Dandiya on the Dance Floor!

After a day at our regular Saturday dance class, where we’re preparing for a show in London next month, Tulasi and I changed and went straight to the Saanji of a friend. A Saanji is a traditional Gujarati event preceding a wedding, consisting of an evening of dance and music and general merriment. The best part is the Raas-Garba – a Gujarati folk dance form that everyone can join in with – young and old, dancer or two left feet, men and women, Guju or (in my case) not! I was really excited. Last time I went to a Garba event was for another friend’s wedding almost two years ago. This was only my third time doing it but it’s pretty easy to pick up, especially if you’ve learnt any other kind of dance.

How aware I am of my skin colour varies depending on the context. It’s surprising how little it crosses my mind for the majority of the time that I’m surrounded by Indians – probably because I feel pretty Indian myself. Sometimes though, I become aware when other people are surprised by something and comment. At events like this, Tulasi and I often get people telling us how amazed they are that we can dance traditional forms like this, as if we’ve grown up knowing them. I suppose if nothing else, it’s more evidence that we are not our bodies. Being born a certain skin colour does not predispose you to to act or think in a certain way. The subtle differences in style and culture are learned through environment, but the joy of movement comes from within, regardless of race. It was great to see all the wedding guests getting up and dancing with abandon, especially all the first timers, who looked like they were having a blast!

Arguably the most fun part, is the Dandiya – the stick dance. Everyone gets one or two sticks and after getting into two lines, beat the sticks of the person opposite in a rhythmic pattern. After going through the pattern with one person, everyone moves down the line to the left, and the pattern repeats again. The live musicians gradually get faster and faster, so slowly that before you know it, you’re twirling and hitting and skipping at a dizzying rate! If you can’t keep up the pace, the line gets messed up – one incentive to keep going!

By the end of the night I was totally exhausted. My legs wobbled dangerously and my feet felt like I’d been dancing on sandpaper cobblestones. It was so much fun though – I can’t wait until next time.

Speaking of Gujarati, since Slumdog Millionaire came out, every Patel I know (that means lots) is trying to claim their family ties with the lead actor of the film, Dev Patel. He hails from Harrow, just a ten minute drive from here – so everyone seems to know someone that went to school with him, or who used to be his peer mentor, or was his cousin’s best friend – the list goes on. They’re rightly proud. It’s a fantastic film and he really performed well in it, even more remarkable considering it’s his first feature film. The critics in the West have been almost unanimously proclaiming its glories, but there’s been a lot of controversy over whether it represents the ‘real’ India. I read a great article the other day by an Indian reviewer, that examines the issue, including whether or not it’s relevant to scrutinise a great piece of entertainment on such a deep level. Like any country, ‘India’ is comprised of so many different realities, none of which I think this film was seriously trying to portray. You can read the article here: ‘Fiction not Fact’.