Performing for my Dance Teacher’s Memorial

Today was a bittersweet memory. I flew home this weekend originally to attend my school’s last football game of the season and my trip happened to coincide with a practice for my dance teacher’s memorial and my trip home next week will be her actual memorials. I had originally bought two plane tickets home weeks before her passing and it just so worked out that I would be here in time for the rehearsal and her memorial. Funny how the universe works out, huh?

So today we danced in the new studio and I thought to myself, “How funny that even though I graduated, I still get a chance to dance in the new studio!” I felt extremely lucky. While we were (re)learning the dance, it felt like being in class all over again and I was waiting for Miss Yoko to walk and peer into the window.

It’s the strangest feeling knowing that we’re going to be performing the last dance she ever choreographed and it really felt like she was watching us again. I already know I’m going to be so sore tomorrow (I can already feel it setting in) but it feels great. I don’t know how else to put it other than I feel lucky that I have a chance to do this, pay tribute and do the thing I love and honor my late dance teacher. She’s always going to be my dance teacher and it’s something I’ll never forget.

Salsa Class and Taco Tuesday!

I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday because our Taco Tuesday festivities put me right to bed! But it was such a fun Tuesday, I have to share it with you!

After work, Polly and I headed to our very first salsa class. It was a salsa basics class so we learned how to count the steps and how to do a basic turn. We didn’t have enough guys to girls so I volunteered to be a leader. I wish I had a chance to turn and be a follower but maybe next time.

After salsa class, we headed over to Hudson House for Taco Tuesday. It was packed and we thought it was going to be a while before we got a seat but luckily, our new friends knew all the bartenders and we were seated right away! The tacos were only $1 and they were delicious! I had four (that’s right, 4!) of the carnitas tacos. SO GOOD. We had a lot of fun with our new friends and I’m definitely going to try and go back to Hudson House to try some of their other foods. The head chef made it to the finals of Top Chef so her food is pretty well known now, hence the packed restaurant.

I think yesterday night has been the most fun Tuesday I’ve had here so far! Here’s to many more!

A Beautiful Arangetram

So some of you might be wondering why I’ve made a trip to Baltimore and then immediately follow it with a one-day trip to Boston – it seems like a lot of travel for not a lot of time spent. The actual reasoning is that I had planned to go to Boston all along for my godsisters’ arangetram. The timing was just in question because I wasn’t sure if I would have started work yet and so my plane tickets were a bit last minute. My dad threw in the trip to Baltimore so I could pay my sister a visit since I’ve never seen her at JHU before.

An arangetram is a debut for classical Bharatanatyam dancers as a way of presenting them to the community. The dancers are allowed to ascend the stage and dance for the public. My godsisters have been studying Bharatanatyam dance since they were 5 and 7 years old and 12+ years later, it was their time to make a debut.

The entire program is about two and a half hours long and is composed of several dances. Some are purely dance, some tell stories, and all are beautiful to watch. Coming from a dance background myself, I could really appreciate the intricacies of their movement – from the darting of their eyes to the precise nature of their finger and hand movements, it’s easy to see why it takes such a long time to master and perfect this art.

Their guru, or dance teacher, did a wonderful job explaining each of the stories before they danced and I think this really helped to engage the audience and allow them to anticipate what they were watching. All the dances were set to live music and orchestra.

The culture and tradition that this event is steeped in really prevails in all aspects. The traditional garb, the ghungroo bells, the intensifying eye make-up: all hours and hours of work in the making.

I’ve seen one arangetram before this one but I was really touched emotionally by this performance: maybe it was because I personally have known the two dancers from a young age, maybe it was because I was sharing the experience with my family; whatever the reason, it was an afternoon filled with color and beauty and a love for dance.