January 16, 2021

Anindita -

Something I thought about:

  • I haven't performed since moving to Switzerland nearly nine years ago, and it's strange – something that was a central part of my life is entirely absent. And yet it's all still there in the structures of my mind and in muscle memory. I was preparing a short dance for a demonstration, and my music is all in the US, and I couldn't find the same version of the song I knew, so I found one that was close and redid some of the choreography two days before I was supposed to present. The ability to adjust on the fly, change the steps, keep versions straight, etc. is all the result of two decades of training and practice. I was glad to realize it's still there, and I wonder what else is internalized in such a deep way – pedagogy most likely, and some elements of the craft of writing. What else?

Something I did:

  • I got a small travel grant last spring that I was unable to use due to the pandemic. The funding group very kindly let me file an updated request with a revised budget to see if grant funds could be redirected. I sent my updated materials over this week, and they approved the changes right away. Hooray!
  • I went to my child’s school to give the second graders a demo on classical Indian dance. I gave them a little bit of history, taught them how to count beats, showed them the storytelling aspect and had them guess the meanings of various gestures and sequences, danced for them, and then taught them a couple of steps.

Something I read: