“Accept all that is happening around you… Accept the sounds and the movement of India”
Gilles Chuyen (our Bollywood dance instructor)
There were so many things that had me excited about coming to India – the people, the culture, the food, the architecture, the music, the traffic, the spirituality, the diversity. But perhaps highest among them was learning that Gilles, a French dancer-choreographer based in India, would be joining us on our journey up the length of India. Gilles’ is our Bollywood dance instructor and his mission is a challenging one: to whip this ragtag group of New Zealand students with lots of heart but very little dance experience (and even less coordination) into a cohesive, world-class dance troupe. Being a washed-up former child dancer, I was incredibly excited at the thought of dusting off my dancing shoes, getting back on the dance floor and busting out a few moves again. Dance has always been part of my world in some form or another – whether it be through musical theatre, watching the hit reality show ‘Dance Moms’ or shuffling around my bedroom and calling it dancing.
Coming to India, my hope was that classes with Gilles would reinvigorate my passion for dance. I hoped they would serve as the inspiration for me to get back into dance classes when I return to Aotearoa. Three weeks of Bollywood classes has certainly given me this. However, the impact of Gilles’ teaching has gone much deeper than that. Gilles is not simply a dance teacher. He doesn’t view dance as merely a series of steps to be taught and learnt. Rather, he views dance as a medium for expressing one’s truth, a journey into the self. You can see this in the way he teaches – the way he shares his joy for dance and fosters that same light in us. Gilles has reminded me the power of the arts – as both a tool for personal growth and as a powerful force that binds a group together. With this in mind, I thought I’d share some of the life lessons I’ve gained from my time in Bollywood dance class…
Building connections
Standing on the roof of our Pondicherry hotel, preparing for our very first session with Gilles, there was a palpable sense of nervous energy in the air. The group were looking around at each other with slight unease, trying to laugh off any apprehensive feelings, totally . As Gilles called us up into lines, there was almost a race to see who would get into the back two lines. However, by the end of the class, it was a different story entirely. Having successfully learned and performed two minutes of choreography, the group were hugging, high-fiving and laughing. It reminded me how special the arts can be. You can be a group of complete strangers and all it takes is one hour together, some upbeat music and some sweet dance moves for any barriers to completely melt away.
Facing fear head on
None of us were mentally or emotionally prepared when we were told (with very little forewarning) that we would be performing our recently completed Bollywood number in front of a crowd of our contemporaries at Ahmedabad University. There wasn’t even time to try and slink away to the back of the group. Before we could think, the music had started and we were facing a group of eager students with cameras at the ready, assuming our first position. In that moment, we were faced with two options:
- Be as small as possible, try not draw any attention to ourselves and try to sink into the background
Or… - Let go of any doubt, lean into the moment and go full out.
Of course, after a couple of beats of the music and a cheer or two from the audience, we all opted for the second. Gilles says he never turns his back on his fears. For him, fear is a door that he must always walk through. Coming from Aotearoa, where we are so often programmed to shy away from the limelight, to try not to draw attention to ourselves – it was so refreshing to be put up on a stage and have no choice but to walk through that door.
Connecting with the world around us
At the start and end of every dance class, Gilles instructs us to “accept all that’s happening around us.” Gilles believes that dance is about energy. It is a form of prayer. A way to connect with inner spaces of devotion. When we dance he reminds us to centre ourselves. To connect up to the sky through our heads. To connect down into the earth through our feet. To be grateful, present and alive.
Reconnecting with the child within
Above all, dance class with Gilles has reminded me to reconnect with the child within. As Gilles says, Bollywood is all about joy – feeling joy, expressing joy and sharing joy. The sense of joy I have felt at the end of each Bollywood class has transported me back to some of my favourite childhood memories – putting on a dance recital with my cousins at a family dinner, nailing a dress rehearsal, making a home movie with friends. As Shiv, a Bollywood actor we met in Mumbai told us, life doesn’t always have to be as hard as we make it for itself. We don’t always have to take the harder options in life, sometimes it’s better to do those things that make us feel like a kid again.