#danceforgood

#wish 🌈🙌🏽💯 #live4good #click4good #easttowest #danceforgood

While attending a show during my initial days in Mumbai, I learned about and witnessed a touching performance from Shiamak Davar’s Victory Arts Foundation. VAF is the outreach branch of Mr. Davar’s dance company, and hosts classes and performances for people of mixed abilities and from a range of less privileged economic backgrounds. From that initial introduction, I was interested in becoming involved with the foundation in some way but hadn’t yet had the chance. Luckily, an opportunity came up this week to perform in one of the “Dance for Good” or D4G events. Every month, professional dancers from the company volunteer to perform for different marginalized groups of the Mumbai community. With these performances and workshops they endeavour to engage in meaningful interactions through the experience of movement and music. The contagious energy of Bollywood moves and songs uplifts children, adults and the elderly alike, and shares with them the joy of dance. I had the honour of performing for a gym full of underprivileged children on Saturday morning (most schools in India have a half day of school on Saturdays). Entering in their straight lines with erect posture and plaited pigtails, they politely sat crosslegged awaiting the show. This picture was quite unrecognizable by the end when the whole space was filled with boisterously energetic and joyful dancing; jumping, shaking, conga lines, and cartwheels. The A/C-less room was thick with sweat as it happened to be one of the rare sunny days during monsoon season. Dancing around with groups of little girls and boys, I struggled to see through the moisture that was dripping into my eyes off my forehead and blurring my contact lenses. Pure joy encircled me and the feeling was special and energizing. Before showing our Bollywood medley number, we invited some of the kids to come up on the stage and show a little something. It was incredible to see one boy’s confidence grow so significantly and in such a short timespan; blossoming from shy and embarrassed to powerful and assuming with a strong stage presence. One very small girl stole the show with her perfectly executed gestures and intricately choreographed routine, full knowledge of the song lyrics, and remarkable charisma. She came alive on that stage and it was truly breathtaking. I think all of us invited guests had tired faces from the amount of smiling we did during that brief and beautiful encounter. I am so grateful to have shared the experience with such wonderfully kind and talented people who welcomed me and my very amateur Bollywood dance knowledge into their crew. It makes me proud to be working for an organization that maintains such a high standard of dance instruction and creation, whilst serving the community and sharing their gifts in a positive way. This precious morning will definitely be added to my most treasured India memories!

Groovy girls #victoryartsfoundation #danceforgood #d4g #shiamakdavar #danceteacher