Friedrich Nietzsche once said and I quote," Those who were dancing were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music".
Dance is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of expression. It emerges from the people just in order to be delivered back to the people. Infact, according to me, there is no greater feeling in the world than simply moving in rhythm to a piece of music and letting the rest of the world disappear.
The beauty of dance, is surreal. It's like the descent of the first raindrops onto earth.
It's like dreaming with your feet.
It's like creating the world you want to live in, yourself. It binds you in it's movements, to make you free.
Dance has always been sacred for me. And when I came to VIT in 2017, it wasn't long when I heard about The World Dance Day performances to be held in Greenos by the VIT Dance Club.
Let me take you on a journey to the past.
3 years ago
Year: 2017, Semester 1 -
The whole day I couldn't pay attention in any of my classes, because I was so eager to witness the performances and enthralled to know what all that hype was about. I clearly remember waiting for the clock to strike 6pm, when I was finally done with my classes, and I ran to greenos from SJT. I had no place to sit there, it was already so crowded. That didn't demotivate me.
One after the other, I saw performances by the six teams of VIT DANCE CLUB at that time. To say that I was in shock, would be an understatement. I decided to do everything that I could to get into this club and be where they are right now. To feel what it must feel to be on that stage, with those beautiful dancers.
Fast forward
To semester 2
Year:2017
Although auditions had me terrified and biting my nails in nervousness and anxiety, I made it through. I was a member of the club I so wanted to be in. I felt victorious.
Little did I know what lay ahead.
As freshers, we were full of energy for anything that comes ahead us. But we hardly knew what actually did.
We loved watching these dance club members perform, and we always wanted to be on the other side of the stage, perform with them.
It was our time to discover what it takes to put up the performance that brings a smile on everyone's faces, the performance which makes the audience enthralled and joyous, to understand what it actually takes to be a performer.
Here, I used the word performer, because it was not long before we realized how important it is to be a performer when you're on that stage, and convey your passion for dance to hearts of hundreds of people. How it's not just about getting all those moves right, but also to make it about your style. Which is definitely not an easy task.
Although, this is still just the tip of the iceberg.
We all know that discipline is the bridge between a goal and it's accomplishment. And to accomplish our goals, we take the hardest road possible.
Today, I'll share with you, the routine of these dance teams, you so dearly love to watch.
We get up at 5:30 am, to be present for the practices at 6 am sharp.
Anyone who comes five minutes late, has to run around foodys and greenos as punishment.
The practices go on from 6 am to 8 am after which we run back to our classes in those sweaty, damped clothes. Getting done with classes at 6pm , the run starts again from wherever our classes are, back to foodys for the practices. Which ends at 8 pm and we get half an hour to have dinner and assemble again for the night practices, from 9 pm to 12 am (which later changed to 1 am).
Without any exaggeration, at first it felt like a Herculean task. Not getting enough sleep, struggling to attend all the classes and ignoring the temptation to just go back to the room and sleep, trying to manage academics with the practices and also trying to give our best during the practices. There were times, when it all felt so draining. I wasn't sure I would be able to deal with this pressure. But the support provided from the seniors, listening to their stories that it isn't something alien that we're feeling, that they've felt it too gave us some kind of motivation, to sail through.
When finally, it was our turn to perform on that stage, flashbacks of memories clouded my eyes. Nervousness tried to drown me. I felt numb. It was the time. The time to make all that hardwork worth it. The time to live the dream to be "on the other side of the stage".
Although, it felt like I cannot move a limb, once we were on that stage, all we could hear was the music, blinded by the lights, something replaced the fear inside us. Something beautiful, something intoxicating.
All those months practices, the sweat and blood, the pain, everything blacked out in those 7 minutes of performance. Exhilaration and adrenaline rush succumbed us. At that moment, we didnt feel like dancers, we felt like stars.
At that moment, we just didnt dance, we bled euphoria on that stage. Couldn't see anyone, couldn't hear anyone, but the loud music and the synchronized heartbeats of all the teammates on the stage, who now felt like a family.
I still remember, when we bowed in front of the audience, when we could finally see them, when we could hear their cheering, their applause, when we could feel their love, tears stung my eyes. My throat choked. It was a discrete feeling. Of emotions overwhelmed. And that was the time when we all felt together, and we all felt the same. We vibed and resonated together.
It was that day, I realized how worthy it was. The pain, the agony, those sleepless nights, the struggle to not fall back in academics, everything....was worth it.
It's TRUE, everybody can dance. But it's the drive and passion that makes you a performer. Passion is the key to greatness.
And today, after three years, I'm grateful for whatever transpired, whatever events unfolded which led me to be a part of this beautiful set of people, who work day and night to immortalize their passion, to keep it alive, to bring forth life.
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