A Typical Sunday in a (MSDC) Dancer's Life

Everyone loves Sunday. Waking up late, being lazy, just chilling. Welcome to a MSDC Sunday!
As an MSDC dancer Sunday is probably the CRAZIEST day of the week, not to say we don't still love it.

Most instructors teach on Sunday mornings for a few hours. I teach the Emerging Performers from 12:00-3:00 pm and lot of other instructors teach several classes in the morning hours. Then 3:00-5:00pm is the instructor act rehearsal. So all of us instructors and a lot of emerging performers who are also assistant teachers, continue our stint in the studio. Not so bad? I'm not done yet!

Then 5:00-8:00pm are rehearsals for other shows. Currently we are rehearsing not only for our student spring showcase but 2 major shows, ALSO in May. Whats more, all these shows are in the SAME week. So we had to split our team so two rehearsals are running parallel in two studios. Mona is running from one studio to the other, we are constantly looking at each others' progress and of course the general chaos, characteristic when 50 dancers are in the studio, occurs.

So 8:00pm and everyone is getting burnt out. But we are INCORRIGIBLE. We don't look at the clock, say its 8pm, and we should go home. Despite the junior performers' parents collecting outside the studio door, some of us reduced to a state where even lifting an arm seems like a Herculian effort, and the studio floor slick with sweat (sic!) we continue to ask Mona if we can run it one more time. This happens a few times. Even after that, people start running routines for another show, trying stunts, rolling on mats, doing handstands against the wall, until we are literally pushed out by the lone person from the Indian Community Center, who has agreed to stay on late to lock up after us.

With great reluctance we drag ourselves out, only to reconvene in the lobby or parking lot and begin talking, discussing and analyzing what we just did. Typically Amrita will pull out a bunch of costume options and we will spend another few minutes in further discussion. Then, instead of going home, we will decide that we haven't really hung out, so we will head to the closest restaurant (El Torito) and spend the next few hours there. Once again we will get stuck in the parking lot, when they kick us out of El Torito and then make our way home. Usually, when I get home I have a flurry of MSDC emails waiting to be read, so I start on the the work we have to do outside of the studio.

It is exhausting but in a great way. Everyone's Facebook statutes talk of soreness, but all with a sense of joy and accomplishment. MSDC Sundays are GRUELING but INCREDIBLE. We wouldn't want it any other way!

Crazy things that I've seen in the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

BART is the train I use for all my commuting to San Francisco. I love it! I hate it! I can't survive without it. I get a lot of work, reading, writing, calls, done during transit. At the same time the 50 min. each way commute can be tedious, especially if one is going to be in SF for a short time.

Anyways these are the craziest things that I have experienced in BART:

#3 This dude gets on the train and falls asleep after figuring out that he has the last stop. We get to the last stop. He doesn't wake up. People around him try to wake him up but give up. He continues to sleep as the train heads back where it came from. Wonder where he woke up!

#2 This guy keeps looking at me and finally asks me if I have a boyfriend. I tell him that I am married. He gets worked up and upset at me for not keeping my ring more VISIBLE!

#1 This one is the WORST! This girl sitting across the aisle, suddenly comes to the old lady and starts screaming at her, asking her not to stare at her. The old lady is disoriented and she says "I wasn't even looking at you." This girl takes it to a WHOLE new level. She's says "I am not a lesbian. Don't look at me." She says this like 5 times. Another lady says, "hey relax! You are a pretty girl. Its OK." This girl goes CRAZY and starts cussing the lady, saying "I know you wish you could get with me." She just trips out. It was a little bit scary, a little bit icky (she was so homophobic), a little bit pathetic.

These are just 3 incidents that I was thinking about. There have been so many more. Public transport can make for interesting blog entries, never knew that before.

Making Emcee Hash's music video

This weekend we were shooting Emcee Hash's video. Emcee Hash is a talented rapper who fuses sounds of the East & the West. He also happens to be my husband!

This particular song, called "Naach," has a smooth, sensual and GROOVY feel which Mona Sampath captured beautifully through her choreography. I was really excited that she agreed to choreograph it and six of my gorgeous dancer friends, totally set it on FIRE. Hash and Steve worked out the venue months ago; it was shot at The Garage, a space that resonates with intimate familiarity, being the first space, where I presented my work professionally in the Bay Area.

As always, overloaded with preparation for various shows and classes, we  managed to finally squeeze in a SINGLE rehearsal where Mona taught us the choreography. Amrita had spent a good three hours the previous night coordinating mine and Hash's clothes. Me and Hash spent many more hours in the mall, figuring out things to match.

Ruby, who does the makeup for all MSDC shows, did our makeup even though we had a super low budget. It was GLAMOROUS! Most of us rushed straight from teaching class, to spend hours getting ready and finally arrived at the venue in San Francisco. Hash and Steve, with the crew, had already set up the lights.

Since Hash had insisted I be the lead, I had a chance to watch the dancers, which I usually don't get to do. Even as I was dying to join them, I was blown away by how amazing they are and I felt so PROUD,  that I dance with them. I was also really proud of Hash, because he always gets into the zone and it is amazing to watch him in action. It was funny to see him surrounded by my friends who were exuding hotness!

After 5 hrs of shooting in various angles, different permutations and combinations and costumes, we were done. It was a lot of work but in a satisfying way. It was so great that the entire crew knew each other. Hash and me were both a bit nervous but we had such a supportive environment that it all fell into place. Between the dancers, Steve, Mona and Ruby (who insisted on doing our touch-up after every few shots), I think we managed to bring out the best in each other.

The video will take while to edit and I can't even IMAGINE how incredible it will be! Stay tuned!