Bring on the dancers, especially in India

I love this pic of a Baiga dancer with her wonderful headdress and tattoos

How am I going to make dinner over the next three or four weeks?

Let’s get this straight. If you cook dinner for your family every night, you might do the same as me. I switch on the TV about 4:30pm for some distraction, company and entertainment.

For the last three or four weeks, I’ve been watching the 2013 edition of India’s Dancing Superstar. It’s been sensational.

I’ve watched all the auditions (there were hundreds), the narrowing down to 60, and then the further narrowing down to 12. I’ve watched as the judges nurtured and encouraged each and every performer who progressed. For example, there was a dwarf, Vikas Kumar, who has since gone on to make a name for himself in India’s entertainment world.

A colourful Baiga headdress from the back

Then there was the Loyola Dream Team, a group of young men from a private school in Chennai. They got into the top five. One of the judges, the stylish Geeta Kapoor, was especially partial to them, and so was I. They didn’t win, but have since gone on to perform widely in India.

In the end, MJ5 took out the honours, winning the most phoned-in votes from across India. They did a great job and specialised in moon walking, a dance style made popular by Michael Jackson (hence their name of MJ5). They were amazing and innovative, and represented just a small slice of the many dance styles that are practised in India.

In fact, the range of dance styles shown in the competition amazed me because, until the superstar event, my knowledge of Indian dance was limited to traditional and Bollywood productions. By the way, Geeta Kapoor is a Bollywood choreographer.

Luckily, our travels in India have given us the chance to see other styles of traditional dance.

Loved the colour and energy of the Baiga dancers

A Baiga drummer

Dancers in India—the Baiga
The first time we saw dancers was near Kanha’s national park, in Madhya Pradesh, and this group was from the Baiga tribe.

We felt lucky to see them: so full of life, colour and movement. While the women and men performed together, they filled different roles. The women danced in a circle or in a line, while the men, for the most part, played the instruments.

I was sad to learn more about the Baiga. They are forest dwellers living mostly in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jhaekhand. They live a semi-nomadic life, and are hunters and woodsmen. They strive to survive on the produce of the forest, and say they don’t plough the earth because it would be like scratching their mother’s breast.

Over the last 50 years and in the name of conservation, many Baiga have been forcefully evicted from their forests. The government has officially ‘reclaimed’ the land to protect tigers and expand national wildlife parks.

Obviously this has been great for the animals and those of us who want to see them in the wild, but I believe it has been problematic for the Baiga communities.

I don’t know if ‘our dancers’ were displaced, but we sure appreciated their performance. Our little group of six was the only audience and we loved every minute.

Oh, and some groups of Baiga women are tattoo experts. I wonder if the group we saw are among the artistes?

A wonderful smile. Isn’t she cute!

Dancers in India—Rajasthan
Our next dance extravaganza came a week later in Rajasthan, near Ranthambore National Park. This performance was organised by the hotel/campground where we were staying, and was performed in the garden near our tents. I think it must be a routine offering, and many hotel guests attended.

There were four musicians and one dancer performing the bhavai style of dance. This style involves a female balancing earthenware or bronze pots on her head as she twists, turns and dances. Our girl balanced a stack of metal pots (aluminium or stainless steel, I think). She was such a sweet thing with a wonderful smile.

It had the feel of a family affair, with dad and sons playing the instruments, and daughter fleshing out the performance with her dancing.

We were happy to support them.

The musicians

A bhavai dancer

The balancing act

Our next adventures
India seems to be in our blood. The dancing might be too, but don’t expect Poor John to ever admit that he has any interest in dance.

We’re planning another trip to India: this time in the south and starting in early October 2016. It’s for 45 days and has a focus on wildlife—lots of tigers and bears (the lions are further north and west, and we saw them here).

If you’re interested and are good travelling companions (eat anything and okay with budget accommodation), you are most welcome to join this adventure. Two seats left. Let me know and I will send details.

P.S. The trip will travel with 2, but there is room for 4. Oh, and if you love Indian food as much as we do, check out this great recipe for fish in tomato gravy.