Grooving to the western beat

This is My first Article in The Afternoon. August 25 Issue.  

MUSIC...Let’s go... 5...6...7...8... This is the sentence one mostly associates with dance. Dance… why is the word so catchy? Is it because of the numbers, the music, and the dance steps or is it because you can speak through the language of dance and express yourself? 
Have you ever asked yourself why do you dance? The answer you get is not because it’s your passion or your hobby, but because you simply want to. Is that not true?

Throughout your college life, there is something that drives you. In the older days, it was classical music. Today, it’s dance, and not some regular dance at that. We are pulled towards the western dance forms, what you like to call the new style – street dancing, jazz- funk (takes the funk from hip-hop), contemporary and hip-hop. These dance forms have got our generation crazy. 

Learning dance is now becoming a trend. Dance is much more than art. It has a soul, a feeling. In India, the formsmentioned above are relatively new and are just taking roots. Bharatnatyam teaches you the technicalities of Indian classical dance. In the same way, dance forms like jazz and ballet teach you the technicalities of western classical dance. Learning the technicalities of these dance forms can turn you into the dancer you know you can be and want to be. Students earlier had studies on their mind first and whatever spare time they had left, they would dedicate it to their hobby. But today, a student schedules his studies after his dance rehearsals.

Shahzeb Sheikh, a student from St. Andrew’s College says, “I rehearse for four hours a day and then study. I dance because I love the art form. Learning the technicalities of the western dance makes me believe that I can be the dancer I want to be. It can take me to a level from where I can become a professional dancer.”

Our country has finally started accepting art forms – dance, photography and even painting – as a profession. Collegeshave incorporated the western dance forms in their college festivals. Dance crews are formed for the love of dance. Our own college campus is provided for dance training. We have a special intra-college dance event, ‘Jhankar’ dedicated only to dancing and it’s not surprising that it generates a lot of audience, as well as participants.  


I am gonna go and enroll myself for dance lessons.
Till then, don’t miss a beat and dance to the tune of your heart. Let’s hit it!!