Dance- A life: Any Body Can Dance

Today just watching a movie based on dance, I am remembering my school days when it was one of the passion of my life. I still recollect at one stage of life it had become the main objective of my day-to-day life. I think myself like everyone that I-myself am a born dancer who love dancing from the moment I have started listening music at our radio set. I was not aware about the words and there was no understanding of music but my feet moved with the beats of music. I remembered my mother told me that when I heard the songs from a Indian movie called 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' - a hippy culture based cult-movie in early 70's, no one could stop me from dancing. With the passage of time, I enjoyed dancing at every function and wedding. I had become like a wedding crasher as I did not miss any single chance of dancing there. With the passage of time when I was hardly 12 yrs old, a change in music occurred and new beat disco music arose as boom in daily life. The radio-set was bombarded with disco beats. I still remember the first song sang by late Nazia Hasan for Indian movie 'Qurbani' called "Aap jaisa koi meri jindagi me" which I thought as she is singing 'Compton-crompton' song as I was not understanding the lyrics. It was a biggest hit overnight and Nazia Hasan became a national youth icon with her beautiful face and light hearted voice. I think it was my crush over her as well. She further sang many other songs with her cousin as well and I heard them repeatdly. They had also become instant hits. An Indian movie called 'Star' which got low response but its music was hit and appreciated by all had her lead voice. {It was the time when John Trovolta was knocking the world with "Grease".} Once I danced non stop for one hour over her tracks in front of my friends  and family. I did not have tape recorder that time as tape (Cassette) were the source of choice music. I wanted to have one and which I got gifted from my sister at later stage.  Sooner another movie star Mithun Chakravorty who became famous as a known disco dancer of 80's took the arena. His dance movements were so ecstatic that we all were trying to copy them. The famous songs from his movies- Disco Dancer, KPKK, Suraksha, DDD became the anthem overnight.{ It was the time when MJ was gifting the best album- Thriller to us} Till that time I did not hear any international music except once one of my friend Raj got me listened 'Love in C minor and 'Love to love' by Donna Summer due their erotic style of singing. It is the time when I saw "Body rock"- an international dance movie followed by Maniac, Fast forward and others. I still remembered the young boy who danced as electric in the Body Rock movie but I was not aware about the dance style so I did not think much about the way of style and remained happy with what I knew. Those steps seemed to me as impossible to do by me. Once I danced on a stage in school fair on a song called "I am a disco dancer" and applauded a lot by the crowd so it was high time for me as I was famous between my friends as a good dancer but one day I discovered that one of our friend Ban who was known as a very shy guy was dancing as disco dancer and took over the unseen throne from me. It was shocking to me. He had become famous and in demand more than me. It was disheartening. Now the time had come that when I must know something more and new so I decided to come up with latest dance trend but nothing was coming in mind somehow in between I was told about a dance teacher-Naresh. He was teaching a dance called break dance. I tried to figure out about that type of dancing as I was totally unaware about such dance style. I was informed it is the same dancing style which I had seen in movie-Body rock. I was surprised and happy to know it. I was told that he taught dance at the basement of "Kafila" restaurant in Karol Bagh market area. I went there and found that he had already shifted from that place but somehow I got his residence telephone number. It was the time when  the technology of mobile phone was not in used. Next morning I called him and took appointment for dance tuitions. He told me  about the fee and it was a handsome amount but I requested my parents and arranged it with their help. I went to him along with my school friend Kapil who wanted to learn it as well. Kapil somehow left after 2 days but I kept continued. For whole month he gave tuitions and taught me a few basics and finished the course. I remembered that there were 3 students and I was the worst. There I met another dancer- Pepie. He was a better dancer and Naresh had his group with him and others. That is the first time I had my int' music cassette. It was same as collection of hits including of above mentioned songs which I heard for the first time. I showed that cassette to Naresh and he advised me to get another cassette of fast tracks for improvement. I went to shop and asked music for break dance and shop keeper handed over me a tape of songs from movie- break Dance-I. I practiced on a track called 'Freak show on the dance floor' so in the next month I took the risk to show my new dance technique to all in my school. It was a solo dance competition. First time I prepared my dance dress. It was white cotton baggy pents with little embroidery on the both sides. The shop keeper asked me to give words to write there. As in one of the advertisement I read "Lets Come Closer". I asked him to put it there along with name of girl on whom I had a crush in other regional language. I wore a navy blue plain shirt of my brother with white w/o sleeves jacket got it from Janpath flea market. I borrowed high shoes of 'Life' brand and got my first local wayfarer shades. I fixed a band behind that so it should not fall in the performance. It was the pleasant day of March and I was all there in my dancing gears. It was the same day when first time I went to any 5 star hotel. The other participants were there and most of them were doing disco dance style performance and I was there as an exceptional dance style.  I still remembered that due to nervousness I just thought to perform disco dance at one stage as I was quite nervous but determined myself to show the latest dance steps which I had learnt hardly a 10 days back. So when the music started from my tape and I arrived on stage and due to crowd's noise forgot what next to do. Somehow I did my all steps w/o stopping or taking care of rhythm. I finished my performance there were only 5 people were clapping and they were my friends. All other just took a sigh of rest that my performance was concluded. It was bad than the worst. Later on I practiced and practiced and practiced. I was improving and improving but the best was still beyond reach. I met many dancers, watched them, learned from them. Ultimately with in 7/8 months, I was more confident and I had a dance buddy-Dino. We participated in inter school competition at St. Columbus school. The first time I danced on my favorite track "Axel F". Naresh  was also there with his group. It was his last performance. Naresh was surprised to see me there as he had not expected  that despite my worst dance learning I would be there as contestant. None of us won that time and another dancer Joseph - Sam won the contest. ( Later on I and Joseph with others  formed a group called "Yuva Biradari" and performed together on various occasions) In between I met Devdutt-Deva who helped me like my elder brother and showed me a few good steps. He further gifted me his knee pads and leg warmers which I used in all performances. {I further gifted them to Sanjay-Sam at the time of dance competition 'Fizzical"-1988.} Thereafter I did not turned back and for almost next 2 years remained busy with dancing. I won several acclamations and prizes. It was wonderful time. Wherever I went people came to me and mentioned about my previous performances which they liked a lot. The dance has helped me to know more side of me. I have started listening int' music. George Michael became my favorite singer. It was the time when I started meeting with new people w/o any hesitation. I had got many friends became famous, energetic and lovable. I controlled my weight and came into shape. When I started dance I was 68-72 kgs and then I reached to 54-62 kgs because of my exercise and intensive physical schedule. I still remember one of my class mate Tulika told me to wear 1/2 cut w/o sleeve deep round T shirt showing my abs but that time I did not understand by what she did mean and respectfully declined it. Since then the wayfarer shades have become part of my accessories.  Dance had become my language which I spoke so fluently that I didn't have to think before. It was my personality development course and later on become the connection between god and me. My English has got improved due to my taste in music. It further helped me to focus and achieve what I needed most.  Nowadays I do not do much dancing but love to watch dance shows and movies. I still hear my dancing tracks: AXELF, Brother Luie, Respectable, Ain't no body, 19, Freak show on the dance floor, There's no stopping us, Holiday-rap, Believe in the beat, Street people etc. They still take me to 80's when I was a student- a student of 80's in my teen age. Thank you dance, you deserve all my success.  
Dear friends, I have Shared this story to mention the importance of knack, focus and diligence. A worst learner could become the skillful if he believes in praxis, focus and devotion.  Imagine if I had stopped dancing after my first performance which was disheartening and failure then I would have never understood the language of god. I took that defeat as challenge and did not stop rather kept it continued. There is no short-cut for success and only penchant is the key to victory.   
Thank you God for allowing me to know this beautiful language.

Through this post, I would like to remember some of my friends Joseph Dass- Vocational College, Sanjay-Sam- Sangeet Vidyalaya- Lajpat Nagar, Naresh- Khalsa College, Ravi Gosain- Satyawati College, Manoj- Lawrence road, Dinesh-Salwan College, Devdutt-Deva- Vocational College who love and appreciated as dancer in that period. I did not meet some of them for long time. Ravi is working in bollywood and can be seen in various TV programs and movies. Manoj is in Australia. Dinesh is in real-estate. All others I am looking for  and pray to god for their success in respective life. God bless all of them.. Amen!!