Bharatanatyam in Chicago

There is finally a teacher here (Natya Dance troupe) that is convenient in location and time. However, I’ve been thinking it over, and I’m not sure I can justify it to myself. Since I’m quite possibly moving, I don’t know how worthwhile it is for me to start their classes for just the summer and then go onto another teacher. Also, although I know they can command it (Natya is quite renowned) justly, I’m not sure if I can justify $20/group class to myself.

If you’re interested, I’ll forward the info I got from them. The class starts on June 6th.

 

Graceful Arms Workshop

Because I miss the class camaraderie and seeing people, I’ve been trying to attend workshops more. Arabesque runs small workshops by local instructors. For people who are mass transit reliant, like me, this is a good way to get exposed to other instructors while not having to worry about travel.

I signed up for the Graceful Arms workshop, despite Danielle being my instructor. I thought I could learn something, it’s fairly cheap ($30 for two hours), and I get to see other people in class. Since arms are something I don’t feel I’ve had a great emphasis on, I thought it would be a good thing to try.

The workshop was a good size (7 people), so you could ask questions if you had any and get plenty of mirror space. Danielle is very particular about technique, so there was no music. At all. Her belief is that it is easy to get into the music and not pay attention to technique, so she doesn’t play music during technique things.

The pace of the workshop was a little slow. I think it’s predominantly because I’m familiar with Danielle’s posturing and beliefs; however, it’s great that she went over it for those not familiar with it. Despite the speed, now that I’m thinking about it, Danielle went over a lot. The moves covered were a variety of standard Oriental, tribal (ATS), tribal fusion, Flamenco, Bharatanatyam, Javanese, and Balinese arms. A very nice sampling of arm ideas.

Danielle’s strength (which also attributed to the pace) is thoughtfulness in dance. She discussed a lot of the motivations for the posture, the reasons why arms are important, and what’s good about each arm fusion. She also films workshop DVDs prior to the workshop and prepares handouts. Although I have not bought any of her DVDs, she says they always include extra “bonus” moves, because she prepares more material than she’ll ever go over, just so she can guarantee she doesn’t run out of material.

Since I’m so familiar with Danielle’s style of dance, this wasn’t full of any surprises or “aha!” momements for me. However, I do think it’s great for people who really want to add a world fusion aspect to their dance or be exposed to some different technique.

 

Indian Classical Dance: Tradition in Transition

I originally bought this book as a coffee table book. However, Indian Classical Dance: Tradition in Transition offers more than a book for guests to casually browse.

One of the most striking parts of the book are the photographs. They are absolutely crisp and beautiful to see. They are well worth the cost of the book. Beyond the photos, though, is a lot of useful information about classical Indian dance. The text is very detailed and takes you through the origins to contemporary time. If you’re interested in any of the major classical Indian dances, I’d check this book out.

 

One year in Chicago

Today marks the end of summer school and my one year anniversary of moving to Chicago. One year ago today, I was at Logan airport or maybe in the sky with my cat. Things have definitely changed for me in many ways.

Grad School- Starting grad school was difficult for me. There’s the sheer idea of strictly studying physics (I always took roughly half my classes in the humanities and arts), the intensity of quarter system (I was quite used to semester system), in class exams (all of my undergraduate exams were take-homes), and being out of a single sex environment (it does feel odd being in a predominantly male environment, though this is closer to a “real” physics environment). I had some personal problems that were unexpected (namely, my father almost died back on the East coast from an undetected heart problem). I knew no one here when I moved, which further complicated  my situation. I am always amazed at how much of an impact one’s personal life can have on the experience. Things felt like they came together spring quarter and I’m happy to say they still do. I look forward to this next year, and I sincerely hope that it will not have so many problems as the last. I feel like I have found a place here, which for me,  is very important.

TAing- As I mentioned in the previous entry, before last year, I had never taught before. All my work during my undergraduate years was either research or misc. spot jobs. Teaching scared me a little. I worried about failing at it and letting others down. My personal life did affect me a little, but again, I feel like have come into my own and am comfortable. This summer was good for me, because I not only further developed my teaching skills, but I also developed some confidence, which was critical for me to be success. I feel good about the work I did this summer. It wasn’t perfect and as anything, could use improvement, but I feel like I can effectively teach. Anything from watching students start off shy and unsure and become confident in their knowledge or apathy disappear feels like a success. Even though I’m not the only TA for this, nor am I the professor, I think I did impact the students positively.

Dance classes- My dance classes have been a mix of good and bad. The worst thing I can honestly say is I’m disappointed I haven’t been able to continue Odissi. I really loved going to Neena Gulati’s every Saturday in Boston for classes. Odissi feels wonderful to me, and I love its graceful, flowing style. Many Middle Eastern fusion dancers study some Indian dance for fusion; I study it for the sake of studying it. I would’ve been fine for Bharatanatyam here, but alas, nothing has worked out. I’m keeping my eyes peeled but I’m not sure. I do think the Javanese will be a nice complement to Middle Eastern dance, as well as being mentally good for me, but I don’t know how passionate I am about it.

The Middle Eastern dance here has been wonderful. My dance teachers have been wonderful for that and on a personal level, I really needed that outlet many times (I recommend most people in grad school have some kind of hobby like that to default to; I think it’s healthy). I’m really lucky to study under the people I do. I feel like my technique is becoming stronger, and I’m getting better ideas of what I need to do to get to where I want to go.

 

Sitting here at the computer, I still am amazed about how much has changed in a year. It really doesn’t seem like that long ago I had arrived here with only a suitcase, my computer, and my cat. Chicago doesn’t really feel like home to me, but it definitely feels much more familiar and comfortable after a year.

 

I need space

My apartment is completely carpeted, except for the linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom (both are small). That makes practice rather difficult. I can practice isolations well, but most traveling moves and spins/turns are out of the question. The carpet provides too much friction.

I’m currently in the process of hopefully moving, so I definitely will look for wood floors. For the time being, I’m not sure what to do. I might get a gym membership at my school’s gym to use the yoga studios, but there’s no guarantee of studio time, and I believe they allow others to walk in there with street shoes. I’m perhaps being picky, but I dance barefoot. I don’t want to step on a rock or a piece of glass.

So, what is a girl to do besides patiently wait it out?

 

Possible new dance form to study

My current Bharatanatyam teacher unfortunately does not feel she can meet my needs as a dancer (I think she may have a noise complaint since she conducted my lessons in her 3rd floor apartment). I respect her honesty and encouragement to find another teacher, but at the same time, I am disappointed.

However, she is also knowledgeable in Javanese and Balinese dance. Because I am interested in fusion, I may try those for a while. I think Javanese, at least what I’ve seen, isn’t going to be for me. All of the clips on YouTube I’ve seen are quite slow and meditative. It’s interesting, but I don’t think I want to pursue it. Below is a clip of a Javanese performance.

In my untrained eye, Balinese looks closer to the Indian dance I’m used to. The speed, the movement, even a bit of music feels more like Bharatanatyam or Odissi than Javanese. Here’s a Balinese dance performance.

In some ways, I am excited about this. It’s always good to try new things, stretch your vocab, etc. I just wish I could still do the Indian dancing

 

Dance Birthday :)

My dance birthday actually was in June, but I’ve been reading about people “celebrating” theirs and reminiscing over their dance lives. I already wrote about my beginnings in my ‘About Me’ section, albeit brief.

I’d love to say I’m one of those dance wunderkinds who danced her/his way out of the womb and onto the stage, but I’m not. I took ballet and tap when I was a little kid and then quit it. I wasn’t anything special at it. I went onto violin for a while, and I eventually quit that to devote time to running a bunch of clubs at school. If you saw Rushmore, I was like Max Fischer, except a girl and much better grades.

If you ask anyone who knew me prior to the dance years, it is surprising to them. That’s one of the things I love about the kinds of dance I do: they attract all sorts of people.

I think I’ve grown a lot as a dancer since I began (2003, with lessons on and off according to my schedule). My technique is stronger, though there is always something to work on. I’ve done some bad fusion that I’m thankful I don’t have on tape (though it was performed for a small audience), but I’ve also done some performances I am proud of.

In 2005, I started Bharatanatyam, which was life changing in a lot of ways. I started it basically because I didn’t know how to spend my time in Lansing, MI. I didn’t know anyone and wanted something to do beyond the 9-5 of my internship. I discovered yet another dance form I could do excel in. It was so different from what I was used to but so much fun and interesting.

Along the way, I met a lot of amazing people people, students and dancers. Dance has helped me mend a broken heart or two along the way, have epiphanies in class regarding my life, and makes me feel good. I also am in very good shape now . It certainly isn’t easy.

I’ve been doing this for the past 5 years or 3 years for Indian dance, on and off. I look forward to where the next year takes me in dance.

 

Creating a library of dance music

Part of being a dancer is finding music. I use Emusic to get my music; the quality is quite good for mp3, and it’s cheap (if you haven’t taken up Emusic on the 50 free mp3s yet, comment with your email address; if I invite you to Emusic and you accept, we both get 50 free mp3s). While they’re good for Middle Eastern dance of its various flavors (Turkish, Lebanese, Egpytian, shaabi, etc.), I find them a bit lack for classical Indian dance music. First, let me preface that I’ve found finding classical Indian dance music a bit difficult. Most of my Indian dance teachers operate off of cassette tapes, and they often only know the song by its dance name, such as Alarippu, without an artist, publisher, etc. I’m not quite sure what to search, since names of the dances doesn’t seem to work, nor does a search of Bharatanatyam. Using Emusic, I’ve found 1 CD that appears suitable for classical Indian dance.

I was very excited when I came across Dances of India: Bharata Natyam Arangetram Songs. Allow me to preface that I have not sat through an entire arangetram of Bharatanatyam. Overall, I enjoy this CD. The quality is very crisp, and I find it very pleasant to listen to.

Some of the pieces I found a bit short. I would be very surprised if this would work for an arangetram, due to its length. The arangetram I saw in its entirety was about 2 hours; this CD is under an hour. I also feel like there could be more variation in the songs. To me, they sound very similar. I may not know the names of the artists or songs, but I feel that classical Indian dance music is much more varied than what this CD shows.

I out of 5 stars, I’d give it a 3. I’m glad I bought it, because I now have dance practice music, but I wish it offered more of a variety.

 

Dance Education Plans For the Rest of 2008

One of the best things about living in Chicago is there is a plethora of dance events. One of the worst things about being a grad student is there isn’t enough time or money for it all. I’m not 100% busy or completely broke, but neither item flows as freely as I’d sometimes like.

For the remainder of the summer (it’s hard to believe it’s going by so fast!), I am continuing a weekly class with Sonya and my private lessons with Danielle. I love both of their styles of dance and teaching. The weekly with Sonya has recently been a bit difficult to balance, since Thursday seems to be a popular day for events. My partner’s sister was in town, and he wanted me to go his sister’s picnic, which was great fun. This Thursday happens to be the thesis presentation of my acquaintance and advisor’s student.

I have decided to go to the Aida Nour workshop on the second day. The reason? I have decided to retake the physics GRE and taking it in October makes more sense than taking it towards the end of classes. The physics GRE happens to fall on the first day of the workshop. I was planning on doing both days, but it simply isn’t feasible. I do plan on going to the show that night. If you are not familiar with Aida Nour, I would YouTube her. I think she is an amazing dancer and simply stunning to watch.

I intend on going to the Mardi Love workshop. I haven’t decided whether I will do both days; I am waiting for the workshop topics to be announced, as well as the cost. I have been carefully budgeting for everything this year.

Finally, around Christmas, a treat to myself (and break from working on my thesis), I plan on going to Las Vegas with of my friends. I plan on doing a 1-2 hr private lesson with Aradia; I have yet to plan out what I want to study, but I’m looking forward to it. Aradia seems very nice from what I’ve seen on Bhuz and is very talented.

I also plan on continuing my studies with Sonya and Danielle. Because of having night classes, I have decided to switch over to strictly private lessons during the school year. They are indeed going to be more, but I know that I will get more out of it in the long wrong. They allow for much more flexibility in terms of schedule, as well as customizing everything to my skills. Having had so many different teachers and not staying with one for longer than a year has exposed me to different technique but occasionally has me miss out other technique. The beauty of a private lesson allows me to focus on what I need and not stay on something I already know.

And finally, I plan on working on my goals and hopefully doing some kind of performance.

Needless to say, I’m quite excited about all of this learning.

 

Summer

The school year (September through mid-June) was such a rush of academic stuff (adjusting to my move, classes, picking a research advisor, TAing, misc. personal things, etc.) that summer has been a nice welcome. I do take classes and try to practice once a day during the school year, but my first priority is school right now. Right now, I only TA and do research. So far, it’s been very relaxing and enjoyable, which leaves me time to think about dance. I’ve been steadily building up the strength in my legs for Bharatanatyam and continuing to refine technique in my belly dancing classes. I love being able to go to class regularly and rely on it.

A few days ago, I reviewed my dance goals for the year. I’m completing most of them, but there are a few I’m determined to complete before the end of summer. Because of my moves, I’ve unfortunately lost most of my costume pieces. It’s a bit difficult, since some of them are sentimental to me, ie. my first cabaret bra and belt set that I handmade during my semester abroad in NZ and my first tribal bra which I wore for my first solo piece. I don’t wish to dwell in the past and about things that I cannot change, so I’ve been moving forward with costumes. I found beautiful fabric on Devon, which is where Chicago’s “Little India” is located. I’ve been slowly working with it. Next weekend, I plan on going to a fabric shop to buy the necessary fabrics to complete it. I can’t wait, because then I can bead it.

The other main goal to complete this summer is choreograph something. By choreograph, I actually mean to become comfortable enough with a piece of music that I will be able to perform to. I strongly prefer improv, but I always like to practice the piece a lot beforehand. I’ve been building my repertoire for performances. I have several pieces in mind right now. Maybe I’ll end up with a few “choreographies”