'I hate Bharatanatyam'!
Shriya has to say it every week and before every class. And as unreal as it sounds, it does not perturb me one bit. I just calmly tell her that she does not have to dance if she does not want to and walk away. Within minutes, she's apologizing and begging me profusely to give her a lesson.
I completely understand and empathize with Shriya. I felt the exact same way about dance at that age. I guess it has something to do with the mother also being the dance tutor. My mom taught me and I'm teaching Shriya. I loved that tons of kids came to my mother to learn the art. Gave me easy access to friends and I got to play with them all after lessons. But, I also hated how professional she was about not letting them play till she had finished the class.
Me being a part of those classes never arose as I had proclaimed early on that I was not interested. I was only too happy when my mother declared that she would never force me to dance.
I patiently waited for my friends to finish their lessons and also watched them advance as dancers and some even going on to perform on stage. And at the ripe age of eight, I decided to give it a shot. And that was the beginning of the end of my attitude towards dance. Once I got into it, I couldn't get out. Ever.
Shriya once asked me if she had to learn dance because her mother and grandmother taught and performed it. I told her she absolutely did not have to but she did have the responsibility of giving it a try as it could be steeped in her DNA. The logic worked and she began.
And ever since she started, I've caught her practicing her 'adavus' (basic foundation steps)in the pool, on the soft white beach sands, in the bath tub! She mumbles theory from the ' Natyashastra' (guide book) as she's completeing her homework. Many a time, I've found her neatly folding her legs and walking in a certain (Tisram) rythmic beat to and from the loo.
I can confidently say that Shriya is way better at her adavus than I was at her age. She instinctively knows when to correct her posture. She insists that I videotape her lessons so she can check on her 'araimandi' (half squat). Potential, she definitely has.
The drama queen that she is, yesterday, she began another one of her ' I hate...'. I asked her why she went through the same old routine before every class. She was quiet for a while and then simply said 'my body does not want to dance. But my genes want to'. :-)
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