Finally I get sometime off this semester to myself. With FYP submitted, dance commitments over, two modules only to study for, I dare switch off my brain and just pen my thoughts down. Its been a long and eventful semester. Lots of things happened and lots of memories were etched. However this semester has mostly revolved around my love. Dancing.
A wonderful thing happened yesterday, my beloved dancers gave me this gift which I like to call "my wall of memories". It consisted of lots of photographs and a little note each one of them wrote for me. This entire thing was new and very humbling! I was just a guy dancing through university. But when I read all that they had written for me, I realized, through dance, I had affected them in a way beyond dance. and that suddenly felt like lots of responsibility.
When I started university, all I wanted to do is move! Inaction made me sick! Whatever opportunity I got, I danced :D It was funny how easily I was allowed to dance and choreograph for my first time in Uni. I was there with a paper in hand, with my concepts written down and neatly drawn stick figures for steps. Boy I was prepared! Now when I look back, I see all those were baby steps to reach where I did. But surprisingly I did not realize that I was not walking alone in this. The academic year wasn't reduced to the time between two dance events just for me. So it did for some other people. Finally meandering through lots of events and dances and crazy scheduling, I reached my last T-event. There has been enough said about it so I am not going to delve into that. What I would like is to share with you what went into the creation of it all. After the last year's win, I really hit a road block trying to come up with some sort of theme or general structure of our next performance. What could I construct that would give me fulfillment as a creator and make it challenging enough for the dancers? Their ability to pull it off was never a question because that was my only job. To make them move like they never thought possible. But it is easy to move a limb or two, it was a gargantuan task to try and move their mind. So I thought I planned, I even considered making it "fun" (read easy to do). But then I believed if anyone in the audience could do what my dancers did on stage, I would have failed them. Also around me a beautiful group of wonderfully talented dancers were bonding and being united. For the first time I felt I had to be on my toes, cos they weren't easily impressed, they did not do mediocre, they didn't back down from whatever I threw at them, they were DANCERS. That, right there, is when I knew the theme. Life and times of NUS dancers. They flirted, they loved, they got scared and they celebrated. My vision was a raw canvas and each of them splashed a volley of colours from their own lives to create the abstract pictures. I always thought I was pushing them to do what they are doing. I don't think so anymore. Not when I give you one water break in two hours and you use that time to practice. Not when you have personal issues but you come down and practice leaving the baggage behind. Not when you are broken, injured and in pain and you come up to me and say "let's take that one more time". That right there is what I am proud of. That is how I know you are doing this for your love of dance, for the hunger to move in an absolutely delicious way on that floor. I am immensely passionate about dance. You guys helped me make it even bigger by sharing it with me.
But while I was reading all that you guys had to say about me, I immediately knew this is what I dance for. I would consider myself extremely fortunate if I managed to touch someone's life through dance for a moment. You were 40 of you sharing my dream on the same stage! I cannot begin to thank all of you and say how proud I am of all of you because that would sound like something is ending and most importantly, that would make me sound old. This is just the beginning. All of you have wonderful potential to go on and become awesome on that stage. Remember always what I told you guys, never be satisfied with easy, never back down from a challenge, always take care of each other and remember, before you even begin to consider any dance you might dance or create as your own always remember to dance it for someone else. Dance is a very powerful statement, you move people to tears, you make them smile from the heart and you can make people uncomfortable with it and make them confront their inner fears. If one day you find people are standing up and shouting screaming and cheering your name out, graciously thank them , but still go back and look for the mistakes you made and correct it the next time.
I will leave all my dancers, with this line.
Always remember, You are my best dancer :)
Cheers!
