Girls night out in Delaware

Delaware was the surprise this season. We were excited to be going to a different neighborhood. The RDM team went in 2 cars, stopping at places to pick-up dancers en-route to Delaware. I-95 was notorious as ever; the traffic heading for a game in Philadelphia. Some of us had to do make-up & hair in the car.
It was a hilarious car ride. We knew that even though we had split up, all of us were practicing the same songs, since we could see heads and hands moving in unison in two different cars. Practically all of us drive nowdays with one hand on the steering, the other in a mudra. Facial expressions is practiced on all other drivers. Driving to a venue is always adventurous. It's the drive back later in the night which is awful. You feel so drained out that no amount of Dunkin Donuts works on the system, all you want to do is sleep.
The organizers had a killer dinner waiting for us. We were royally treated. Having always had a diet of samosas, Gatorade or energy bars this was a treat- something unexpected. We had to dance after eating the mithai and batura. Fo the Aug 1st show, we hadn't eaten anything the entire day. What a contrast? It's a bad idea to bring us food before our show but all that drive made us forget our usual discipline.
The dances went without a hitch. We had a different sequence here since Guru Mitra was dancing and some of our dancers were not there. All this had to be co-ordinated in less than a week. I did my solos and disappeared to help with the costume changes. Suddenly there was loud applause, I literally ran on to the stage to find my series of group dances starting. If I didn't enter at the right minute, the rest of the dancers would be stuck on stage.
It was a rare treat to watch our Guru dance. I never watch any dancer before I perform but I too couldn't let this moment go. I had to be there to understand the essence of the moment. Videos would never bring the same feelings in me. Her Bangla dances to Tagore's poetry were a big hit with the puja crowd. Standing in the wings we could learn first-hand how to emote & captivate the audience. Mitra's fast paced Odissi piece, Battu dedicated to Nataraja had us all spellbound by her complex footworks. We were charged up to do our pallavi. The pace and mood had been set by Mitra. We had to keep the momentum going.The audience equally appreciated the classical pieces and the Bangla songs. This was well worth the travel!
Show over, having wooed the Delaware folks we switched back to Mommy mode. I had made numerous calls before going on stage trying to fix my son's imaginary tummy ache but I knew it would disappear the second he reached his friends house. Still all of us were crazy worrying about dinner and bed time, none of us were in a mood to enjoy the puja festivities. Strangely, all we wanted to have was a regular Saturday night, reading to our kids and tucking them in bed. But we are dancers, this is our version of Girls night out.

There is never a dull moment

On the occassion of Kali puja hosted by NJPA in Monmouth Junction there was never a dull moment. Backroom action was enough to match the stage performances. The show started at 8.00 in the evening, that is way after my regular dinnertime. Since I don't eat before dancing, it was quite an ordeal to see others dig into their food. After waiting forever in my attire and commuting for over an hour with an oversized mirror, there had to be a good reason for me to dance.
After the opening act, I had a minute to change for my solo and wear my bells. In all the confusion, one of my props went missing. The music started. I looked at my guru Mitra and knew I had to improvise. I followed my heart and focussed on my expressions. This song was very dear to me. It's the dance we performed at Madison Square Garden 2005, Banga Sammelan. I had to do justice to my guru's faith in me.
Well, the drama continued. We had to go for costume changes in a span of 7 minutes.
6 dancers and one mirror. We had to do it. No time to fight over the mirror.
I had another challenging solo followed by a group. I had learnt my lesson. I clutched my prop this time. We kept up our spirits and danced our hearts out.It was one of my best performances.
The applause still echoes in my ears. This feeling of love and support from the community is what makes us go on with the hope that we have to top this next time.