There comes a time...
- Ghirija Jayarraj
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
There comes a time in a dancer's life where they are made to choose whether they want the title dancer to be part of their identity. This can come with education, career, family circumstances, travel, many things in life..
For me this question has come with age.. I never thought it would ever be a question in my life.. In fact I have refused to even get married because people have said that dancing can not be a main part of my life..
I always wanted to dance. Even in car accidents my first thought would be - not my legs - I need to dance.
All this but then I don't perform.. I believe performance is a different beast and you need a certain level of athleticism to be a professional performing artist. You also need to be able to take the pressures of performance and treat dancing like work. That is something I have consciously chosen not to do.
Dancing is for myself, its always been for myself. And I identified as a dancer because I live in that space.
Until the age of 26 I really knew nothing else. That was my world. It was only after that, that I started to create a world of dance and in that venture I ended up watching other people dance.
Till date I still learn dancing and at least dance once a week. If I don't my body will spasm. However recently I have noticed my body getting tighter, my lower back, my hips, the injuries from the accidents flaring up - and I start to think as I age my body may not allow me to move - UNLESS i take the correct precautions and condition it - or else yes.. I would lose that identity as a dancer and like my mother watch from a far.
I think its about taking responsibility for that identity, from eating healthy, to exercising and conditioning the body appropriately and pushing your body the right amount to maintain that flexibility to not over exerting to sleeping and resting and basically taking care of the instrument as it ages.. and most of all.. practicing..
I must admit in the last couple of years I've been slack, I don't practice every day and I don't dance every day. last 3 years - its been very on and off.. especially with theatre and film taking over. But I've realised that my body now has asked me that question.. do you want to keep dancing or no.. and if you do.. prepare me now.
It's a wake up call..
Not that I'm going to be running to Chennai to be part of season but I definitely want to keep dancing, till I'm 80 even if its just in my living room.. I definitely want to do it.
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