A WALK IN THE SHOES OF A DANCER

If you notice a singer or a musician closely, you will see them dancing to their own voice or beats - someone might be rocking their head to the strong beats and someone might be grooving off to their own sweet voice. Simply put, what this means is that dance is a visible side of music. The feeling of music can be shown through the art of dance. However, every genre of music has a different feeling and every feeling is shown through a different dance style.

Dance Style

Indian Classical Dance

• Bharatnatyam: The oldest form of Classical Dance, Bharatnatyam is the embodiment of catharsis, a vibrant expression of one’s soul. It is an exploration of oneself and the Abhinaya is what guides the audience towards the rasa(essence) of the bhava(expression). One can identify a Bharatnatyam dancer if he/she is in Aramandi posture - half squat sitting posture.
• Kathak: In a little contrast to Bharatnatyam, Kathak has a fluidic and a poised movement. It has a delicate and subtle rasa to be simply put. Unlike Bharatnatyam, a Kathak dancer can be seen in a standing posture, which is coined as Anga.
• Kuchipudi: Originated in Andhra Pradesh, this dance form commenced as Nritya-Natya (dance-drama) and has evolved as one of the most popular classical dance styles both in India and abroad. There is certain beauty to Kuchipudi which can be felt only by experiencing this dance form.
• Kathakali: Not a lot would relate to the name, but a lot would relate to the man in the green mask with a wide smile and a crown over his head. This dance form is commonly identified as a story play and Abhinaya(expression) is the most essential part of it.

Western Dance (Street)

• Breaking: Originated in New York, this dance style is the most raw style of western dance. It has 4 elements : Top Rock, Down Rock, Freezes & Power Moves. Breaking will officially make its debut in the Paris 2024 Olympics. It is technically wrong to consider Hip Hop as a dance style, as Hip Hop is a culture and Breaking is an element of that culture.
• Locking: In the 70s era, funk music was a hit, which gave a boost to Soul Dance-later branching out as Locking-and a crew known as The Lockers. This is a very comical style of dance and there are various characters that dancers take during their performance. It was founded by none other than Don Campbellock who recently passed away on 30th March,2020.
• Popping: This dance style has the most confused history till date, and the most precise visible expression of music. As the name suggests, it involves varied muscle contractions and relaxations according to the music and requires a lot of muscle strength from within to make it look appealing.

Western Dance (Stage)

• Ballet: This is the western form of Classical Dance, blending discipline and freedom both at the same time in such a beautiful way. It is a way of living per se, and it builds a profound personality in the person who practices this mesmerising dance form regularly.
• Contemporary Dance: As the name suggests, it is the modern-most dance form among the traditional dance styles. There is certain freedom of expression to this dance style which propagated its discovery in the first place i.e. mid 20th century. It is becoming ever more famous in Europe and the US, as well as finding recognition in India.
• Jazz: It is an American dance style with African roots and has various sub-forms as well. Jazz dance is a very sharp and swift style. It has certain sensual essence to it as well which is why many female dancers are attracted towards this sassy dance form.

DANCE BENEFITS

If you respond to “what’s in it for me?”, then the following 3 benefits of dance are your snack for the rest of this blog:

• Muscle Mind Coordination: How would you like it if you could handle 2 situations with ambidexterity? Well that’s why dance does to our body; our reflexes improve, our physique dynamics and most importantly our body language tones up to another level.
• Healthy all the way: ou may already be aware that dance improves our overall fitness, what you may be unaware of, is that fitness goes a long way over the course of our life and dance keeps our fitness levels up to the mark.
• Albert-like Intel!!: As once quoted by the great Albert Einstein “intelligence is not about knowledge, it is about imagination”; and dance like any other art form, is an epitome of imagination and creativity.

Hence, if you think an art form like ‘Dance’ is any less than academics, and this meaningless thought is clouding your thoughts whether you should pursue dance as a career or not, do not worry even for a second because in the modern-age era, dance is treated with equal respect and there are ample opportunities to make a fortune out if it. The only thing that matters is your dedication and belief.

Lastly, before the curtains to this dance blog are drawn, the question you need to ask yourself truthfully is - “Do I have what it takes to be a passionate dancer or am I just reading this blog and judging the blogger on his viewpoints?”

Now if you really have what it takes, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram - sangeetaacademy thane and Facebook - Sangeet Academy. For information regarding dance classes provided by us, do visit our website - www.sangeetaacademy.com .