Alive and Dancing....

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

It has been six months now since I resumed my learning of bharatanatyam.

I had joined on the spur of the moment. After enrolling my seven year old daughter for the classes, I was in class watching one day, when I told the teacher that having learnt bharatanatyam for several years, it is a little difficult for me to just sit and watch. And she very kindly asked me to go ahead and dance.

I have been enjoying the experience. But it is also a funny situation.

The teacher is almost my age. In fact, she could be a year or two younger…I didn’t try to find out! So I avoid doing the usual falling at feet stuff…

The oldest kid in the most senior batch would be 17. That is exactly half my age! Unlike in India, there are no students older than that since all the kids leave Dubai after the 12th grade, for higher studies, in India or abroad.

Since I can go for classes only on weekends, I sometimes have classes with the seniors and sometimes with the juniors who would be 10-12 year olds.

Since the little ones are also there and they are learning the basic steps (or adavus), we seniors also join them sometimes…some kind of warming up, refresher and stamina building. This means I get to dance with my daughter! Isn’t that just wonderful!

Well…I thoroughly enjoy learning with the kids..not sure if they enjoy having an ‘aunty’ in their midst!

I have fun observing them…especially in the practice room inside where we go and wait or practice when someone else is dancing.

The tiny ones sincerely practice till the class is over and then they promptly start playing with the teacher’s six year old son and all his toys.

The juniors generally make a lot of noise...talk a lot. They are also very competitive. Each one wants to do better than the other. They are also prompt in pointing out the mistakes of the others. And they perform best when the teacher gives them a ‘test’ with marks.

One of these girls asked me if my daughter was my sister. I was quite thrilled but I think it was less because I look young and more because she couldn’t believe that mothers would dance! When I said she was not my sister but my daughter, she looked shocked and asked me..’Does that mean I can call you aunty?’. I told her that I believed that was the right thing! :-|

The seniors hardly ever practice …how can they when there are so many interesting things to talk about. You know like boys, school, boys, movies, boys, songs, boys… I have a feeling they might be the ones most troubled by my presence, poor things, because they would have to censor quite a lot of their talk with me around… they really don’t need to..but they don’t know that!! Every little chance they get, they start one of these ‘interesting’ topics..sometimes even during the class. The teacher and I usually share a smile and roll our eyes!

But I am really enjoying the whole experience. Nothing else could get me out of bed and in the class at 8 am every weekend!

5 other wanderers:

Reflections said...

Wonderful Wannabe.....I can imagine ur excitement:-))!!!

I've been wanting to go for piano classes for sometime now but for some reason or the other it is not happening.
I've also been singing praises of the piano classes to my kids but both are not interested:-S

Age doesnt matter.....my mother goes for classes at her age & I think its great:-)).....just enjoy...but then I dont think I have to particularly tell u tht...ur post says tht u r having fun:-D.

p.s: Seriously...when I hear teenagers nowadays I cringe & automatically think of my heydays....I mean..were we also so...so...silly:-/

p.p.s: so u sat in front of a blank page today huh;-D

WannabeWriter said...

@reflections: Piano classes? You know of any good ones? I want to send my daughter if possible. :) Yeah, I am having fun. And I must say this for the kids that they don't make me feel out of place..they seem to like to have me around and even take my help with learning things..that is actually gratifying. :)
p.s. I know!!! hee hee....
p.p.s. No denying that our conversation yesterday was the motivation for putting this down! ;)

Butterfly said...

I can imagine how u feel. After deliberating a lot, I joined a freestyle dance class about a month back. And it is fab. Just love the feeling. Yes, I picture the instructor laughing his lungs out at night when he pictures us dance, but what the heck. We are a far cry from how we started out.
I have no choice but to take my kid along. She decided to join us as she was bored. She did all the splits with ease and I just wish I could move like that! Sigh!

Anonymous said...

I think it's great!!

Life long learners, yes.

WannabeWriter said...

@Bins:Freestyle dancing must be fun! Forget the instructor! Just enjoy! And isn't it fun dancing with your daughter! :)

@Agnes:I plan to learn for as long as I can..at least till the joint pains and back pains catch up with me! ;)

 
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