A few unsolved mysteries about 'Dancing'

To begin with, it is very needless to mention that I am not a good dancer.
This topic intrigued me ever since I was a child.
I have grown up watching bollywood dance, the dirty thumkas, suggestive matkas and 'lachkeeli kamariyas' all through.
But then that was a fun activity.. something that people enjoyed seeing actors and actresses do.
I am sure that dance was never meant to give the actors any fan following nor was it fun for them.. the Indian audience just felt lighter after watching the buffoonery.
That's all it did.

From a kid, when I was growing up, I started getting more and more inquisitive about this form of expression which has swept the globe.
I wanted to understand what is so unique about 'dance' that everyone is possessed with the idea.
When I was in 12th, I used to see guys in my class dance in some random meet organized after the exams got over. Boisterous dance, meaningless moves and totally illogical expressions.
It wasn't dancing. It was more of a case of ants in pants.
God I hated dance.

Few more years down the line, I joined college in Nagpur. After every year, people danced in college fests.
There I saw something unique.. there was a fat rope tied between 2 poles.
One side of the pole, guys danced and the other side, the girls.
And oh my god... people went crazy... gujjus, mallus, panjus, telugus all dancing like they just won a million each for failing in exams.
I had not fully recovered from the shock... when I saw a couple of my lady friends dancing.
Dancing with girls... and doing what.. the hugely overdone dandia step.
I cringed and left the venue.
I was... what do i say.. devastated.
Not because they were my friends.. but because.. I just could not imagine people moving and swirling like coffee in a mug in a dirty, muddy and sweaty place.

Few days later, very intrigued, I asked my friend, why do you dance?
She said.. it relieves you completely. It makes you 'mast' and makes you forget everything.
I was again.. what do i say.. devastated.

Girls still are a little graceful, but I just hated the sight of guys dancing with guys.
It is soo.. well.. so rustic.

Then over the next few years I did some more analysis.
What i came to know was.. most people that I met over the years danced because they wanted to be 'IN'.
They always wanted to be part of the happening crowd.
How I wish, they knew what 'happening' was.

I have absolutely no problems with dance. With 28 years of 'dance-watching' experience.. I can easily differentiate the 'wannabes' from the diamonds.

Just yesterday, while surfing thru' the TV channels.. i saw the PFMI finalists.. about 24 beautiful ladies who had let their hair down during some crappy bash.

They were dancing, swinging and supposedly enjoying themselves.
This logic fails me.. they want to be Miss India.. and they have to go through all this. I thought Pond's always wanted a 'woman of substance'.
Not a yo gen.. youngistan ka wow woman.
Some of them were so uncomfortable.. but were faking it.. flashing broad smiles while they were just moving 2-3 degrees in different directions.
Put your foot down and say - "I dont believe in dancing".
Will someone hang you?

I would love to see people who dance to learn the art.. but I absolutely despise people who start swinging, grooving, moving wherever they hear just any noise.
I mean, how can people dance in a pub? all so sweaty, smoky and absolutely stuffed.
There are a zillion people around you.. but still they dance.. dance for what?
Do they really enjoy it?
All beyond me.

Nacho jab man kare...jab dil bole.. this is it! yeiiiah!!
Maybe when you get a distinction in an exam where everyone around fails..
Maybe when the team you support wins after 3 years of close matches.
Maybe when you win a lottery.

But I really do not comprehend people dancing wherever they can... whenever they can.
Maybe the fault lies in me...
Because out of the 6 billion people on this planet, at least a fourth of them would disagree with me.
With so much opposition... I cannot win.
I give in...

I will continue my research. Will always welcome people who can answer my questions on dance.

Till then, my dance God is Mithun Chakraborty.