Dancing

Yes, dear Readers—Dancing-What earthly purpose does it serve? What are the origins of “dance”? Is it inspired by the Divine, or is it just another sexual perversion?

In almost all cultures across the world, dance is an integral aspect of life. Very often, dance is closely associated with music and when a synthesis is achieved, it is almost impossible to imagine one without the other. “Dancer” and “dance” take on different forms and yet they seem to be the two sides of the same coin. It is probable that “dance” became ritualistic, even as other similar—yet different—forms sprang up, established themselves and set a code—or database—so that those who followed would have some ground rules for guidance, as well as for inspiration.

Ancient India certainly glorified “dance”, as can be noted in the poses and postures that adorn most of our world-renowned temples. We can observe different “dance” forms depicted in the carvings and sculptures to be found in our holy places all over the country and the exquisite artistry of those ancient artisans almost gives life and aura to those fabled forms etched for posterity. Unfortunately, in modern times, it has become fashionable to see our own “writings on the walls” and these defilements, disfigurements and despoilments go on unheeded because the descent of man has brought us to the verge of vain, vulgar vandalism.

So, because of pettiness, man has managed to fuse the divine and the debased. But that does not justify his clubbing of all dance forms as obscene or lewd or even offensive. The grace and elegance of traditional Indian dance forms needs to be experienced first-hand and holistically, but there may still be people who prefer the rough-and-tumble of robust, modern gyrations and twists and pirouettes.

Western classical dance includes ballet and many other age-old forms associated with different cultures and clans. I took a course in piano, before I reached the age of understanding, but the music of my generation was moving ever closer to identifiable beats and rhythms, to haunting as well as crash-bang lyrics and to the urgent, never-say-die sound of an electric guitar. My staple was, is and always will be “Rock and Roll” and as a die-hard fan of the genre, I can and never will get enough of it.

Naturally, I suppose, my inclination was not old-school, ballroom dancing, nor was it the “dirty dancing” that shows up regularly on our TV screens. It was the tried and trusted “fox-trot” for me and everything else was just a variation of the same, be it waltz, or tango, or what-you-will. I learnt early, that if the girl in your arms was as eager to twirl around the floor (without, of course, stepping on her shoes) as you were, you could end up dancing on top of the world—hers and yours.

I had the great good-fortune to be born into an Anglo-Indian family. I was also fortunate to be born in the early 1950s, when the community continued to live a cozy, cocooned life, very rarely experimenting with “out-of-the-box” solutions to everyday events. From about my 16th year, till around my 25th, the calendar was marked by dance after dance after dance, all the year through. Sufficient for the year were the dances thereof.

Those were the days, my friends; I hoped they’d never end, but life has a way of catching up with one. Yet the memories linger on; and memories are made of this—those still, small acts of kindness and of love.

Whoever said “life is not worth living”?