Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 103; Anupa Mirle interview, part 3 of 3

Q:

Anupa: Dance is integral to Indian culture. But it has not always been the case. Um, since... it has um... India went through a lot of invasions, maybe from like ten century, especially, ten century A.D. and um, it is very easy to ad—be derogatory to a woman by forcing her to dance in not so pleasant settings and that actually caused prostitution of dance, and, therefore, of the art itself. So, people from um, you know, good families did not want their daughters to be associated with art. But, in the 1930’s as part of the independence movement, they were able to separate the prostitution part of it from the art form. And that really helped the art because now it has come a full circle and it is a status symbol to be a dancer. So, it has always been part of it, but it has uh, suffered through the social and political um, cultural history of India. You can see the ups and downs also in the art form.

Q:

Anupa: Um, it is like asking a toddler, is it difficult to walk? It is, at that point when you are learning, but once you have learned, it becomes a part of you. So, yes, there is a rigor, yes there is a curriculum, but you hope to get to a point where it becomes a part of you and that is what we all strive towards is where it—to get the training to be so fundamental like it is like walking or drinking water. So, we are not thinking for the major things, so then you can go deeper within yourself and express, because dance in India is a story telling technique and you want to forget the actor at some point and you want to see what role they are taking on. And you want to only see that role and not see the actor, if you will. So, we are always working towards that. That is the ultimate goal as a dancer.

Q:

Anupa: Um, yes it is at—it was initially, I will be very honest, because it is very easy for me to do a step, but when you ask me how it is done, I sometimes was not able to break it down and it took me a while to figure out how do I translate what I have learned into bits that make sense and it is possible? And, in fact, so much so that at one point I went back to my teacher in 2006, I think, and I told her I know some of the pieces but I don’t know how I learned from you because I was very young and I don’t remember the learning process. So, I actually went for two weeks and stayed with her and uh, you know, kind of went over some of the very basic exercises. I know that because I didn’t remember. I was probably six or seven and I don’t even remember doing them. So, it is a process. And uh, yes, it is, but now for me I enjoy teaching. I actually really like it. Um, I like performing too, but I get—I—I feel like I’m getting trained to be a better dancer by teaching, so I enjoy it now. But I think it is challenging, because I am now training my students to be teachers and I am seeing, you know, some of them get it and some of them struggle and not that because they’re not good dancers, because you have to be able to talk about what needs to be done and not just do it.

Q:

Anupa: It is a process and that’s what I want to actually show you today and that’s why I have picked three different levels. And um, that will probably give you a sense of how we go through, because there is a physical aspect to dance. And there is a metaphysical aspect to dance. The physical aspect is what you teach at a younger age. And then you start... it’s like the layers of an onion, and then uh, as you start peeling, you go further in, then you get to a point you—I will be going—talking to one of my classes in the, you know, going through this process, is I give them the skeleton and then I tell them, ok, I’ve given you what it is, I’ve talked to you about what the story is, now I want you to translate it into your own language, make it your story that you are going to tell the audience. So, you do not have to use the same actions that I am using, because your vocabulary is what is... is what I’m looking for.

Q:

Anupa: Yes... yes... um, you will see that in one of the classes, actually. At a very young age, we don’t give them that choice. We are very specific. I mean like, if you need to look right at beat three, you have to look right at beat three. That’s it. That’s how detailed it is at a younger age, because it’s completely physical. But as you go more and more evolved, you may not have to be—look right at beat three, because you are doing something else. As long as I am able to communicate to you, that becomes more important than whether I’m doing something in beat three or beat two. So, that is where you’re moving from the physical to the... to internalizing the dance. And that is also part of the training and that is the advanced training. And then when you are comfortable with that then you go further on... on how do you work with orchestra for them to be able to bring out the effect that you are seeking? So, for example, if... like the dance I’m going to be doing is the elephant faced, he’s a small short stubby person, so then you want stubby kind of movements. And with the stubby movements, you want stubby beats. So, you want the dancer to be able to have that conversation with the orchestra, saying that this is what my beat is, give me something that fits this. So, that is also part of the training.

Q:

Anupa: I didn’t know, but I guess it is not normal. Um, I think it is probably sometimes we are a product of our environment and our training and, perhaps, our talent, and I think that is what happened for me is I had a v—a teacher who had just finished her debut, and she was very young herself. And uh, so I had—and she’s very passionate. She just finished her doctorate a few years ago in dance. And so she has been, you know, she has been following for the longest time, and uh, then... so I had that as a teacher. Then I had, as a mother who was very interested in the arts herself who used to love to teach herself. And so, I used to get roped in because she thought I should be able to supply steps. So, that was how I learned choreography at that stage. And um, opportunities came up and, I guess, both my teacher and my mother thought that, you know, she’s able to do it, so why not? So, yea, I did perform solo at a very young age and I started... I actually started teaching in my dance teacher’s school when I was... a lot of us, actually, couple of us did, maybe I was maybe eleven/twelve. She would, you know, she would have to step out because she had a lot of programs. So, she would give us a curriculum and say, ok, these are the steps you need to do, these are the dances you need to do. Make sure everybody does it. So, we almost learned to tea—teach um, and I think that is the traditional way, probably, it’s done everywhere. Um, but I got lucky because I started young.

Q:

Anupa: A debut is the point where after that, any credit or discredit goes to you as a dancer, not to the teacher, because you, at that point you’re being presented, if you will, to the society as a complete dancer. And you are formally presented in a performance which is... which runs anything from two to two and a half hours with a live orchestra and there is a very strict repertoire um, and at the end of that you should be able to teach independently. And, you uh, you will always be associated with your teacher. I mean, it never goes away. But, you can perform in dependently, not always under the banner of your teacher, so, it’s kind of... kind of breaking the... cutting the umbilical cord, if you will.

Q:

Anupa: Yes, I’m a right brain/left brain person, I think, and um, I—I’ve always enjoyed both science and art. And um, actually I wish... I... I was in this country, because here the university system allows you to be able to take both. In India I could not. Uh, but I was very fortunate that I could take it outside of the school curriculum. So even then, I was able to pursue it. Um, but yea, and uh, so I had been cu—I’ve been always working towards my um, I did my masters in chemistry. I came here, I did another masters and then I have an MBA and I was working at Proctor & Gamble and um, you know, I like that too. I will not say no, but dance has always been my passion. I have been dancing, even through all the periods of time I was dancing. So...

Q:

Anupa: Um, I think a little earlier I told you that, you know, we... we were going through a f—f period or phase where stress for women going into educational field was very important. So, in our house, dance as a hobby was allowed, but it was not allowed as a profession. And um, I remember lots of discussions in our house, you know, towards that and probably towards water because I’m glad that I do have the academic background. Because, in a way, I think it makes my productions more um, probably more different than if I had been just purely trained as a dancer. Because, it has brought—I’m able to deal with topics like we did a production on teen smoking. And then we did a... we did a small twenty minute skit on corporate ethics. And... so those are things that I’m able to bring them in because maybe of my uh, because I’m able to en—interlace the technical and the art aspect.

Q:

Anupa: Ok, I’ll take one step back um, dance itself or in India is probably as old as man himself. And we do not know the actual forced form that was there, because the first book that we have on dance is called a (inaudible) and that is probably about four thousand years old. So, for a treaties with thirty six chapters to be there four thousand years ago, there must have been a lot more before then, but we just don’t know what the forms are, because we only have... because a lot of Indian um... it’s only now that things have started coming in writing. Ours is the older tradition, so it is a very (inaudible), like, you know, you interact, you live with the teacher and you kind of imbibe everything that way. So, um, well, when things were written, probably a lot of things were already lost and we have no idea what that is. But, now we know that if you go back to that treaties, there is a lot of dance styles that there are, but they all have uh, reflections that you can see in this mammoth treat—treaties. And, the styles that I learned are (inaudible) is from my lineage which is South India. (Inaudible) is from where I grew up, which is Eastern part of India. And maybe when, you know, when I get up I’m gonna show you how the movements are different and how they are similar. And um, one is very geometric. So, if you... it’s very symmetric style. And the other is almost asymmetric. And it almost goes on to show that, probably regionally, people liked certain aspects and those is what they honed and then that became the cultural dance form of that region. So, that is why you see similarities but you see a lot of dissimilarities also. And, a little earlier I was talking about dance in prostitution and where they separated out the art, (inaudible) was the name given in the effort to separate out the art from that uh, pr—you know, the art and the prostitution part. So, then they were able to successfully separate out and the art became uh, very academic, because it is so rigorous. And that is (inaudible).

Q:

Anupa: Yes, we have um, we use our hands, we get trained. We get trained to use every part of our body. And our training is where you get to use each part separately. It is almost like cooking where you have turmeric, you have red chilies, you have this, you have that. And if you want to po—make it into a sweet, then you would not put a red chili, but you would put sugar, right? So, that’s exactly how it is. It’s almost like recipe building. So, if you want a certain effect then you use certain movements. And, so you mix and match as you go along and that is the training is to be able to use your face, to be able to use your shoulders, your cheeks, your mouth, your nose, your eyes and your head, your hand, your feet, separately and then put it all together into the effect that you want and yea, so that... that essentially is the training.

Q:

Anupa: Yes, I... there was a point I had um, my son was very young and uh, I guess like any young mother, I wanted to have the world. I wanted to work and I wanted to spend time with my son and I wanted to spend time with my dance. And, you know, something has to give because there are only twenty-four hours in the day, right? So, there came a point when, you know, I had to choose and I decided to choose art. And I said, ok, much to the horror of a lot of people in our family, but I chose art. And um, I regret the paycheck. I will not say no, but other than that um, I’m very happy that I made the switch. Because, I think I get a lot more out of... out of interacting and being able to share my culture and I think my passion. And uh, you know, to be able to um... maybe, even if it is one child out of the fifty/sixty that takes on the passion, then, I think I can say that I have been a success. So, that’s what I’m hoping for, you know, for that one child to say that, yea, you made a difference in my life, so...

Q:

Anupa: It was um, I think it was... it wasn’t that I thought about it, it was more from the community. Um, because there was a group of friends we used to perform, I didn’t have any school. And then, you know, I started teaching informally. I was still working at Proctor & Gamble at that time. And I started teaching informally and then people would come to learn and that’s how, kind of, the school started, but I still didn’t have a name, I didn’t have anything. I used to just teach whenever. And then when I decided that I’m going to quit work is I think when I decided that, ok, I’m gonna formalize this. And I went ahead and incorporated it. I knew that always I wanted it as a non-profit, because my interest was not so much—I’m very fortunate to have a husband who is doing well. And he’s also very much into theater, actually... he’s... he’s directed plays in his own right, so um, so I think in that sense I got a lot of support from him. And, I started... that’s how it... the school started. It started very small and I—it was not about, you know, a commercial enterprise ever. And then, I think, two years ago I used to teach at home and we started having a lot of traffic and it got to a point where I had to move out from the basement. And we were very fortunate to find this place and we actually have a lot of students parents who came and helped paint and everything. So, this place, even though it’s my school, I feel like it belongs to the community. It is a place where, you know, they can identify with themselves and that is what I’m hoping for them to feel in the school is it is a place where um, they should be free to experience how it would be growing up in India. It’s a little chaotic growing up in India and its chaotic here also sometimes. Um, but you know we like it, I think, as a culture, we like it. Um, and people have been very receptive and we have had many kinds of activities over here, not just dance. We’ve had local music schools come and have their annual days. And, we’ve had local um, high school kids, Indian kids, they want to do their practices, so this is available. We also offer Yoga, which is very integral, which I think is important for dance also. And, we have... it’s always... for us academics is very important and we have math and reading programs also. Um, but I work with somebody else who offers it. So, we’re looking at it more as a holistic place, something that kind of um, one stop shop kind of a place, so it fills your right brain and left brain needs. But that’s what it is. So, but that’s how the school came up. And um, it has grown that way.

Q:

Anupa: Um, I think people... especially, I think after we moved here, people feel that there is a space that is not related to a religious space, that is cultural. So, in that sense, I think my being here as—in a school of this nature, as an arts organization, as a non-profit arts organization, I think is very important because there are many for profits locally. But I think that is where we are different, is we... I—I’m constantly looking for a place where, you know, you can kind of hang your hat and say yea, this is an Indian place, it is not Hindu, it is not Muslim, it is—because we have many religious uh, groups within. So, that is what I’m looking for. And we have people, not just Hindu’s who come here for dance, because it’s a cultural place. It is not a religious place. And, I think that is important for me and, I think, for people who come here. Um, and I think the other thing is the Indian community is growing in Cincinnati. And we are getting to a point where we are able to handle multiple schools in the area, which is very good. And um, so and I think each one of us have something different to offer, which allows people to go with their choice, their taste and not be stuck with the only one place that is... that they have to go in because they don’t have anything else.

Q:

Anupa: Mm, I grew up cosmopolitan and I benefited from it. And, I think, at any level you can be cross cultural. Um, it brings in a certain openness in the learning system. It brings in a certain openness in the thinking. And I think inherently you become more tolerant. And the—it helps you to have less angst, if you will, when something is different from what you are used to and, in that sense, I like my children to get exposed to cross cultural very early. Um, so even five, six year, seven year old kids are in my cross cultural productions, because I want them to be around people who are not Indian, who are... who have different dance styles and for us to be able to celebrate the other art style as much as we celebrate ours. And, for them to see that theirs is also celebrated by other people. To see that conversation, I think, is very important. And, so I... I... even though I teach rigorously Indian classical dance, most of my productions are not only Indian classical, they are mostly cross cultural.

Q:

Anupa: Dance is part of our heritage and I think it is important to know your roots, because I think when you have strong roots you are able to put a hand out to help somebody else. So, in a sense, it is to help build strong roots. And dance is only a vehicle for doing that, because here we do a lot more than just dance. For example um, we have sampler events and um, one of the things that we do there is we open up to different kinds of art forms. Like, we have Indian—our own kids doing origami. So, we also bring that into the fold, because it is whatever the children do is what you celebrate. And, I... I personally feel that um, ask me the question again???

Q:

Anupa: Yea, because it is like this origami thing, because what I think we are trying to tell them is it’s ok for you to learn other styles, other... other art forms, but you have to know your art form because what happens is you need to have a yard stick. And you may not use your own culture as a yard stick, but you have to know uh, what yard stick you’re using. So... because what happens for a lot of us is we live a certain way at home, and we li— live a certain way outside. And, the children have to learn to straddle two cultures on a regular basis. And, if they are not firmly rooted in both, it is very difficult for them to have a balanced life and, that is why I think that’s where art comes in, because art helps you to ask questions in a very safe setting, and because there is no—nothing religious, there is nothing that is sanctimonious or anything, and we—art is about communication, in a sense, the very bottom of it. So, we want to be able to reach out to the kids and if something is bothering them, we want them to be able to ask the question. And if it means that we have to do something that uh, that is related to that in dance, so be it. Like, for example, I think this was three years ago. I had a very close friend who had a three year old daughter and she wanted her daughter to learn dance. And I said, you know, I don’t teach three year olds. And she said, no, but I really want her to learn. I said, no, you know, why don’t you just show her our programs, bring her to my classes and let her just sit and watch or have her listen to Indian music and Indian mov—eh, watch Indian movies. And then she said, oh but that’s Bollywood. I don’t want her to see Bollywood. I want—because then, you know, she’s going to Bollywood and I don’t want her to do that. I want her to learn classical. So, I said ok, so what do you want to do? So, it was for that child, that I actually started doing stories like Three Little Pigs and started using hand gestures, our own hand gestures, introducing our sense of um, culture, if you will, into something that is traditionally not our culture, like a Three Little Pigs. But what that allowed her to do, it was very interesting to watch, because now it has become a part of my classes, is they love it, because it is something that they have heard outside and they are seeing that it is something that is done in a very Indian setting and we are using movements that are very Indian. And so the lines are become uh, less sharp and they are comfortable in both. And, essentially that’s what I want at the end of the day is, if you need to use a ballet movement to be able to show something, you should be able to do it, because ultimately dance is communication. But you should know that, yea, I’m using ballet. And you should not just be able to lift the leg up and say, oh, what are you doing? I don’t know what I’m doing. That is wrong for me. So, knowledge is important. So, that is why knowing your heritage is important because once you know what you are and once you know what you have learned, then you can change it, then you can use it and twist it in a way that suits your need.

Q:

Anupa: I think at uh, I mean definitely for the students, themselves, for the participants themselves, there is a lot that we, ourselves, learn because we interact directly with people who either are not in our dance styles, who are orphaned in origin, or who are not even of in general region and are of different dance styles. A perfect example was the belly dancing that I was talking about is ver—because I was interacting with her for the production that we did in 2011, I could see movements that were similar and we have... she and I have known each other for many years. She has come for a lot of my programs and I’ve gone for a lot of hers, but we never had this in depth conversation until we actually had to use the dance styles for a production. And, then I had to go back to my teacher and ask her, you know, why am I seeing movements which are similar? And then she explained that, yes, there is the silk route and—and they believed that the (inaudible) actually has travelled, you know, because probably some people had books and they’d taken it and our languages are very similar. It’s the (inaudible) script which is sand script and you have a lot of similar script along the path. And you know... so she said, yes, there is uh, you know, I’m not surprised that you saw it. And um, I want people to be able to experience on a personal level diversity. I think that probably is what is my call.

Q:

Anupa: Why do I perform in festivals and schools? It is for outreach. Uh, many people feel we look different and sometimes people come to us and talk to us. Sometimes we are so different they would rather not talk to us. So, we’ve had both kinds of reactions. And, when we go into their environment, they feel a little more comfortable and they are able to, then, ask us questions that they would not ask if they were on our uh... in, maybe, in my studio because they may feel intimidated or, you know, or not feel comfortable, so that is the reason why I try to go out and probably a whole lot of us try to do that is go into an environment that they are comfortable in and see it in their form and they may not even be able to come here. Like, for example um, I was very fortunate to work on a project with one of the foundations. And we went to ESL classes where you have children for whom Eng—English is not a first language, and there are different modes of learning. And, we were able to take the story of Ricky, Ticky, Tave which was one of their curriculum classes and we helped them draw it, you know, present it in a different way. We talked about India, we talked about uh, the author and so many things. And there were many children that actually came forward and said, you know, I read this in third grade, I didn’t understand it, but now I do. So, in that sense, going to school’s is good, because art teaches alternate ways of learning which maybe look very fluffy, but they actually are very impactful because you are doing hands on. And, in this particular case, I had costumes from another production, so we actually dressed up as animals and they actually had conversations and we were the mouse, we were the snakes, and we talked about, you know, how snakes move in classical dance and then they were very excited and all of them wanted to be snakes. But it’s good, because they opened up and I don’t think that would have happened if they had come here and we had had the program here.

Q:

Anupa: Um, I think they’ve had good response. Um, I cannot say that I have gone to all parts of Ohio, because it’s been pretty much Cincinnati, Columbus, um, Dayton, um but when I hear about also other Indian organizations that are in different parts of Ohio I think there is interest, but I think there is also lots of questions about um, you know, what is this and is this um, um, religious? Are you trying to convert us into Hindu’s? And uh, I was actually asked that question, so that’s how. So, yea, and I can understand that concern that they have. And... but I think overall, I think there is interest. And now, especially with the world contracting with everything collapsing, you know, travel being easier with internet and everything, people are, I think, more open to learning about other cultures and they are happy that things are accessible so they don’t have to travel day and night to go somewhere and be able to get a feel for what a different culture is, be it Indian, Japanese, Chinese, whatever. And, I think that is where we get the feedback that, yes, we are happy that you’re here.

Q:

Anupa: First, that, oh, there is an Indian organization here that teaches dance. And then, the second is um, the curiosity factor is something that is probably exotic, because our costume does seem to be exotic. And, so once I think people get... get past that, that is when we start having the conversations. As, ok, what does this mean? What are you trying to do? Well, we do this and this for do you also do this? And, those are the conversations that I like because God is dialogue to me is when you are actually actively thinking and trying to either fit in what you know into what you’re seeing or vice versa. And, so for me, I think when we go out to perform, maybe that’s the first thing that turns people’s head is our costume. And it’s like, oh this is so pretty I want to see this. And then they probably start seeing movements which are similar maybe and then they stay back and then they want to be curious about what it is that we are doing or what we show? So, they want to understand. And we have had a few people who have actually come to the studio just to watch one or two classes. I can’t say a lot, but there have been. Um, so that is a very high degree of interest and interaction.

Q:

Anupa: We all go for aerobics, I mean, most people go for exercising or aerobics or whatever. At the very base level, dance is movement and if you do dance to Chinese music, it becomes Chinese dance, if you do it to Indian music, it’s Indian dance. Um, so that’s what children understand at that level. But what... what I want them to be able to understand is that, yes, that is also Indian dance. You can be doing hip-hop to Indian music and call it Indian dance, which is fine. But, you have to understand that what is Indian dance is communication. So, if you’re communicating through a language of gestures and movements, that is a stylized art—art form. Then we are talking Indian classical dance. Otherwise, you’re just talking dance, which is not bad, but you... you just need to know the difference. So, that’s, I think, what I like the kids to um, because children get exposed to all kinds of things as they, you know, walk in over here and I am a little particular, I do tell them that I want Indian attire, because I want you to know what Indian attire is. I do want you to read Indian’s jewelries, because I will ask you questions. And, so it is a holistic learning where dance is only a vehicle and you’re learning all the other parts of the culture that is tied into the dance.

Q:

Anupa: Dance is my breath, I think, for me. I think I breathe dance. I... I think so. Um, for me it is um, it is just something I’ve always liked. I’m—I’m a very... I’m in a very different place when I’m dancing. You know, we all go through physical ailments and everything, but when I am choreographing in my mind um, I’m in a very different place and I’m in a very happy place and probably that’s what keeps me going is it gives me the... the juice, if you will. It... it is my juice, probably and that is what I would also like my students—I mean, I’m not saying each one of them for them dance has to be the juice. I’m like, identify your juice and make that, you know, so that it works for you. And for me that’s what dance is. I... I think I even enjoy music through dance, or painting through dance. I think I see everything through dance and movement.

Q:

Anupa: Um, it is very special because I think it... there were two things... there two factors is one that somebody thought I am worthy enough to be nominated itself was a very humbling um, thought for me, because I didn’t start the dance school, I didn’t start teaching thinking about, you know, what are all the things that you’re going to get in the process. So, for me that, I think, that itself was the nomination, itself, was a validation that obviously what impact I am having or...and the school is having is positive enough for somebody to think that, yes, this should be recognized. And, then the next level was when you actually get the recognition is that you get an external validation that says that, yes, within your community you are recognized, but here it is outside the community, also, we are recognizing that what you are doing is important and what you are bringing to the community is important. So, in that sense, you know, of course, I was very happy. I was thrilled, but it’s also puts a new responsibility because now I was thinking to myself, geez, until now, I was quite happy in my own space and, you know, now I have to be careful because I... if I say or do something I don’t want the children to take it in the wrong way, because they start seeing you larger than life and you don’t want to make a misstep because they are at a very impressionable age and I deal with a lot of children. So, specially when I hea—you know, when kids heard about this they were very excited and for two weeks they were like, oh, yea, this is, you know, we want to learn this, we want to learn that. And I was thinking, it is—it is good to see that they’re translating that into motivation for coming to class. But I have to be careful because um, it—it... um, external validation is good, community validation is good, but I have to make sure that I am grounded.

Q:

Anupa: Yes, it is normal for actually most. We have many elements to our costume. Part of it is a reflection of dressing from a certain time period, because it was very common to we all wear six yards, nine yards sari’s. Nowadays, most people don’t wear it as much, but you typically pleat your sari and those are the pleats that you see over here, which are pre- stitched, but those are the pleats. And to make it comfortable for movement, we actually bring the... the sari partly between the legs so that... so almost like a pant that’s how my grandmother all... all used to where it for the, you know, all through their life. I mean, this is exactly how it used to look. Not as neat, because this is stitched. But this is exactly how it used to be. So, it is a reflection off (inaudible) when they used to wear the sari like this, because you can move your leg, it’s like wearing pants... pants with the frill on top. I mean, that’s what it is. And, you wear the blouse and you have the upper um, um, cloth that covers the torso and traditionally, people have long hair, so they do wear flowers. We love flowers as a cul—culture. So it is very normal to wear flowers and we love dressing up as a culture. So i—all this is, maybe they’re all heavier than what you would wear on a regular basis, but they are all what typically also we wear for any function. You can see people wearing very similar things, maybe very thin ones, but very similar angles, common again, necklace, common again. And, this is actually now it doesn’t matter so much, but when people used to wear pleats it is... it—this used to be very heavy to make sure that the pleats stay. So it was to keep everything in place and that’s what that is. And, we’ll, typically even here people wear anklets um, because we don’t have close toed shoes being in a tropical climate. And so, anklets is very common. So, it is very much the regular attire. Kotac(sp?) on the other hand, had Muslim influence and so they moved to the skirt which is a long skirt, the tunic with the long skirt, which is more the Islam way of dressing. They have the long tunic with pants. And there’s it has a lot more frills because they make a lot more circles than we do turns per use and (inaudible) so um, they’re dress enhances that aspect of their dressing. And ours enhances the fact that we sit um, in a plie(sp?) and so the front opens up to showcase the plie.

Q:

Anupa: Um, I think one of the things people ask about is... is dance is considered as temple art and so immediately when it gets connected to a temple, they think about it as religious. And one of the things, you know, I—peop—tell people is, it was preserved in the Temples. And so in that sense, people associated it with temples, but dance did not originate in the Temples. And, yes, we have a lot—lot of rituals. Um, but a lot of them are simply... if you look at it at a point when there was no structures. They needed to have a lot of people around to insure that a production went without any flaw. So, they would actually have people installed in different places. And, like we (inaudible) acknowledgments now in that program brochures, they actually had items that did acknowledgments before you did a production. And then that became ritual. So, people mistake that as a Temple ritual because then that also came as baggage into the Temple art. And, so that is one thing that I would like to, you know, to um, I think, share with people that, yes, it is Temple art in the sense it was preserved in the temples, but it did not originate in the temples. And then the second thing that people associate um, with as soon as they think Indian is they get confused about Hinduism. And um, and rightfully so, because we have so many Gods. But I think the way we look at Gods is a little different. It is almost like I’m a mother, I am a daughter, I am a sister, I am a friend. They’re all aspects of me, right. Just like that we have one where there are many aspects. So, that is why, even as a dancer, we don’t have any problem saying that for one moment, this God is the greatest and then saying that this God is greatest, because they’re all aspects of the same energy form for us. So, today you will see I will do a dance about um, (inaudible) who is the elephant headed god who is our um, probably our most favorite god and he’s short, stubby, he’s got a big pot belly, he’s got big ears and he has a mouse that he moves on. And they’re all aspects that will be there in most of the dances that you see because we believe that you need a vehicle for doing any job. And, the vehicle typically has a significance. Like for example, here, the vehicle is the mouse. What—if you think about a mouse, it is very distracted. It... it, you know, it cannot sit still and it signifies the five senses that we have. So, we have always metaphysical meanings and that is what I urge people to do when they are looking at any dance, is to go one step deeper and see what it is that we are actually showcasing in the dance because then they will enjoy it more. So, like for example in this dance, it would be that, you know, it is that uh, the five senses which the intellect, which is what (inaudible) represents, is keeping it under check. And then the big (inaudible) the big elephant ears, is to hear all the different devotees. And then the big belly is to keep all the secrets of all his devotees. So, those are the elements that we communicate through stories. And each one of them will have a story associated with it and you can elaborate it into a, you know, a five minute. But, typically we just do one action and if you are aware of the stories then you’ll enjoy it that much more. So, that is something um, you know, again, people get confused about Hinduism. And then the other thing is um, I urge people to look beyond the costume uh, because the costume can be distracting and uh, you know, to understand what goes on beyond the costume. Um, I think that’s about it.

Q:

Anupa: I was ecstatic to hear that I had won the uh, Ohio Heritage Award and um, winning the award came at a time in my personal life when there were lots of changes going on and it validated my um, being in this field and gave me a motivation to um, continue to do the work that I have been doing and also, I think, for the community, it was a validation of the community itself, in a sense, that somebody from their community got their award. So, in that sense I think I was very happy that it just, you know, from the Indian community and that it was me.

END