ANITA SAYS.....


Dancers are athletes of the spirit.
- Martha Graham, American modern dance icon

And so, we have arrived at month #18 of our confined existence. April 2020 to August 2021.

Do not believe the stories that the world has opened up and that people are running around the beaches without masks. It may be happening in the USA where rules rarely seem to matter when it comes to personal liberty, but everyone is steeling themselves for the Delta or Lambda variant and the Third Wave.

Many eyes turned away from dance platforms to watch the stunning opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. And, of course to cheer the brave efforts of Manipuri weight lifter Mirabai Chanu who scored India's first silver medal. How many more honours will come our way is not the only question. Besides cricket, does our country actually care about any other sport?

Dance gurus are exhilarated as so many of their students have shone brilliantly in their school final exams. What a double delight to have a good dance student who also excels in academics! The turning point arrives when girls turn 18, and leave for brighter financial horizons! The only hope is that the experience of 10 years in a dance environment has sensitized them as individuals and future rasikas.

So, this editorial is about the lesser revealed and not so glamorous work that some dance advocates are immersed in. While thousands are rehearsing, filming, posting videos of themselves in warm up sessions and weight training, I am sidestepping this nonstop barrage of videos to write about what caught my eye and mind space.

Read on...