It is easy to learn dancing if you put in your best effort. But to keep the enthusiasm, alive every time you perform the same step, is what we often miss out on. That is when maintaining the sanctity of dance becomes so important. Srividya shares this secret with you.
Keeping Dance Sacred
Tip #1:
Since Bharatanatyam is a dance form that has originated from Lord Nataraja himself, it is easier to establish a sense of sacredness for it. Do you think it is easy to establish sacredness for other dance forms also?
Of course! Honouring what you do gives you the commitment to keep moving on.
When there is a sense of sacredness attached to anything you do, the way you do it is very different. Something that is considered sacred is revered. When you revere dance, you put in quality hours for practice. Whatever you give highest priority in life, that blossoms. Meditation helps create a depth in your love for dance, which doesn't let you take the art for granted at any point.
How Meditation Helps?
TIP#2:
Sometimes, I have to choose between my values and what will be more appreciated. How do I make the choice?
I would choose that which may give short term discomfort but ensures you contentment in the long run! Remember that when you honour your dance, your presentation will be outstanding anyway.
When you consider something to be sacred, you honour it. This enhances the quality of your routines. If you want this growth to be exponential, it is imperative to meditate. When the mind is calmed through meditation, you can take responsibility for your performances. This automatically infuses a sense of belongingness with the dance form. Won’t you protect and nurture what is yours? You will! Meditation brings you to a state where you feel the connectedness with dance not just because you love dancing, but also because you revere your practice.
Take to a Sahaj Meditation Course and revive the sacredness in your dance.
Snippets from Srividya’s dancing career
Hasn’t this happened with most of us: when you do something very often, after a point you lose enthusiasm and don’t do it with the same gusto you had when you first learned it. When we were rehearsing for an item to be performed in the Natyanjali festival (one of the biggest dance festivals in India) in Chidambaram, India, I was dancing very mechanically because I had repeated those steps so many times.
When I saw the video of the rehearsal, I was wondering why I didn't like what I just did.
So, just before going on stage, I prayed and meditated. I realized that somewhere in my journey I had lost the sanctity for dance and was just doing it like another chore! The most beautiful benefit of meditation is that it increases your awareness! Without the skies parting to let light shine on me, I remembered how sacred this ancient dance form was and how fortunate I am to get a chance to delve in it.
Let us introduce you to the last in the series of our dance articles – why striking a balance between sensibility and sensitivity is very important in dance in particular and in life in general. And if you think it is difficult, give it another thought as you read Srividya revealing this secret in the next article.
Related Articles
Dance Your Way to Perfection 1 - Your Talent is for Others
Dance Your Way to Perfection 2 - Use Your iPOD
Dance Your Way to Perfection 3 - Let Every Moment be a learning
Dance Your Way to Perfection 4 - Ask Yourself Why Do You Dance?
Dance Your Way to Perfection 6 - Sensitivity and sensibility brings success
