How am I evolving?

So I've only got about 100+ more pages of the Ramayana. The last hundred pages has been one fight after another, so it's pretty intense. Personally, after watching the performance of Ramayana, and then reading the book, I would have really liked to see what could be done with a more action oriented staging. Admittedly, it would be hard to recreate the epic feel of Ramayana on stage without an extremely large budget.
But what I really want to talk about is how I am evolving as an artist, and at what point my dance becomes art instead of simply a series of memorized movements. It will be interesting to see what we are going to do in our performances a week from now, but my expectation is that we will combine our barathanathiam (sp?) steps into a short dance and perform to music. I noticed for the first time this weekend that I had begun to think of the movements as dance rather than memorized steps, because my roomate had indian techno playing (yeah he's into that) and I began to see how the rhythm and timing of the steps could match the music, and actually be flowing.
I'm also surprising myself slightly with an increased competence on the dance floor. To be fair, I'm still quite bad, but the dance moves are beginning to come out of me naturally, rather than with intense concentration trying to drag them up from my memory. I feel this would increase with more practice, but it's really hard to find the time and place for that.
I feel that the next step of my evolution is going to be turning that natural dance into an effective version of the Ramayana. I will write more on that once we start acting out specific scenes.

Tired Soles

Today's class was discouraging. I felt that I had just started to get a hang of things, but the new dance moves we learned today were difficult. I practiced some on my own, and the individual moves aren't that difficult by themselves. I've got a hang of the mudras, and the steps are getting easier. But its when I put them together that my mind can't handle that many things. I actually realized that I do better when I stop thinking, and stop looking at my feet. Being an english major and being used to meticulously crafting papers, not thinking is probably the hardest challenge so far. Just feeling. We don't do that often, just feel, no thoughts attatched. I know its only going to get harder, with an audience looking on and all the thoughts and nervousness that comes with being on display. It's going to be a challenging semester.

I'm a little past page 400 of the Ramayana, and they've just started to fight at the gates of Lanka. It's getting intense. I would love to see this turned into an animated film, something Miyazaki like. With such eloquently articulated visuals, the work just asks to be drawn. Though, I suppose that is what we will be doing with our bodies, drawing it in a way.

I was watching a fantastic movie called "The Fall", the other night, produced by Spike Jonez. Its about a paralytic telling a little girl a story. It's an intensely beautiful movie set in Colonial India. I strongly suggest it, but the reason I mention it here is that depicted in the film is a kechak circle. It's slightly different in terms of what is spoken in the circle, but you really get a sense of the spiritual power of the thing. It's a cool scene.

Right, off to nurse my feet.

Ramayana Thoughts

First of all, my thighs hurt, and my mind is reeling with thaka dimis and techaks and Balinese nomenclature. I'm really enjoying the Ramayana, I have to say. It's like a mix between the picaresque and scripture, and its an exciting read. I just got to the monkey fight, and Rama's thoughts on Dharma. I have to point out that I find Rama contradictory in one point. At the beginning, it set forth the concept that Rama's dharma is based upon the fact that he cannot lie, not even in the smallest thing. It seems ironic then when Rama is leaving his father's city and heading into banishment, he encourages the driver to lie to the king later, telling him just to say to the king that he couldn't hear his cries to return over the noise of the crowd. I'm not sure exactly how this fits into Rama's character. Must he remain completely without blemish to still maintain the deification he embodies?
Regardless, there are some cool scenes to dance to. I'm especially excited about Rama slaying the army of demons single-handedly; I bet there could be some equally exciting coreography to that.
-Eddie

Thoughts on the first real class

So, having meaningful conversations while doing burning stretches was a new experience for me, but I suppose it helps to diffuse any awkward tension from such a conversation through the pain in our muscles. I can't say I've had too many revelations from the class so far, but it's early days. I am enjoying the text of the Ramayana; I've had exposure to Hindu temples and festivals, but never actual beliefs and texts. It's reminscent of some Western epics and is by far my most enjoyable reading this semester. (Also, for the first time I know where the name for Garuda airlines comes from). I suppose that all I can say right now is that I'm looking forward into seeing how the text is translated into dance form, and I'm particularly interested to see the other members of the class bring their own unique talents to the project. Also, slightly anxious about having to take my shirt off and dance in a skirt-like outfit. I think most of the semester is going to be about building up my courage to do that in front of a bunch of people. Right then. A dancer needs his beauty sleep...