Participated in a Kathak show last night. This is quite normal for dance students. The teacher is approached by organizations for performances and she pulls in her students for the show. We get some good experience on stage and she gets to show off her art and composition. Win win.
lat night, we apparently danced for some high-flying private equity dudes and dudettes. It was a small group. On one hand, I feel sleazy. like I was participating in some private mujra where these firangs were relaxing like maharajas, stroking their [imaginary] mustaches. The only thing missing was to carelessly fling money at us. But of course that's NOT the way to look at it.
As always, Chowmahallah Palace, a restored palace of the Nizams and the venue for last night's event, took my breath away. they had mashals (fire lamps) lit all around the place. It is bang in the middle of Charminar, the noisiest and most congested section of the city, but it is so serene. I have watched some really awesome music shows and dance performances there. It's one of Hyderabad's best locations.
As we were going through a quick rehearsal, I felt my heart soar. I was again, blown away by how beautiful everything was. The girls were doing their piece and the colours of their dresses sparkled against the jeweled backdrop on the palace. (pictures to come)
Suddenly everything was rushed. Didi (my teacher) was screaming because I was taking my own sweet time to get ready. dress, make up, hair, and suddenly we were by the stage. We had to cut out two pieces because these very-important-people had little time (they were delayed to begin with). So my pieces came even faster.
Suddenly it was all over. people clapped. We took some pictures. We changed, wiped all the make-up off our faces, got into the car and came home. By the time i got home, the rush of adrenalin had come down and the come down from any sort of high is extremely painful.
It struck me that we have been spending so much time practicing, so much energy getting our outfits and make up together that when the evening passes by in less than a flash, it's rather disappointing. It made me wonder about performing. I don't think I learn kathak to perform. it's fun, it's exciting. But is it really worth it?
But i also thought that working for a performance really raises the dedication bar. I push myself to present a good show. I work hard on my foot work and conquer stage fright by putting myself out there. So then maybe it is worth it?
I did have a couple of breakthroughs today. One, i realised that I use my dance partner as my crutch. I depend on her to remember the sequence and to carry us forward. It supports my laziness where I don't have to make that much of an effort. But it also prevents me from a error-free performance. We end up looking sloppy, like we're not qualified enough to be on stage. I need to pretend that I'm dancing by myself so that I make the extra effort required to be, at least, technically correct.
I also sort of let go of some stage fright I was carrying with me. somewhere in the middle of the performance I realized I had no reason to be afraid. I felt easy and comfortable. besides, the stakes are not that high, you know. I have nothing to lose. besides, when am I ever going to meet these people again....ha. so who cares how it really looks.
We've got another one coming up in November!
lat night, we apparently danced for some high-flying private equity dudes and dudettes. It was a small group. On one hand, I feel sleazy. like I was participating in some private mujra where these firangs were relaxing like maharajas, stroking their [imaginary] mustaches. The only thing missing was to carelessly fling money at us. But of course that's NOT the way to look at it.
As always, Chowmahallah Palace, a restored palace of the Nizams and the venue for last night's event, took my breath away. they had mashals (fire lamps) lit all around the place. It is bang in the middle of Charminar, the noisiest and most congested section of the city, but it is so serene. I have watched some really awesome music shows and dance performances there. It's one of Hyderabad's best locations.
As we were going through a quick rehearsal, I felt my heart soar. I was again, blown away by how beautiful everything was. The girls were doing their piece and the colours of their dresses sparkled against the jeweled backdrop on the palace. (pictures to come)
Suddenly everything was rushed. Didi (my teacher) was screaming because I was taking my own sweet time to get ready. dress, make up, hair, and suddenly we were by the stage. We had to cut out two pieces because these very-important-people had little time (they were delayed to begin with). So my pieces came even faster.
Suddenly it was all over. people clapped. We took some pictures. We changed, wiped all the make-up off our faces, got into the car and came home. By the time i got home, the rush of adrenalin had come down and the come down from any sort of high is extremely painful.
It struck me that we have been spending so much time practicing, so much energy getting our outfits and make up together that when the evening passes by in less than a flash, it's rather disappointing. It made me wonder about performing. I don't think I learn kathak to perform. it's fun, it's exciting. But is it really worth it?
But i also thought that working for a performance really raises the dedication bar. I push myself to present a good show. I work hard on my foot work and conquer stage fright by putting myself out there. So then maybe it is worth it?
I did have a couple of breakthroughs today. One, i realised that I use my dance partner as my crutch. I depend on her to remember the sequence and to carry us forward. It supports my laziness where I don't have to make that much of an effort. But it also prevents me from a error-free performance. We end up looking sloppy, like we're not qualified enough to be on stage. I need to pretend that I'm dancing by myself so that I make the extra effort required to be, at least, technically correct.
I also sort of let go of some stage fright I was carrying with me. somewhere in the middle of the performance I realized I had no reason to be afraid. I felt easy and comfortable. besides, the stakes are not that high, you know. I have nothing to lose. besides, when am I ever going to meet these people again....ha. so who cares how it really looks.
We've got another one coming up in November!
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