Better Business
October 2006
Banner photo: Partially Harvested Corn Field/corbis
The Joy of Dance
Keka Sinha is a reputed Kathak dancer from Mumbai, India, who was initiated into the style at age five. Kathak is a north Indian classical dance that originated as a form of religious storytelling. Maxine Sherman was a leading dancer in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1978-1984 and a principal dancer in the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1984-1993, both world-renowned modern dance companies. She lives in New York.
Is dance simply a form of entertainment? Why do human beings dance?
Keka: Dance is definitely not just entertainment. Dance came into being even before people could speak. It is an expression of inner joy--that's how it evolved. Dance involves the development of our total personality and brings about a spiritual awakening in oneself. It's a therapy for the mind and the body. I think that without a solid philosophy and a mentor in life, it is very difficult to develop the qualities of a good dancer. Even if a person does not become a performer, all the aspects involved in learning dance will contribute to her life.
Through dance one can also impart various kinds of knowledge to people in a simple and appealing manner. Stories from our history and mythology--they can all be presented in dance. Dance can also communicate across language barriers.
Those of us who have taken it up as a profession do so purely out of passion and love for dance, as it is not a very lucrative profession--at least in India. Life without dance is unthinkable for me. It's the most rewarding thing to be able to express myself, my thoughts, my emotions, through the medium I love.
Maxine: Dance is a deep communication through the body. I see it as our "spirit" or our Buddha nature speaking through this vehicle of the body. There is this amazing potential of the body to move in a way that can send our spirit out into the universe! Because I have a very trained eye, I can tell what somebody is feeling just by the way they are standing, by the way they move to pick up a piece of paper. There is so much language in the way our bodies cut through space, in the way we carry ourselves--whether people are confident or not, whether emotionally you feel like you want to hide--it's going to show in your five- or six-foot frame. So I see dance as the reality and truth of our life.
Dance takes you out of your head into a different place, the special, magical, personal place that nobody else knows about. As Martha Graham used to say, "There is only one you in this world, so fulfill your potential," and that's what SGI President Ikeda and Nichiren say. Life is so precious, this moment is so precious, use it to the fullest--and that doesn't mean sitting on your butt and watching the TV! When we sit too long, we die! We've really got to challenge ourselves physically because we are fortunate to be born human. We have to use our voices and our bodies.
How has Buddhism influenced you as a dancer and choreographer?
Keka: As a dancer it has given me the strength to believe in myself, to have an open mind, to appreciate others' work and to work on my own shortcomings. As a choreographer, Buddhism has prompted me to think more deeply about my themes. I used to use popular legends and stories, but after beginning to practice Buddhism I felt I have a mission to express something deeper.
My latest production shows how we are ultimately responsible for whatever befalls us, although we attribute it to external factors. It combines episodes from Hindu mythology, Shakespeare and other sources.
Maxine: My own experience with Buddhism was a deep transformation in my idea of being an artist. Being a great artist is just half the battle. You really also have to break through your negativity and be a kind and generous person, and try to find happiness outside of your field, outside the studio and off the stage. And now in the transition of letting dance go, being really too old to dance the way I used to, it's a continuous process of knowing you will always be a dancer in your heart. It is like a lotus flower--at one point you just have to hang in the muddy pond a little bit. You are blossoming, but you don't always have to be in bloom.
What for you is the most challenging thing about being a dancer?
Keka: The most challenging thing is to continue being a performer--maintaining the stamina, and keeping on form amidst other family responsibilities. Another challenge all dancers face is financial, as classical dancers are usually poorly paid. There is less appreciation of classical dance today and more interest in Bollywood dance.
Maxine: For me at the moment it is the transition. You can't dance professionally forever. When it's no longer joyful, and becomes painful, it's time to let go. Martha Graham always said, "The body never lies."
Although you've matured as a dance artist and developed a relationship between your mind and body, after 35 it becomes a lot more difficult to do it full-time. I chant to carry the joy of movement with me at all times, to cherish the relationship with dance without actively doing it, as I did every moment since the time I was young.
Now I want to be a wonderful woman, a good mother. There are so many other things that you need to become a whole person. I want to continue to teach about the joy of dance and help people discover the potential of their own bodies. I continue to chant about how I can make a contribution to the arts.
Can ego be an inhibiting factor for a dancer? Does it have a role?
Maxine: In the arts, there are so few opportunities to succeed and be compensated financially. A dancer must have tremendous confidence and ego in order to be seen and stand out from other artists. At the same time, there is a tremendous amount of insecurity because your negative side often tells you you're not good enough.
Keka: Ego is important for any artist. Knowingly or unknowingly, an artist always seeks admiration. Sometimes, though, an inflated ego can prevent one from correcting oneself. It can also hamper one's ability to work together with other dancers.
What characterizes a good dancer?
Maxine: What I think makes a dancer stand out from another one is revealing your true self, not relying on the technique to call out your name. A dancer who is not afraid to capture the magic of the moment, and let that carry them through their interpretation of the choreography. In other words, not being too studied in formula, in your technique. You must work on your technique, but you've got to let it go and enjoy the magic of the moment.
Keka: A good dancer needs self-discipline, a capacity to work hard and persevere, to have good relationships with one's company members, and to try to continually improve oneself. Most important of all is that a dancer should respect one's teacher or mentor and express love and care for one's students. Without a deep mentor-disciple bond, a dancer cannot move forward in life.
