ANITA SAYS.....

We will not go back to normal
Normal never was.
Our Pre Corona existence was not normal
Other than we normalised greed, inequity, exhaustion
Depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion,
Rage, hoarding, hate and lack.
We should not long to return my friends.
We are being given the opportunity
To stitch a new garment.
One that fits all of humanity
And nature.

- Dr. BRENE BROWN
School of Social Work, University of Houston, Texas

What do I say that has not already been said, seen and performed during these part 30 days?
I am so fed up with my phone and my iPad. I am sick and tired of desperate dancers performing in their non photogenic homes just so "they are not forgotten." I have seen so much bad dancing, especially Bharatanatyam, that it has turned me off this wonderful form for a while.

Dance is about human interaction. It's about the sweat and the panting and the effort and the exhaustion. It is about the exhilaration and excitement of having completed a phrase, an item, a performance, a rehearsal well. It is about the RASA of human eyes watching another human body in the same physical space and not through the cold, glassy eye of the camera. It's also about embracing and being applauded by actual audiences and not by "likes" and "heart" emojis.

I have enjoyed the riches of the world's greatest museums and cultural spaces. Operas, ballets, online tours, ancient history talks, cooking lessons, language lessons - my days have been filled with so much that I did not feel one day blurring into the next.

I have given myself permission not to create, rehearse or even ideate anything connected to dance during this past month. Instead, I started plant based cooking to support my daughter's vegan lifestyle, helped her raise money to care for abandoned house pets, started a terrace garden and supported the feeding of stranded migrant workers. I also reached out to folk and village artistes with whom I have been working for the past 25 years and seen to their daily needs. All this has not been glamorous, or visible and certainly not selfie worthy.

It may not have enriched my dance practice but it enhanced my inner self.
I have felt more connected, more peaceful and more in sync than ever before.
Not to mention dropping those 5 to 7 pounds that was stubbornly sticking to my waist and hips!

BUT... BUT... BUT... this pandemic has revealed extraordinary generosity and blatant opportunism. The lockdown has energised some and debilitated many. The arts have been called upon to step up and show the frightened and quarantined world a ray of hope. The nimble and prepared have stepped into the digital world without missing a step. From #ZOOMA NATYAM and #DIGITAL SABHAS to #INSTA LIVE and #YOUTUBE showcases, we have seen the vulnerability of near perfect dancers struggle with technology, reveal their vulnerability and often, warm our hearts.

Read on...