With dance we go forth...

The ultimate graceful dancer I have seen is Madhuri Dixit, after which comes a close second Aishwarya Rai. Both Bollywood actresses of extreme beauty and now of effortless grace. India has seven classical dance forms, the one I am most interested is Kathak. Its fluid motions appeals to the senses and the stories that the dancer dictates appeals to the mind. To learn an art form such as this is said to discipline the mind as well as the body.

Since I have a good six months of pretty much nothing to do I am hoping to learn this ancient dance form. I am hoping to find a teacher within Sri Lanka however if none are available with high standards of teaching, I am willing to move to Bangalore to study the dance there. In the east, dances such as this are taken to be spiritual art forms, with 100% dedication required of the dancer in order to achieve high standards. Something like dance bootcamp but you end up with a lot more than how to dance within you.

I recently read a book that asked what would happen to these classical institutions of culture within India and the east once globalisation takes its root and begins to grow. Will they need to be erased to enter into a flatter world or will they spread from country to country? As a Sri Lankan I doubt I can achieve the same graceful and fluid motions that these Indian artistes are so incredibly capable of , as it is in the rhythm is in their blood. This is a statement you would here most often if you come to the East. Certain things are 'in your blood'. In scientific terms, one might think this means it is present in your genes.

I recently sat through a 2 hour Sri Lankan Sinhalese movie and a 3 hour Indian movie. The Sri Lankan was slow, boring and made me want to either sleep or hang myself from the overhead fan numerous times. Whilst the 3 hour Hindi one passed by in such a swift movement and carried me away with it so beautifully I was left speechless at the end of the movie.

I think movies came into being to help people escape reality. When movies are cumbersome, it makes us wonder what these directors are really trying to achieve. Movies are meant to inspire people to better themselves, to become more creative, or to recharge their batteries that have been spent living a weary life. I will go into all this more into greater depth at a later post.

I hope alls well everywhere!!!