Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence - Helen Keeler.
The writing of a comical piece is a domain where even angels fear to tread. Light-heartedness can often dilute the essence of art. But what is life without its moments of spontaneous laughter…or even sorrow? To be able to combine both of them is truthfully delightful. One cold winter night, as my doorbell rang, I left my kitchen chores unattended to answer the door. A smiling face greeted me, enquiring if I was the well-known choreographer he had heard about. I asked him the purpose of his visit to my residence, instead of my dance studio. However, since he wished to only take a few minutes of my time, I ushered him in. He must have been around twenty-five, and had a potbelly, curly hair, pimpled cheeks and long uncut nails. Dressed in a crumpled green shirt and loose fitting trousers, he walked in and settled himself on the sofa. I could figure out from his weary look that he had come to see me straight after a day’s work. Before I could even utter a word, he implored loudly, “Madam, I want to dance. Please teach me.” The audacity of the words startled me and I stared at him speechlessly for a few seconds, before asking him the reason for his yearning to dance. He replied, “You see, Madam, I am getting married in a fortnight and I must learn to dance before that. I can come after work everyday for a couple of hours.” The genuineness in his voice began to politely blunt my defences. I looked at him in amusement and asked myself, “What has the world come to? How can I teach him to dance in a few days time? Is he joking?” I asked him, “What has your marriage got to do with dance?” He replied instantly, “Madam, my fiancée wants me to perform a dance item in the ‘Sangeet’ ceremony. In Punjabi culture the entire marriage party, including the bride and the bridegroom, dance together. I have come to you with high hopes. Please don’t deny me.” Though I wanted to explain to him that I was a Classical dance choreographer and that I would never attempt to teach ‘Bollywood’ dance, I saw myself reluctantly agreeing to teach him. And so began our dance classes. The first few days were the most hilarious days of my life. It was crystal clear that the man had two left feet. To make him move these cemented feet was an achievement in itself, as he attempted to groove to a Bollywood number often played by disc jockeys in marriage parties. I would fall off my chair in laughter, sometimes even rudely - but he did not mind. He refused to give up and continued with his comical movements. Soon there arose a challenge within me - I had to make this work. I began to correct his posture, steps and movements. After a week he felt that he had ‘perfected’ the steps, though I felt they were still out of place. Not wanting to break his confidence, I applauded his effort and wished him a happy married life.
Months passed, and I never heard from him. One evening the mailman brought a package from a person whose name I did not recognise. When I opened it I found a small note and a DVD of the ‘Sangeet’ ceremony of my confident ‘student’. His dance would have pleased even Michael Jackson. As the guests clapped, his fiancée could be seen coyly glancing at him in amazement. I had to admit that he had danced well, even exceeding my hopes. I had learnt a lesson – imparted by a student unknowingly to his teacher - that optimism indeed leads to achievement. The accompanying note read: “Dear Madam, I am doing fine and I thank you for teaching me to dance. We live in Seattle and I have enrolled myself in a Salsa school with my wife, and I dance thrice a week. Even though people laugh at me, I love dancing and I proudly tell them that you were my first ‘Guru’.” I looked up with tears in my eyes and hoped that my message would reach him: “I thank you, dear friend, for the joy you gave to me through your dance.”
The Writer is a renowned Kuchipudi Danseuse and Choreographer
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