Just a few weeks away

My first traditional Kathak solo is just 28 days away ... yes, I am counting the days. I remember when I was counting how many months were left ... where has the time flown? I don't even know what to write about this exactly ... I'm practicing whatever I can, however best I can, and am waiting for the day that Guru ji sees what I've been working on, and gives me feedback ... i.e. changes it all. Guru ji had said that when choosing pieces for the solo, there should be one piece that is a risk, and very challenging for you. I'm trying to figure out which piece that is for me, because at this point, they all feel like they're over my head. (Sigh!) Keep plugging away ... and it'll fall into place at some point.

Refreshingly Different

Fine Acting Can't Save Straight

Heading out to India

I'll be heading out to India day after tomorrow. Naturally I haven't packed a single thing yet. Me, Kingsuk and Labonee will be going via Emirates to Kolkata. In our 7 hour layover in Dubai, we're going to hop out and do dinner with Smita :-) I'm looking forward to that. 

And then .... the craziness will begin! Labonee and I will be in India for three weeks with Guru ji, training for our upcoming solos (Oct 30th for me, Nov 22nd for her). 

A general schedule of the day will be waking up at 6am, practicing for two hours (footwork, w/o ghungroo), and then doing breakfast with Guru ji at 8am, when we have chai, samosas, toast, and fruit -- while planning out the rest of the day. 

At 10 am begins the real practice. Guru ji dons his black sweatshirt and sweatpants in the 100 degree Kolkata weather, puts on his ankle weights, and starts going up and down the three storied house we live in (third story being the roof). He does this continually for about 2 hours ... no A/C, and the fans are switched off. In the meantime, we are dancing downstairs -- he can hear us throughout, and will yell at us if we start slacking or just messing up altogether. He periodically will start playing the tabla and dancing at crazy high speeds, expecting us to emulate, and we will just stare at him blankly, and he'll continue his stair climbing. By the end of two hours, the floor has been wiped down several times from puddles of sweat, and exhaustion doesn't even begin to describe how we feel. Mind you, I am telling you this based on the time I went to India in the winter, when it wasn't even that warm ... I really can't imagine how I'm supposed to dance in that heat. 

So then we'll shower, eat lunch together, and go onto our daily errands ... this time Labonee and I have to get a lot of costumes made -- both for ourselves, as well as the costumes for the 'Sita Haran' that the Chitresh Das Dance Company is putting on in the end of September. And you know how it is in India ... getting one task done takes the whole day. 

In the evening, we have another class ... this one shorter, but not necessarily less intense. This is followed by another shower, dinner, and then downtime before collapsing to sleep. The 'downtime' is the only time I used to ever have to call Kingsuk, when he would be in America and I was out there ... we never talked more than 5-10 minutes. This time, Kingsuk will be in Kolkata for the first 10 days at his mother's place, so that won't be so much of an issue. 

Anyway, I'm very excited about the journey ahead. I'm praying that I don't injure myself from the extreme dancing, and come back strong, and ready to conquer my solo!! 

 

Punched in the Nose

I got punched in the nose yesterday when rehearsing the battle scene of Jatayu and Ravana. Seibi didi was emphatically 'cutting off my wing' with an imaginary sword clutched in her fist ... as I dove under her to dodge the blow ... but in all the movement and excitement, her fist came down on my nose ... HARD. 

At least if we had been rehearsing the Surupnakha scene, it would have been a story worth sharing. Anyway, no harm done. I just had a throbbing nose and head yesterday ... nothing a little icing and two Motrins couldn't take care of. 

Today my shoulders are killing me from flapping around like a bird so much. 

Inspirational

I just went to the IFFLA closing night film & gala ... if you go back to the beginning of my blog, the festival where Provoked was premiering was the same festival ... this year, though, I was there sans-film :-( But here's to hoping that next year, I will have a film in tow with me! (fingers crossed)

The closing night film was a documentary called 'Yes Madam, Sir,' on the life of India's first woman police officer, Dr. Kiran Bedi. I heard the subject, and dreaded having to attend this film ... but I figured, a) it's a documentary, I should broaden my knowledge of such films and b) I should attend this event. The film was to be followed by a Q & A of the director and by Kiran Bedi herself. 

Within minutes of the movie, I was hooked. Kiran Bedi was the symbol of courage and daring acts. But as the film developed, you saw that not only was she a damn gutsy woman, but of incredible belief in doing GOOD -- in the most averse conditions. And constantly, the Indian police is putting her down, at every step of the way. 

I really, really recommend that everyone see this film when it is theatrically released in India, the U.S. and Australia. If India had more people like Kiran Bedi, we would have so much more to be proud of in our motherland. 

Devdas Made Modern