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 The journey to Carnegie Hall - Vyoma Bhanap e-mail: inSyncKathak@gmail.com Photos courtesy: InSyncKathak October 5, 2023 There are few times in a young dancer's career that stands out so vividly, so intensely, that you could argue they change your life. This was one of those moments. I remember that first December day vividly. Our Guru Anupama Srivastava (or Anupama Aunty as we girls called her) brought her students and their parents together for a Zoom call. I was away in my dorm at college, mostly focused on my school work, but even from miles away the announcement surprised me - the InSyncKathak team had been invited to perform at the world renowned Carnegie Hall? And all the way in New York! It seemed surreal. There were some issues though. Learning a brand new choreography, assembling a team large enough to fill the stage, and of course, the large costs of getting all the way across the country! To top it off, five of the girls (including me) were away at college until June and couldn't consistently join for in-person rehearsals. But after a period of discussion, it was decided that we had to take the opportunity- after all, we had an invitation to perform at one of the most prestigious venues in the country! And thus, the preparations began. The music was a unique composition created in India with the guidance of Guru Shovana Narayan and a team of musicians, who thoughtfully tailored it to suit the age and experience of the dancers. The final cut which took over two months to perfect, conveyed the dramatic power of Kaal Bhairav, a fierce form of Shiva that challenges us to live in the present moment. To choreograph a piece that represents Kaal Bhairav is difficult enough, but to develop that choreography into a full stage-ready performance is incredible. I can't imagine the hours of meticulous planning Anupama Aunty spent to create the piece, but we all knew it was a tremendous feat. Slowly, weeks turned into months as we learned each tukra and paran. It felt like we were stringing together a beautiful necklace; each individual piece seemed so small and required much refinement, but when it was all put together, it would be dazzling. Throughout those winter and spring quarters in college, I would rush downstairs to the bottom floor of my building and claim a space in the lounge to set up my computer for online class. Though the floors were made of scratchy carpet (terrible for spinning on) and my roommates stared at me with bewilderment, I watched the little Zoom squares and danced along with the figures on the screen. I can't deny it was strange to be learning such a unique choreography in a fully academic environment; I shifted from friends' apartments, to corners of the gym, to my tiny dorm room in search of a proper place to practice. I am sure it was equally difficult for the other dancers in college while our teammates at home would have certainly had their own practice struggles to account for.  In hindsight, those months of preparation do seem incredible. There were 19 dancers - so 19 moving parts that all needed to be coordinated and brought "in sync." And none of it would have happened without the immense support from our families. The parents and Anupama Aunty would meet every Monday night to discuss logistics and tackle the seemingly never-ending list of tasks to finish. The parents found rehearsal dresses, ordered matching team shirts, organized jewelry orders, sold tickets, booked flights and hotels, kept their daughters accountable in their dance practice, and performed all the background tasks that kept us moving forward. Anupama Aunty designed and ordered brand new costumes in the brightest colors to truly stand out, which called for a group photo shoot to get professional pictures of the team. In the meantime, the dancers fundraised through community bake sales, spread the word to their friends, and prepared for the physically demanding rehearsals coming up. Throughout all this bustle, spring quietly slipped into summer. At least from my standpoint, it felt as if everyone had been so focused on getting ready that we had barely realized how quickly it all approached until suddenly, it was the last stretch. Four weeks, and that was it. By this time I had returned from college (now officially a second year student!) and was delighted to see the entire team. I am sure the feeling of excitement (and nervousness of course) was mutual as we entered the studios we would be rehearsing in for the last two weeks of practice. Anupama Aunty scheduled it so that we would spend two hours in a smaller dance studio, then hurry next door to have access to an indoor basketball stadium that would mimic the size of the legendary hall we would be performing in. We started off with group rehearsals of the whole piece, then broke it down, minute by minute, movement by movement. In our breaks, all of us girls would chat and rest for a moment, until the music began and we would be on our feet again. Spinning, footwork, hands up on the 4th count, and bend!! The corrections came from our teacher, who spent those hours not only examining our every move, but also constructing new poses on the spot, and then dancing through them alongside us. The mothers and fathers were invaluable as always, bringing refreshments and their own comments of encouragement and ideas. The days passed, and the necklace that was our dance gained its final bits of sparkling polish. Finally, it was the end of rehearsals. With that we were off to New York- although it wasn't so simple. Midsummer storms and flight complications kept interfering with our travel plans, and instead of the short journey everyone was hoping for, it became a stressful few days as dancers and their families struggled to find a flight that would arrive in time. Finally, everyone landed in New York and the travel stress was immediately translated into a dizzying mix of excitement and nervousness for the performance. And suddenly, it was the morning of July 2nd - show day. The dancers and our backstage moms assembled early in the humid heat, hair already set and eyes bright with anticipation. As we entered the historic hall through a side entrance, we were quietly abuzz. This is what it was all coming to; in just a few hours, we would be on stage and the moment we had been preparing for would be here! Those last backstage minutes - finishing up our makeup, getting into costume, doing one final run through - were exhilarating and overwhelming at the same time. We reapplied lipsticks and quietly filed through the hallways until we were standing on the threshold of the stage. We waited. And waited. And softly whispered to each other how nervous we were, and how we knew we would do great! And said mental prayers as a team. And then - The music began.  I wish I could precisely describe the feeling of being on that stage. The brightness of the lights. The vivid yellow and pink of our dresses. The enormity of having the entire audience's attention and seeing my wonderful fellow dancers spinning alongside me, the knowledge that this moment was beyond special, and nothing else mattered. In that instant, the meaning behind our dance, "Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam," became crystal clear: true liberation is found in enjoying the present moment, free from all worries of the past or the future. Our faces radiant and our positions (finally!) perfect, we channeled our devotion to our art into the piece, and when we left the stage at the end of the short ten minutes, I could tell we were changed. Those moments, full of dedication, hard work, and collective inspiration, are truly rare and therefore deeply powerful. My teammates and I feel we have a massive debt and an ocean of gratitude to our Guru Anupama Aunty, without whom none of this would ever have been possible. She has transformed each of us from girls into dancers, a lifelong gift that has shaped us for the better. I have realized that dance is a force of positive change on both the individual level as well as on the larger world stage. Performing at Carnegie Hall was an incredible moment in our lives that strengthened the personal relationship each one of us has with our dance. I have full confidence that we will use this to fuel our passions and take on deeper commitments and loftier goals - and I can't wait to see where we go next!  Kathak dancer Vyoma Bhanap is a disciple of Guru Anupama Srivastava. She is a 2023 National Young Arts Finalist Winner in World Dance Discipline, and Sophomore at UC Davis. Post your comments Pl provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name & email id in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
