Looking back at 2010

RDM team had a super run this year. The Indian festivities are over as we get ready to embrace the holidays. In a month's span we did 4 shows before I squeezed in 2 lecture demonsrations. All of them were highly demanding. I had been the one wondering why there was such a lull after our mega Aug 1st show. God certainly heard my complaints. The test was my endurance to withstand the pressure of changing repertoire and gruelling rehearsels.I thrive on such challenges. Nothing makes me more happy than counting the number of shows we need to do.
I started learning dance to find a little joy in this alien land. Little did I know the call of stage grows on you. I love the groups where I can feel the vibes and energy of my team. Switching gears to do the solos is extremely challenging but once on stage everything else is forgotten-it's only the dancer and her audience.
Winter isn't a quiet sabbatical for us. We learn new pieces getting ready to hit the stage for summer. Most conferences and festivals are booked in July. August is the only time off before we get into the Puja frenzy.
This year I had the added excitement of 2 shows during Diwali. We presented a totally different repertoire at the ESU campus. We had a challenge to top our last years performance. It is always a joy to be at a college campus, feeling the buzz and enthusiasm of the students. The audience was spellbound by our stunning rendition of Bollywood classical songs. It was a departure from our all classical repertoire. A lot of thought and practice had gone into making our choreography novel and refreshing, yet true to our pure, classical Odissi technicalities. The Diwali dhamaka was there in our Bollywood beats.
One more show lined up for me in December at the prestigious Sruti event in Philadelphia, when I go back to performing timeless pieces from my Odissi repertoire. Then I too can get into the Christmas spirit. Let's hope the new year proves to be more successful and challenging than this one.