Tommy Faulconer: Traditional Indian Dance

Another form of dance that has fascinated me over the past couple years has been the traditional dances of India. There are several different disciplines, but one of the aspects that runs through them all is that they seek to tell as story. They do not tell the story through obvious movements, but they have hand gestures and movements that present a more discreet story-telling method. Because the movements are not overly literal, the story can be interpreted differently throughout the audience. Each viewer can then find their own version of what is being told through the dance which increases the connection. In the individual translations of the dances' stories, the person viewing can find a piece of themselves and their own spirits. It is this personal piece of the person's soul that allows that audience member to use the dance as a way to reflect on their inner self, and they can hopefully find some spiritual encounter or enlightenment through the reflection. By knowing oneself more fully and wholly, one can commune more purely with the divine. It is uncertainty in ourselves that keeps a wall between man and the holy. Traditional Indian dances allow a time for self-reflection on the stories personal translation that allows that wall to slowly fall away to reveal the wholly "other."