I recently wrote a variation of this for a question about my passions and it was perfect timing, as today is the seven year anniversary of my Bharatanatyam Arangetram!
There is something about stepping onto an empty stage or opening a blank page in my journal that sparks an inspiration within me. Hearing the first beat of a melodious tune or seeing the first drop of ink hit my writing canvas ignites a fire within me. Dancing my heart out and writing down my soul allow me to express myself in ways that complete 
my life. Although these outlets started off as hobbies, throughout the years, these passions have guided me through the game of life. When my personal struggles or health put me down, I turned to creative arts to lift me up. If my depression stopped me from getting up in the morning, writing allowed me to share my story’s dilemmas. If my anxiety scared me away from sharing my thoughts, dancing empowered me to release my bottled-up emotions. Whether it is for helping me face and conquer another battle or allowing me to feel fulfilled and at peace, I can always count on dancing and writing to simply let me be who I want to be. I have to put effort into these passions—but it is an effort that comes so naturally. Once I understood the lasting impact that music and words have left on my own life, I decided to use these channels to have my messages resonate with others. Seeing people enjoy my performances, learn something from my blog or feel inspired to create a change fills my heart with a sense satisfaction and accomplishment. There is not much more I can ask for when I am doing what I love, while bringing happiness into others’ lives!
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Bharatanatyam: A traditional decision that allowed my parents to bring Indian culture into the lives of their American born-and-raised daughters. A physical activity that pushed the “jaadi” five-year-old to become more active. An art form that empowered a shy girl to become the expressive woman she is today. My life’s first passion that taught me about the power of music and inspired me to bring joy to others.
The main memories people have from my Arangetram or “dance graduation” are my terrifying facials from our snake dance, the fact that the intensive training left my knees essentially broken, or that they fell asleep because it was too long or boring (thanks for the support!!! 😜).
But it was so much more than that.
August 7, 2010 marked one of the most important days of my life. My Arangetram signified my debut performance, showcased my twelve years of classical training, and gave me the blessings of my guru to pursue my own path with dancing. Until that point, I had never worked as hard for something I was so passionate about. Like many young girls, I initially hated going to practices and desperately wanted to quit. I just wanted to keep doing other cultural dances and thought Bharatanatyam was boring. However, my five-year-old self soon learned to appreciate the beautiful art form and how it can allow me to be expressive in so many different ways. The journey taught me about persistence and pushed me to become stronger every single day.
Yes, my knees are weaker now–but that’s partly because I gave up on them. While training for my 3-4 hour long recital, my knees did shift around so everything is aligned more to the left than they should be. For years, doctors kept saying something was wrong, but no one knew what it was (a doctor finally gave me a diagnosis, but of course I forgot). However for the past seven years, I just let myself baby my knees to the point where I could barely do any physical activities with them. Not too long ago, my memories from my Arangetram motivated me to reinvest in myself and my health. In just the past few weeks, I’ve realized that my legs–which used to be the strongest part of my body–are now the weakest.
All those years required me to put in constant effort every single day. They don’t talk about the 10,000 hour rule just because they like that number! Giving up on my knees has shown through my journey with dancing. My energy dipped, my sharpness turned into wobbly poses, and my practices turned into sitting segments out.
As I continued making excuses, there were people around the world who continued their passion for dancing in such beautiful ways. This included dancers without legs, arms, sight or the ability to hear. These individuals creatively find opportunities to improvise, become stronger and keep going. They don’t let anything get in the way of delivering such powerful and inspirational performances.
I finally decided to stop crying from their performances and start learning from these amazing people instead (though I can’t help my emotional self from still bawling every single time). For anyone who knows about my “3 hour eating rule” or how I’m trying to get back in shape–this is why. I know I have to make major life changes to allow dancing to reclaim it’s original place in my life. Memories–not just from my Arangetram–but from the past 19 years of dancing have proven that this passion will continue to bring an unexplainable joy to my life. Even though I’m always smiling, the smile on my face and the feeling I have when I dance is unmatchable.
I’m sure a lot of people–especially the girls who have done their Arangetram–can relate to this. It becomes so easy to give up on any of your passions because you’re growing up, becoming too busy, are tired or have “weak knees.”
But it is so important to keep doing what you love, because letting go of something so special can be so detrimental.
And even if you did let go, don’t stop trying to bring it back into your life. You have so much more strength–both emotionally and physically–in you than you think. No matter how many valleys you fall into while trying, the view when you finally reach the peak of that mountain is one you don’t want to miss!
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Also perfect timing, because one of my closest friends, Piumi Jayatilake, just co-founded this amazing volunteer organization. If you are a dancer or in the health field (or just a human being), check our their Facebook Page.
Dance Medicine, MD is a volunteer physician led organization started in Metro Detroit with the purpose of connecting health with the creative process. Creative expression through dance has been embraced by various cultures as a way to heal. Dance Medicine, MD seeks to incorporate cultural exposure through dance (with the foundation being Indian dance forms) to improve health and well-being of individuals, families and communities.
Mission: Dance Medicine, MD serves predominantly underserved populations who can’t afford to pay for exercise, have limited access to cultural dance forms, and those striving for social connection. We are a volunteer group of health professionals – medical doctors and those aspiring to be – to create a culture of wellness in all communities regardless of socioeconomic status, zip code, race/ethnicity.
Vision: We hope to inspire healthcare providers to engage with their community to find solutions to health barriers through creativity. We want to empower each person we dance with to find ways to bring joy to health which are vital for the restoration of balance for both the mind and the body.
Increase your flexibility, muscle tone, strength, endurance, balance, spatial awareness, while exercising your mind, body, and creative being with Dance Medicine, MD.
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