Internation Dance Day special: 5 Benefits of learning this beautiful Art Form…!

Dance is something that makes you happy, that makes you feel free, and that makes you see and feel the world from a different perspective. Dance is not just a beautiful performing art form, it is also a way of living life, which teaches you so many things. We are talking about Dance today because today is International Dance Day, and I will be sharing 5 benefits of learning dance. Coming with 15+ years of learning experience in Kathak these benefits have helped me to shape my personality, I hope these will help you as well.

Talking about dance one thing I want to say here is, “Learning any classical form first is extremely helpful for an artist to perform different styles, or learn different dance styles.” This is something many classical dance gurus will say.

So let’s begin with the benefits of this art form :

1. Discipline: Learning dance or any other art form is not a cakewalk. Until and unless you are doing it, just for the sake of your hobby, you won’t keep it on your priority list. So when you keep it on your priority list, you learn discipline with this art form. Any classical dance form has some rules, it needs Riyaz every single day. From the attire to the footwork, to the expressions you will find discipline everywhere. So this art form inculcates a beautiful and most important aspect in your life, which is Discipline.

2. Hard Work: Any classical dancer will be a learner all his / her life. So it includes a lot of hard work. You have to practice that same bol every day maybe 20 times to get the perfection. To get the right “Sum”. This art form teaches you that nothing is easy in life, not even a small bol like “Takit Dha” you need to do a lot of hard work to get the right results. Learners practice 3-4 hours a day, without breaks at times. This art form teaches you the meaning of Hard Work and its importance.

3. Dedication: If you are a true dance lover you will have this quality inbuilt. To become successful in this art form, dedication is of the utmost IMP. Without dedication to this art form, you won’t be able to survive. There will be days, you will feel low, you won’t get your “sum”, you won’t get the Riaz perfectly, and at that point, this art form will teach you dedication, it will teach you if you will have dedication only then you will go forward. This is the most beautiful quality you can get.

4. Creativity: This art form is all about creativity. If you are creative you can present any song, any bol differently, originally and beautifully. You learn creativity with time as well. Learning this beautiful art form makes you more creative. And this attribute is something not everyone has.

5. being grounded: It keeps you grounded. It keeps you down to earth. Even if you become a huge celebrity in this art form, this art form will teach you to respect your gurus and to always remember that you are still a learner. Late Pt. Birju Maharaj said once “Your Kala should be like Brass and not like Gold. Because you keep the Gold in the locker but you take out Brass and clean it every single day to make it shine. Your Kala should be like Brass where you will shine it every single day.” This one sentence will always make you grounded and you will never feel like you are the most expensive metal in the world.

These 5 qualities will change you as a person altogether. Learning dance is a lifetime experience. If you can please do not miss it. Happy International Dance Day to all those whose heartbeat lies on their feet.

Keep Learning, Keep Dancing.

- Niharika Pole Sarwate