On a Tuesday evening, I sat staring at the computer screen in front of me at SAP Labs (where I was employed), with my mind doing all the permutations and combinations; looping over and over again, trying to find answers for certain questions that seemed to jam the nerve circuit. It seemed like a moment where I was making ‘THE’ decision of my life, whether to take up dancing FULL TIME – NOW or SLIGHTLY LATER in life. As computer science engineers, we tend to develop a logical approach for arriving at solutions which I did employ initially to arrive at this life changing answer. However, finally what came to my rescue was the gut feeling that had given me a single constant answer from the very beginning, to go for it NOW. But, the logical process did make me pose a few important questions at myself.
Am I ready yet to become a professional dancer?
Do I have the right skill set to get me going strong in the world of dance?
Am I equipped to face the conventionalities involved in the field?
Will I be able to survive after quitting a well paid lucrative job?
so on and so forth. Little did I know that the answers to these would unfold themselves after I completely plunge into the beautiful world of Kuchipudi. No wonder people say it is important to get your hands dirty to understand the intricacies involved!
Firstly what is dance? Dance is not just a mere medium of expression with the usage of body movements synchronised to complex rhythmic patterns or facial expressions to convey the meaning of the line being sung (sahitya). It is a journey through the dark and light patches leading to immense learning; an adventure that subjects you to sudden sharp turns exposing a whole new dimension to life; a continuum of discovery and rediscovery of who you are and who you grow to become. Dance is a mirror, which at every point of time, reflects the person within you.
A good dancer need not be a professional, but a professional dancer has to be good. Dancing as a profession has a lot of niceties associated with it. How does one know if they are ready to take on the role of a professional dancer?
- Love and fondness for dance
- An intense training in the chosen style of dance under the guidance of an able Guru (no shortcuts allowed)
- Self confidence and a persuasion to grow
- A brief understanding of a what a dancer’s life is like in terms of the financials, travel and more
- A prior experience of participating in competitions and dance festivals proves helpful
Most importantly, as quoted by Martha Graham, great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion. This one strong player, passion, is what keeps the game going.
More often than not, we are of the opinion that greater the number of shows, more professional and successful is the dancer. Though this is true to an extent, it is not the ultimatum. Milestones alone do not determine the progress. It is more to do with what the process of achieving milestones does to a dancer on an internal level. How it helps in fine tuning and elevating ones thoughts and emotions, how it moulds ones character and more. Ultimately it becomes about the quality than the quantity. When all the above factors is known and considered by a dancer then he/she is ready to take it up as a profession. But mere accepting the above factors doesn’t make a dancer professional.
Challenges are a part of life and as in the case of every profession; a dancer goes through certain challenges as well. The professionalism of a dancer is determined by the way in which these challenged are handled. Very clearly, the grace of the health God is one of the licenses that a dancer needs to nurture and hold on to firmly. Regularity in maintaining physical and mental fitness becomes crucial.
One of the biggest challenges is to gracefully manage contrasts in the profession. There are times of low tide, when things don’t seem to fall in place as expected. The number of shows lined up may seem bleak, one might encounter road blocks during choreography and times when things seem to stall temporarily. On the contrary, there are days where you are on your toes 24/7; all day practice sessions, music recordings, back to back shows, extensive travel to an extent where you enter a different time zone every single day. In 2016, when I was on the Soorya Middle East dance tour this is what I experienced: 5 days, 5 shows, 5 countries! When a couple of my friends asked me how stressful it was, all I wanted to tell them was how exciting it was. At the end of the day it all boils down to perspective which has the power to turn challenges into great times and great possibilities.
Finances involved in making a dance production are something that have to be looked into and planned for. Right from recording high quality music, appealing jewellery, dignified costumes everything demands a good inflow of money. There is no one general rule that can be applied to identify the source of income, as it is purely individualistic. But it is an important factor for a professional dancer to plan for the funding of a dance composition keeping in mind the quality that he/she needs to adhere to.
Striking a balance between dance and personal life by giving each the space and time it deserves is very essential. Most of the times we as dancers tend to work in isolation. May it be conceptualization, choreography, travel; everything majorly seems to be a one man show. Finding the right feedback channel to take a second opinion on your thoughts or work is a much needed asset for a dancer. This brings in fresh air and can help in making a more holistic end result. Apart from these generic challenges, there might be several other individualistic ones as well. Though there are many variables that exist, the one constant that can make up for all these is the overwhelming joy that continually accompanies the dancer through the journey.
As diverse as the cultures in India are, so is the life of a dancer. This makes all the challenges faced worth the trouble. Donning a dancer’s life is to walk the path of unlimited joy, craziness, strength, self discipline, satisfaction, struggles and variety. No two days remotely match and no two performances can be replicated. A dancer’s life opens up avenues to interact with varied people and learn from the lives of others. It is more like running one’s own startup company single handily; right from conceiving projects, gathering resources, materializing ideas, marketing and publishing the end result, as well as maintenance. As challenging as it sounds, the diversity yet the underlying unity in each of these areas helps the dancer rejuvenate. Going further, I feel it is the sheer ability to fall in love with one’s life that is the catch. This forms the central force and can lead to the capability to draw on inspirations from our surroundings, express these inspirations in an artistic fashion and to have a receptive mind to catch the beauty of the intangible.
In today’s times where the field of dance has taken a positive curve with innumerable opportunities out there, the possibilities are unlimited. The increased exposure comes with increased responsibilities and leanings. Alongside being a dancer, the field trains one in allied branches as well like lighting, stage design, make up, people management etc making the learning intense and a continuing process. In the course of action, one gains the strength and stability to face any situation come what may.
From the time I took the decision of choosing dance full time back in 2013, there has been no turning back. The initial steps were intended towards making Kuchipudi a profession but it eventually grew on to becoming more than that. As I write this article, I feel that dance is making its way through in almost every aspect of my life be it my thoughts, my interactions with people, my way of handling situations and my being itself. It has become a tutor, a friend, an asset, a blessing and the list goes on. There is a famous choir song which I remember from school days ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one…’ If by one of those blessings you are chosen to be a dancer, then all I can say is, hold on to that blessing with all your heart and get ready for the magic that follows!