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New generation of dance students: Busy working mothers becoming classical dancers by Padma Chebrolu, Cincinnati, OH e-mail: padma@culturalcentreofindia.com February 11, 2004 |
| In many dance studios
across the globe it is very common to see dance students who are in their
teens and pre teens working hard to reach their and their parents' dreams.
For some of them it is their passion, for some of them it is a tradition
and for some of them they are trying make their parents' dreams come true.
Now there is a new trend taking place slowly, which is going to be significant
and important to the dance teachers every where.
Working mothers are making strives to learn classical dances of India. They are full of enthusiasm and dedication. They are ever working hard to make time in their very busy lives to find time to attend the dance studio regularly, practice at home and even perform Arangetrams. Given many social and cultural restrictions on women you can still find inspirational stories, which go above and beyond the norm. Meet the following exceptional women, who are attending classes at Cultural Centre of India's dance studio.
2. How do you manage learning dance when you have many other priorities and demands in your life? When there is desire and heart, there is a will and there is a time to manage. 3. On March 27th, you'll be having your Arangetram. How is your preparation for Arangetram coming along? How is your health doing? Difficult but not impossible. Not enough time with full time job, being a wife and a mother, managing social life and managing my daughter's busy schedule. However, whenever I find time, I practice. Practicing two hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week is very difficult. Sometimes, I start practicing at 10:00 pm at night. Other days are simply good and manageable. Besides, sometimes I have breathing problems with my low level asthma. However, with proper medications and practicing dance I am doing much better. Dance to me is perfect exercise. Dance trains me to concentrate my mind, expressions, feelings, hands and footwork, which in turn, in-fact helps me to breathe better. Obviously at my age, I get tired much faster than any young student but daily practice schedule helps me to build my stamina. It is the attitude and like Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” 4. What kind of support do your family and friends give? My family is just wonderful. First of all, Priya always helps and encourages me to practice. My husband, Tushar, always supports my activities. My younger brother and his wife are just so excited about me learning dance and staying with my active life style. My friends, they are just wonderful. My daughter, friends and family give me encouragement to practice for my Arangetram. My friends are looking forward for the day and are ready to take care of the whole event. Sometimes it seems, my friends and family are more excited than I am for March 27th. 5. What would you say to other women who would love to be dance students and reach the Arangetram level? Again, where there is a Will there is a Way. It is never too late to start anything in life, especially, learning new things. Age has no limit. I know there are days I can practice perfectly and not get tired and there are days I cannot practice well due to my asthma. Who knows how I would perform on the day of my Arangetram! All I can say is I will do my best. If nothing else, I know I have tried my best. After all the audience are going to be my close friends and family. 6. What are you future aspirations as a dancer? My wish is to make every one dance. I am not telling this in a superficial manner. Dance is so primary to a human being. Every one should learn a little bit of dance in whatever form - folk, social or classical. To me, dance is basic part of life. During dancing, one needs to concentrate on every nerve system and every part of body. To me, this is a perfect form of Yoga. After my Arangetram, surely I am planning to learn more, learn Carnatic music and teach dance to all the new comers. 7. Any other comments or thoughts? Nothing related to dance but I like to promote vegetarianism. To me, non-violence is the most supreme religion of all. I am very grateful to my teacher, who gave me this wonderful opportunity to learn and gave me encouragement to prepare for my Arangetram. I wish many more Gurus and Teachers keep the same open mind to make no bearing based on age. I am also very grateful to my daughter Priya and all other young girls in the class with me who gave me support and encouragement to be with them in their class.
It is mere motivation and desire for me to learn classical dance. I want to achieve some special talents. 3. Five years from now where do you see yourself as dancer? In my case, I have had a lot of emotional and health problems. I want to be a role model to motivate and to prove to others that no matter what happens in life, you still can achieve anything if you have the mind, desire and will power. 4. What would you say to other women who want to take up dance? Please do not let anything come in your way as long as you have the passion, love and desire for dance. Remember age is only a number. 5. Any other comments? I feel nothing should stop anybody from learning dance if they have the desire to do so. Do not wait any longer then you already have. Dance is very relaxing, good exercise for the mind and body. It is also very refreshing. I can bring my true emotions and feelings in dance, which I had bottled up all my life. I love it. Give it a chance then you will know what you have missed in life. A teacher can be a true friend too.
1. What inspired you to become a classical dance student? Probably the strongest influence has been my extensive background in Indian culture that I got through my studies of yoga and Indian spiritual philosophy. I have a love of dance but what holds me to this form is my inner ties to Indian cultural expression. 2. How do you manage learning dance when you have many other priorities and demands in your life? I don't fret about my progress but I try to always show up for class. I know that learning anything using the body is an accumulation over time. With enough years of effort it will all kick in and start to show - then speeding up effort can produce more dramatic results. I expect with this form of dance and my age it will take a few years at least. 3. Five years from now, where do you see your self as a dancer? At my age (54) I don't have any definite plans because I know from how the aging process has gone so far for me, that I can't plan and be certain I will be able to do it. But I do plan to continue to dance as long as I'm physically able. I hope to be able to perform well in five years. 4. What would you say to other women who would love to be dance students? I say don't think, worry, or be overly concerned with how you look and how well you are doing - just get on the dance floor and have fun with it. But be disciplined about coming to class - that's the only pressure in the beginning anyone needs. The other achievements can come later - it's enough to make the time to come to class every week - only assess yourself once or twice a year.
2. How do you manage learning dance when you have many other priorities and demands in your life? It is hard to find time for practice. It would not be possible for me to do this now if my daughter was not learning to dance. I feel that, as parents, we devote a lot of time and energy to various activities for our kids but do not give any importance to our own interests. Learning dance alongside my daughter allows me to follow one of my own interests without taking time away from her activities. This makes the choice much easier. 3. Five years from now, where do you see your self as a dancer? I am taking this one day at a time. Right now I am not a serious student, but I would like to become one. Whether, that will happen in the next five years, I do not know yet. There are many demands on my time, and if I set too many goals now, I will not be able to meet them. For the time being, I am just having fun. 4. What would you say to other women who would love to be dance students? Just do it! Don't wait for the perfect time. The perfect time is now! But once you start it, be prepared for the hard work. Like everything else, what you get out of it will depend on how much you put into the process. So be realistic and have fun!
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