“Why do you dance?”

“Why do you dance?” they ask. Why? That’s the question, is it? Just because. Because it makes me happy. Because, it is a state of BEING. Just because it’s the one thing that crosses space and time, like love. It’s the closest thing to magic; it IS the Big magic. Like taking in a breath of fresh air in the nothingness of space. What did it teach me? To live. To live beyond the realms of existence. To say YES, cause the time is ticking and the world is spinning and there’s not enough time to dance. And yet, a minute seems like an hour, an hour like a minute; living ten lifetimes in one.

It’s not important enough, they say. Doesn’t take you to mars or save people from dying. Sure, it might not fly me to space but it takes me to the space within. It doesn’t help wave “hi” to the aliens out there, but befriends the one living inside me. The stranger in me dances with joy of finally being found.

“Doesn’t make you a living!” they call. Sure, it doesn’t come with gaudy gold or stashes of cash, but it brings me LIFE. It makes me capable enough to take care of art as it spends years caring for me.

“What will the world say?” they growl. Who cared about crowns of respect anyways?

“What did you gain?” they ask. What did I ever lose?

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm. Everything dances.” Cliché, huh? True, nevertheless. That’s what art is, the ultimate path to the truth of self.

I stepped into the world of dance when I barely knew what fractions were. Now I know exactly what those are. I spend about 9 and 3/4^th of ten life with dance. The eight-year-old kid never knew where this would take her. The first performance, all I knew was exhilaration of movement. Beautiful gestures and footwork. They say, as we learn better, we understand just how stupid we are. How ginormous the vessel of knowledge is, and how little we know. In short, dance grounds oneself. It questions the deepest secrets of your mind that you think you’d carefully shoved down. It sends you spiraling into the cavernous soul, seeking the ultimate truth. Or as Paulo Coelho calls in ‘The Alchemist’, the “Soul of the world”. It’s a blessing. The bridge that connects our physical body to the emotional spirit. Something that exposes us naked to our purest self.

The other day, as I was busy collecting seashells by the shore, my eyes caught a ballet dancer. Like dancing to the music of the ocean inside the shells, she glided effortlessly through the sand. Like no one was watching. Yes, not flawless, art never is, but she was present in the dance. She felt every movement, and so did I. When we dance, the nature dances with us, in more ways than one.

The air, water, fire, sky and earth. They make up the very essence of art. The air dances in our lungs as we gasp, holding the smile no matter what. The fire inside of us is evoked with every action. Powerful like the water from the falls, or smooth like that of a spring, we have every move. Endless, like the horizon, where meet the sky and earth.

D- Devotion, dedication and discipline.

A- Art, awakening and anchor.

N- Nurture, nature and a necessity.

C- Courage, concentration and calmness.

E- Enchantment, expression and essence.

That’s the definition of dance. Moved yet?

Let’s write a letter to dance, shall we?

Dear DANCE,

I missed you! Been 2 days since I last saw you. What do you mean I should learn to live without you? Codswallop! Whoever says that is clearly not in the right state of mind.

You have been the shadow that followed me all my life. Sometimes dark and clear while obscure at times. Nevertheless, we have always been together.

 People ask, “After all this time?”

“ALWAYS”.

You were never an ability, always a CHOICE. I chose you to define what I was. Now you’ve got yourself a buddy that will stick around just as long. My quill! You reintroduced me to another love of my life. I’m grateful, or I’d never be writing this today.  

You broke me and you built me. In your arms I collapsed multiple times, with a light head and streams of sweat. And though you took me out, you caressed me and held my hand as I got up. My arms and legs beg me to stop, as my lungs gasp for breath. Grappling for my life after hours of long dates everyday, you somehow still manage to bring me joy. Isn’t that a bit odd? Hah! An incredibly weird relation for sure.

You introduced me to one of the finest traditions in the universe. One that I owe my entire existence to. One that teaches me every single day. That’s the biggest gift you could ever have given me.

With all the love you taught me to radiate,

Mrunmayee.

What I really mean to say is that I would always dance, no matter the audience and applause.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” -Friedrich Nietzsche