Pursuit of perfection

It takes a lifetime to achieve some measure of perfection. Dance is no exception. I treat my dance learning as a lifelong journey. There is no end to mastering this art. Inspite of having performed the Odissi dance repertoire as a teenager, I had to learn all the basics from scratch. This was the condition if I were to switch gharanas. The subtle nuances were different, I was now seeing through the eyes of an adult. What I had retained was only my deep love for Odissi.
It took a lot of dedication and determination to mould myself in my Guru's style. In the past 6 years, I have never missed a lesson or been late. It has taken me months to master some steps.
I never do things half-heartedly. I always strive for perfection: be it my costumes, my stage make-up, my video or my dance. Everything is done with total passion.
When people ask how I manage to breeze through certain steps, I tell them to step into my shoes and show committment to your Guru-Guru shradha and ofcourse, work hard. There is no getting around that! I practice with all different age groups repeating the same choreography again and again. Unless, I have guests for dinner, I stay on while batches of students come and go.
I would have learnt faster had I stuck with private lessons but this group interaction has helped me develop better. Going for dance is my only break from the daily mundane routines. In the US you have many more household responsibilities. You have to feel happy and energetic to get through the week.
Dance is my elixer. I don't complain about the driving or the rehearsels, I am grateful to be able to pursue it with my mind, body and soul.