5, 6 ,7 ,8 and go....

I entered the dingy room without expectations and was instantly blown away in stupefaction!

Swirling smoky air, flickering lights, thumping floor with high bass beats and beautiful people all around swaying to their best! I stood on the spot to take in everything.

Glamour was oozing out from every corner. Shimmering costumes, high heeled boots, coloured shorts and short Tees, smart dresses and long earrings, cool denims and white shoes. Faces painted with red lips, sparkling eyes and polished nails, long golden curls and short bob cuts, perfumed bodies mixed with sweat.

The enigma of the place was mesmerizing to the senses but the energy that was being churned out here was one of a kind. Everyone seemed to be in a trance of their own dance and  as they would get completely immersed in themselves, some unique styles were emerging out of them. As the DJ continued playing beautiful tracks one after the other, the noises and shouts in the crowd kept on booming the hall like a one big team getting ready for the match.

This was a Shiamak Bollywood dance party in UK! And although hard to believe I was one of the performers just like all the crazy bouncing people around me.

I mingled in the crowd trying to fit in with everyone. Hesitance was playing its part as always but slowly I started letting lose along with my dance group. The real fun started when it was time for performances!

Every batch started with hundred shouts and cheers uplifting them to an unparalleled high energy. Some danced with confidence, some with power, some with grace, some with ease and some didn’t care a damn about the routine! There was so much they all were conveying and giving through their performances that the audience moved along with them not just physically but emotionally too.

Nonetheless, there was that small flutter in my stomach that was stopping me from enjoying the beautiful dances around me.  It was the flutter of anxiety, flutter of uncertainty and flutter of impatience that started increasing as our turn to perform came nearer.

As I entered the dance floor in my rehearsed steps along with my group, million things went through my head- where am I heading, who’s looking? Is there something under my feet? Is my dress looking good? What are the next steps? And blah blah blah.

I think I even forgot a few steps in the mayhem of getting adjusted in that dark crowdy place.

And then all  of that internal chatter was suddenly drowned as the music got louder and along with it the cheers in the crowd. Coloured lights flashed in my eyes and beats of the song danced in my ears. And without a conscious choice, I entered a zone unknown to me.

My body simply moved automatically to the familiar tune and all the million questions in my head melted way. The beats guided my body and the words flowered on my face. The only thing that flowed through me at that moment was pure Joy!

I could feel my mind letting go of all inhibitions, barriers breaking way and shyness evaporating.

My body moved energetically in its own rhythm, the crowd around me joined me in the dance and it felt like the whole world is with me rejoicing in nothing but  unadulterated happiness for the sake of happiness.

New found energy energised my muscles, my hands and legs bounced like never before releasing all that I ever held back. As we shared winks and smiles within our group while dancing, the synergy of our synchronised actions multiplied our spirit!

I danced like there is no tomorrow and there was no yesterday! All there ever was, was that moment- lucid, liquid moment, like melted gold, glittering away in every direction, blending in our movements, shaping up with our body shapes, binding all of us together in oneness and exploding through us like a fountain of energy!

I knew it then!

Dance was not just about the practice and rehearsals and exercise and costumes.  Neither was it just about the skills, fame, appreciation or respect. It was something more than that.

 Dance is something that happens inside of you.

 Dance is about being alive in the moment of pure joy and happiness, connecting with the souls that you always belonged to and letting your body and face be the channel to express that energy in your own unique style!