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!

Sonoma: a moment plucked from time

There is something PRICELESS about being able to take a day untainted by routine and just slip through a gap in time. Spending just one day in Sonoma, among the gentle roll of the green hills, the hints of spring in the air and the delicious sunshine.

We indulged a bit by staying at this beautiful place called Cottage Inn and Spa. My FAVORITE thing was the fountain in the center, where in the evening flames simmered through glass pieces, while the water continued to flow underneath. I also loved the outdoor courtyard with its beautiful sculptures, plants and comfy seating. The designer was a ROMANTIC, no doubt about that! All the lights in the room could be dimmed, there was an in-room jacuzzi, and candles everywhere. There was a little T.V with some movies and a boombox with a collection of cds. And a heated mattress which can heat just one side of the bed which is awesome because I like to be TOASTED, and Hash, definitely not.

We went to Bartholomew winery which was nestled in the midst of the hills and it was fun to just hang there. I preferred the wines at Roche and Charles Creek, though they were in downtown so nowhere as picturesque. It was a fabulous day enhanced by sun-soaked skies and colorful blossoms, punctuated every so often with wine tasting (also cheese and olive oil tasting!) We woke up early on Sunday to find a basket of fresh baked goodies outside our door. Hash made coffee and then after a stroll through town, it was time to go.

It was a PERFECT day. It is nice to have a prolonged, luxurious holiday but small tidbits of time, in the midst of daily chaos, are MUCH needed. A week later, drenched in work, I am reminiscing...

A tribute to my students

My students and their parents constantly shower me with appreciation but I haven't had a chance to tell them how IMPORTANT they are to me. This is for them.

There are days when I am exhausted, overworked and life has poured unusual amounts of insanity into my plate. And I really feel like I cannot get through class, but the moment I walk into the studio and start conducting the warm up, EVERYTHING falls into place. I love the energy, enthusiasm and the willingness to learn that greets me every time I walk in.

Over the years, I have seen students walk in who say "I have never danced before. Is that ok?" And I always say "that's what I am here for." Someone once said that the "limits are only in your IMAGINATION." I have learnt to believe it. I have seen students grow and blossom and with every session they become stronger dancers, better performers. I am not very liberal with praise and often have a reputation of being a strict and demanding teacher when it comes to the junior/teen age group. That is because I want them to constantly push themselves, but every time a session ends, I feel a tremendous sense of pride. And when they are on stage, they always SHINE. And sometimes I don't say anything because words fail me.

The kids are a different story altogether. They have a question for everything, an explanation for everything. They always bring a smile to my face. Often when I try to teach a step, they come up with INCREDIBLE imagery to describe a movement. I teach them how to dance but in the process learn so much more. Parents often talk about how its hard for kids to adjust to another instructor but the feeling is MUTUAL! It is really hard for us to give up our classes. I still drive an hour to Evergreen because I am so attached to my classes. And I know its the same for so many other MSDC instructors.

At the same time, I want to thank the students for their faith in me and for registering quarter after quarter and believing in my ability to teach them something more, challenge them in a different way, draw out something new from them. Ravi Shekar and Shobha Kunder have been with me since the first class I taught with Naach and then with Mona; a journey of 3 yrs. My Pleasanton juniors Akanksha, Saumya, Ankitha & Saloni have been there for every performance quarter, also for 3 yrs. There are so many more who have been with me EVERY quarter since they began and that really means so much.

This is just for all my students to know that I feel honored and humbled, and to thank them for their loyalty and love. Got to LOVE being a teacher!

The Dance Business

So I always think of dance as an art but as one tries to make a living out of it, at some level it does become a business. But it is still dance. Its about being in the moment, experiencing something special and SHARING that experience.

As I am gradually learning, grant writing, marketing and knowing how to talk and write about one's work is essential. Joe Landini, who runs The Garage in San Francisco, once said to me that "the more you are successful at doing what you do, the more time you need to spend away from it." That is so so TRUE. I had my first home season last year and I spent less time in the studio than I did on my computer. But even as we strive to get more students, audiences, funds, what drives the process is passion and commitment.

I think an environment where one is competing but in the process, enabling and supporting one another exists, such has been my experience in the SF Bay Area community. There are some stunning dancers who dance with me, who also choreograph their own work, dance for other artists and sometimes we are showcasing our choreography in the same festivals. I think that is freaking AMAZING! And its so much fun to feed off each others' energies and ideas.

On the flip side, I have had some really BIZARRE experiences as well. People claiming credit for stuff they haven't done, joining one company and then soliciting their students and teachers to join their own, and other UNETHICAL stuff that I cannot even begin to describe. But when I look at them I don't see artists, and they are definitely not driven by their love for dance.

I think that as artists we have to learn to market ourselves, but not at the cost of our art. Else, what is the point? We may as well quit and take up a career that actually pays!

Finding Balance

I remember, when I started learning dance, people would always keep talking about FINDING CENTER. Finding that point where you push down through your feet, reach up from the top of your head, extend and lengthen and lo and behold! you achieve balance!
                                           Photographer: Rob Kunkle

Easier said than done. Much like life. That is one of my goals for this year. Balancing choreography and performance, teaching and learning, dance and other aspects of my life. Every day I try. Sometimes I fail, sometimes succeed. But I try to do it with a sense of calm, which does not come easily. TRY is the keyword.

Teaching about 14hrs a week, spending a few (or a lot of) hrs. in rehearsal, taking class (which I want to do a lot more of), doing other non-dance stuff which supports the dance stuff, I come home quite exhausted and usually with zero inclination to research, mail, cook, clean, or all the other things I should be doing. Sometimes I even become a social recluse. I am oblivious to what is happening in the world and am often jolted awake by Facebook statuses.

Then I go an a MANIC spree catching up on everything and realize that once again something is getting left out. Emails slipping through gaps, applications getting dangerously close to deadlines, me getting seriously close to exhaustion. Then a  reevaluation of everything and a new beginning.         
                                                                                       Photographer: Rob Kunkle
These are a few of my goals for the year: take more dance classes, practice more yoga, BREATHE, read more and in a more balanced manner (usually a book can keep me riveted to an extent that I forget to eat, sleep and move). Cook more (don't think it will become a passion, but maybe a habit), wake up earlier, less CAFFEINE, spend more quality time with friends and family, less negative energy, try and have our place look more habitable, STRESS less, be willing to let go, write more, and just try and be a better dancer, better teacher, better PERSON.

Finding balance does not happen. Just like one doesn't ever become a dancer. One is constantly BECOMING; it is a process. I may never find it. But I will get closer.