In India, there is no official Dance Day, but I guess we never needed it.
Just a glimpse of the Nataraja, is enough to know how deep-rooted classical dance has been in our culture.
The नाट्य शास्त्र, (Nāṭyaśāstra), of Bharata Muni, was compiled five centuries before Christ, and is the primary reference text for Indian classical dance.
The root of the word Nāṭya is Naṭa (नट) which means “act, represent”. The word Śhāstra (शास्त्र) means “precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise”.
The Natya connects through abhinaya, that is applying body-speech-mind and scene, wherein asserts Natyashastra, the actors use two practices of dharmi (performance), in four styles and four regional variations, accompanied by song and music in a playhouse carefully designed to achieve siddhi (success in production).
Drama in this context, is an art to engage every aspect of life, in order to glorify and gift a state of joyful consciousness.
As with everything ancient, there was no disconnect between disciplines. Dance, music, art – all melted together to weave an tapestry of life, that was more fulfilling than what we currently experience.
And so, today, I bow to all the Gurus of dance, for achieving siddhi in nāta is not an easy journey. But fulfilling, yes it is.
The fundamentals of deep learning are similar, be it dance or karate – vivekā, vairāgyā, shat–sampat and mumukshutva.
आदौ नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः परिगम्यते ।
इहामुत्रफलभोगविरागस्तदनन्तरम्
शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिर्मुमुक्षुत्वमिति स्फुटम् ॥ १९ ॥
ādau nityānityavastuvivekaḥ parigamyate |
ihāmutraphalabhogavirāgastadanantaram
śamādiṣaṭkasampattirmumukṣutvamiti sphuṭam
from Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, written by Jagadguru Adi Śaṅkarācārya
First is enumerated discrimination between the Real and the unreal; next comes aversion to the enjoyment of fruits (of one’s actions) here and hereafter; (next is) the group of six attributes; and (last) is clearly the yearning for Liberation.
Knowing the goal is important, but equally important is knowing the path to get there. Adi Shankara, in his Vivekachudamani (prakaraṇa grantha or teaching manual) has laid out the Sādhana-Catuṣṭaya (Sadhana Chatushtaya) -the four fold path of practice for seeking spiritual liberation. The four disciplines are vivekā, vairāgyā, shat–sampat and mumukshutva. Tomorrow, I will look at some aspects of this śloka, in the context of learning and self-discipline, rather than spirituality.