrine setup on stage (for a customary prayer before the recital), she is reminded of another walk she took as a five year old.     It was to her very first dance lesson.  As she approached the studio holding her mother’s hand she hears her teacher sing the beats to the basic footwork, thai ya…thai ye, thai ya… thai ye…  Little did she know then that this basic rhythm will become the foundation for many more complicated footwork to come.

Her prayer over, she is waiting in the wings for the accompanying orchestra to begin.  She has the same excitement and nervousness she felt 10 years ago, but somehow it seems multi-fold now.  With her stomach in knots she starts her dance recital with an invocation dance in praise of the gods.   Like with any Indian tradition, she seeks the blessings of the gods and the cosmic forces that guide the universe and the dance performance.

She progresses to the next dance of the evening, chosen to get the audience energized and excited. This dance with fast beats is one of pure joy. The debutante stamps and jumps, sways and twirls to the beats of her teacher’s cymbals and the rhythms of the percussionist.  As she finishes this dance exhilarated and completely out of breath, she remembers the many water breaks she needed when she learnt this piece 5 years ago.

She takes a short break to catch her breath and to change into another beautiful costume.  The debutante is back on stage to perform the most challenging piece of the evening.  This dance requires absolute mastery of all aspects of the art form, for she is not just going to be dancing but telling a story as well.  While her body flows with the tune, her hands explain the meaning, her eyes speak the emotion and her feet stamp the beats.   The audience is transported to another world, another time. As she completes this dance with near perfection her mind flashes back to the many times she was reprimanded for not getting the expressions right or missing the poetry in the song.  She is thrilled at how well she presented this piece.

Yet another short break, costume change and a few joyful dances later, she concludes the performance with a scintillating dance that shows off her graceful body movements through intricate footwork and sculpturesque poses.   Through a very short piece she thanks the gods, the cosmic forces, her teacher, the musicians and the audience in the most respectful and reverent way.   Her eyes fill with tears and her bosom swell with pride as she receives a standing ovation from the audience. It is then that she comes to the profound realization that she has played a small, but significant role in immortalizing this dance form for future generations to enjoy and explore.

|