The Power of Dance - Colleena Shakti Documentary

Summary

This transcript follows a Western woman who has spent over 13 years in Rajasthan, India, immersing herself in the world of Indian classical dance, particularly Odissi, and Rajasthani folk traditions. She shares her journey of learning from Kalbeliya gypsies, teaching dance as a holistic practice, and how dance serves as a devotional, spiritual path. Her story highlights the power of lineage, art as a conduit for divine expression, and the balance between maintaining tradition and creating contemporary fusion dance that honors her spiritual and artistic heritage.

Takeaways

• 💃 The speaker is a Western woman who has embraced Indian classical dance and made it her own, living in Rajasthan, India for over 13 years.
• 🏜️ She learned the Kalbeliya dance form by living with the gypsy tribe in Pushkar, Rajasthan, spending years understanding their culture and values.
• 🌐 The speaker has traveled the world performing contemporary fusion dance, combining her classical Indian dance training with other styles.
• 🤔 She explores the deeper meaning of dance as a path to realization and the importance of the Guru-shishya tradition in Indian classical arts.
• 🕉️ The dance form of ODC (Odissi) was revived and classicized, incorporating elements from temple sculptures and ancient texts.
• 👩‍🏫 The speaker's guru, Sujata, is described as a powerful and devoted teacher who has deeply influenced her understanding and practice of dance.
• 📚 The speaker runs a school in Rajasthan that is located within a temple, emphasizing the devotional aspect of the dance form.
• 🌟 She believes that dance is a holistic practice and a way to express one's higher self, aiming to transmit the beauty, peace, and contentment associated with it.
• 🌱 The speaker is dedicated to preserving ancient virtues and wisdom through her dance and teachings, seeing it as a way to liberation.
• 🌏 She teaches Indian fusion belly dance worldwide, creating a style that blends classical Indian aesthetics with contemporary dance.

Q & A

What does the woman in Rajasthan, India aim to achieve through her dance performances?

She aims to move people to tears, create a sense of mystery, inspire, instill hope, and transmit the essence of Indian classical dance.

How did the Western woman become involved with the Kalbeliya tribe in Rajasthan?

She came to India to study ODC and also to take a trip to Rajasthan to find the tribe of gypsies she had seen in a film called Macho Drum.

What was the initial challenge the woman faced when trying to learn the Kalbeliya dance?

The initial challenge was that the Kalbeliya tribe did not teach their dance to outsiders and had no idea how to break down the dance to teach someone from outside their tribe.

How did the woman manage to learn the Kalbeliya dance?

She spent years in the gypsy camp, eating with them, playing with the children, learning their songs, and becoming a part of their culture.

What is the nature of the Kalbeliya dance according to the woman?

The Kalbeliya dance is a completely improvisational dance with an aspect of charm that makes it fun to perform.

How does the woman describe her experience living in Rajasthan for over 13 years?

She feels at home there and uses Rajasthani dance to tell her story as it is a pure expression of joy for her.

What other traditional groups in Rajasthan does the woman work with?

She works with the Lunga and Manganiyar, traditional people who memorize stories and songs and pass them down generation to generation.

What does the woman feel when she dances with the Lunga and Manganiyar?

She feels a sense of history and tradition, as if she is living 800 years ago, and she appreciates how they keep their traditions alive.

What is the significance of temple dancing in the woman's dance practice?

Temple dancing was traditionally centered in famous temples like the Jagannath temple, where women called Maharis would dance and act out stories of Lord Krishna.

How does the woman describe the process of learning under a guru in the Guru shishya parampara tradition?

It is not just about learning dance technique but also about learning the way of life, the path of the artist, and the way to ultimate fulfillment.

What does the woman consider the most important aspect of her art?

She considers the potential of expressing her higher self and being a conduit for something divine as the most important aspects of her art.

How does the woman view her role as a teacher and her students?

She feels more like a student than a teacher and is inspired by her students' sincerity and efforts to grow and explore their potential.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Embracing Indian Dance and Culture

In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on how people crave experiences that inspire, move, and uplift them. Through Indian classical dance, particularly ODC and Kalbeliya gypsy dances in Rajasthan, the speaker aims to transmit such emotions. The speaker, a Western woman, discusses her journey of embracing Indian culture, spending over thirteen years in Rajasthan. She shares her deep connection with the Kalbeliya tribe, learning their dance informally by immersing herself in their way of life.

05:07

🕊️ The Timeless Tradition of Dance in Rajasthan

This paragraph highlights the importance of tradition and history in the speaker's experience of dancing with Rajasthan's Lunga and Manganiar musicians. These traditional artists, who once performed for the Maharajahs, pass down their art orally, preserving cultural heritage. The speaker reflects on the simplicity of their nomadic lifestyle and how they live in the present moment, detached from fame and fortune, which offers a sense of freedom and spiritual connection.

10:11

🙏 Devotion to the Art and the Guru

The speaker emphasizes the role of a guru in shaping an artist's life, particularly in the Guru-Shishya tradition of Indian classical arts. She discusses her deep respect and devotion to her ODC dance guru, Sujata, whose teaching goes beyond technical instruction to encompass philosophy, spirituality, and life lessons. The speaker draws inspiration from her guru’s values and her devotion to the art, embodying a higher purpose through the stories conveyed in the dance.

15:16

🌸 Temple Dance and Its Spiritual Significance

Here, the speaker discusses the sacred tradition of temple dancing, focusing on the history of ODC in connection with the Jagannath Temple. She explains how this devotional dance, once performed by the Maharis, was later outlawed but revived in a classical form after India’s independence. The spiritual essence of ODC, rooted in Vedic philosophy, tells stories of gods like Krishna with deep emotional and divine significance. The speaker reflects on how this tradition became a structured, stage-ready art form while retaining its spiritual core.

20:17

💃 Fusion Dance: Blending Traditions and Innovation

In this paragraph, the speaker shares her journey of blending classical Indian dance with contemporary and belly dance styles, creating her unique fusion style. She teaches these forms worldwide, pushing her students to challenge themselves and grow through dance. The speaker expresses deep admiration for her students' dedication and sincerity in learning, seeing them as a source of inspiration as they embrace the struggle of mastering a new dance style.

25:19

🌠 The Transformative Power of Art

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the spiritual and transformative power of art, particularly in Indian tradition. She explains that true art should transmit a positive message, help people transcend the mundane, and lead them to self-realization. This is the ultimate goal of art, according to the speaker, and is what she strives to achieve through her teaching and performances.

Keywords

💡Odissi

Odissi is a classical Indian dance form originating from the eastern state of Odisha. In the video, it is the central art form that the woman practices, representing a blend of devotion, history, and structured classical movement. It embodies storytelling through dance, often focused on portraying the divine and philosophical themes from Hinduism, such as the tales of Lord Krishna.

💡Kalbeliya

Kalbeliya refers to the dance of a nomadic tribe in Rajasthan, India, known for their snake-charming traditions. The video describes how the woman immersed herself in the Kalbeliya culture to learn their dance, which is improvisational and deeply connected to their way of life. This dance contrasts with the structured nature of classical Odissi, highlighting her journey of learning from the Kalbeliya people.

💡Guru-Shishya Parampara

The Guru-Shishya Parampara is a traditional Indian teacher-student relationship where the knowledge is passed down from the guru (teacher) to the shishya (student). This concept is vital in the video as the woman discusses her dedication to her Odissi gurus and the spiritual lineage that informs her practice. It emphasizes learning not just dance techniques but also life values and spiritual fulfillment.

💡Temple Dancing

Temple dancing refers to the historical practice of performing sacred dances in Hindu temples, often as a form of offering to the gods. In the video, this concept is discussed in relation to Odissi’s origins, particularly from the Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha. This practice was once banned but later revived and structured into the classical form of Odissi dance, which the woman continues to practice.

💡Jagannath Temple

The Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, is one of the key sites mentioned in the video, where the tradition of temple dancing, particularly by the Maharis, was once prominent. The temple serves as a significant cultural and spiritual reference point in the narrative, as the dance originally performed there was part of rituals dedicated to Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Vishnu.

💡Langa and Manganiyar

Langa and Manganiyar are traditional communities of musicians from Rajasthan, India, who have preserved ancient oral traditions of storytelling through music. The video highlights the woman’s connection to these musicians, explaining how their historical roles as court performers for Rajasthani royalty imbue their performances with a sense of deep cultural heritage and continuity.

💡Improvisation

Improvisation, as mentioned in the video, refers to the spontaneous and unstructured nature of Kalbeliya dance, where movements are not pre-taught but learned through observation and participation. This contrasts with the formalized structure of classical dance like Odissi, emphasizing the freedom and instinctive expression in Kalbeliya performances.

💡Fusion Dance

Fusion dance is the blending of different dance styles and cultural influences to create something new. The woman in the video describes how she merges Indian classical aesthetics with contemporary and belly dance, creating a unique form of artistic expression that reflects both her Western roots and her deep immersion in Indian dance traditions.

💡Devotion

Devotion is a recurring theme in the video, representing the deep spiritual connection that the woman and her teachers maintain with their dance. For her, both Odissi and Kalbeliya are not just art forms but acts of devotion to the divine. This concept underpins the philosophy of art as a medium for spiritual growth and a path to realization in Indian classical traditions.

💡Lineage

Lineage refers to the passing down of knowledge and tradition through generations, a key concept in the video, especially in the context of the Guru-Shishya Parampara. The woman expresses her deep respect for her dance lineage, explaining how she feels empowered by the ancestral energy and wisdom that she carries forward in her performances. This respect for tradition ensures that the dance remains authentic and undiluted.

Highlights

Indian classical dance aims to move people emotionally, creating a sense of mystery, inspiration, and hope.

The speaker, a Western woman, has lived in Rajasthan, India for over 13 years, immersing herself in both Odissi classical dance and Rajasthani folk traditions.

She learned the Kalbeliya dance by living in gypsy camps, absorbing their culture, and learning through observation and participation.

Kalbeliya dance is deeply improvisational, reflecting the joy and charm of the community’s lifestyle and values.

Her deep connection with traditional Rajasthani communities, like the Langa and Manganiyar musicians, gives her performances a sense of history and cultural continuity.

Performing with traditional musicians connects her to the past, preserving traditions that date back over 800 years.

The Kalbeliya community teaches detachment, living in the present moment without concern for fame or societal standing.

The speaker is both a student and a teacher in dance, focusing on embodying the art at a deep level rather than mastering it.

Odissi dance has its roots in temple dancing, with a divine, romantic connection to Lord Krishna, and was revived after being outlawed in temples in 1935.

Studying under a guru in India is not just about learning technique but about embracing a way of life and art as a path to realization.

The guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship is foundational in her dance journey, where devotion to the teacher parallels devotion to the art.

Odissi and other classical Indian arts express the eternal truth (Satyam Shivam Sundaram), focusing on inner beauty and spiritual meaning.

Her performances aim to transcend personal ego and connect with the audience by transmitting a sense of peace, beauty, and truth.

She founded a dance school in a temple in Rajasthan, providing context for the devotional aspects of the dance.

The dance training she offers goes beyond physical movements, incorporating philosophy, yoga, and spiritual wisdom.

Her Indian fusion dance combines Indian classical aesthetics with contemporary forms, offering a modern expression rooted in ancient traditions.

The power of lineage in Indian dance is central to her teachings, connecting students to ancestral blessings and artistic energy.

Art in Indian tradition is meant to transmit, transform, and transcend, offering a path to liberation and enlightenment.

Transcripts

people want to be moved to tears people

want to feel a mystery that can't be put

into words they want to feel inspired

they want to feel hopeful and that's

what we have been taught to create with

Indian classical dance and what I hope

to transmit through my performances who

is this woman living in Rajasthan India

dancing ODC classical dance dancing with

kalbeliya gypsies in the desert and

traveling the world performing

contemporary fusion dance how does a

Western woman embrace a different

culture and make it her own you know

over thirteen years I came to India for

ODC but it was also in my mind to take a

trip to Rajasthan and find a tribe of

gypsies that I had seen in a beautiful

film called macho drum and I came to

Rajasthan to find this tribe of

kalbeliya and I found the kalbeliya here

in pushkar

when I met the Kabylia they were not

teaching their dance to others they

learn by watching their older sisters

their auntie's their mothers it's not a

dance form that was taught and they had

no idea of how to break it down it took

a long time even for them to understand

how would you convey this dance movement

to someone from outside of our tribe and

really the way that I learned their

dance was spending years and years in

the gypsy camp eating with them playing

with the children learning their songs

and just being a part of their culture

and understanding what are their values

and what do they consider beautiful what

is the kalbeliya sense of humor and what

is an artist in the Cavalia world there

is an aspect of charm in their dance

that is what makes it so fun to do it's

a completely improvisational dance this

my teacher of Merida and so d/c

sometime kalbeliya also I know her ankle

when I'm is small round fourteen tucked

in I know she's like my sister

I use rajastani dance to tell my story

because I've been living there for it's

now over 13 years and I really feel at

home there it's just a pure expression

of joy for me I also work with another

cast of artists from Rajasthan very

traditional people that are called lunga

and also manga near

they memorize these stories they

memorize songs these rods and they pass

it down generation to generation they

are the ones who used to perform for the

Maharajah's in Rajasthan

when I danced with lunga when I danced

with this traditional music I feel that

history it's a sense that you get being

with people who have held their

tradition intact that they live as they

lived 800 years ago they keep those

traditions alive and there's meaning to

the music there's meaning to their way

of life

these people who are villagers who are

nomads these traditional people who I'm

associated with in Rajasthan teach me

what it is to be detached and living in

the present moment not worrying about

fame and fortune not worrying about

where I stand in society not worrying

about tomorrow is really how these

people live

gentle again

as a dancer I have many phases within

the dance I'm a performer and I'm a

student and I'm a teacher I feel much

more like a student than a teacher

because when you study under great

masters you just can't imagine that ever

one day in your life you will measure up

to their greatness I really focused

myself more as a student I want to

embody the art at such a height

temple dancing was a tradition that in

recent history was centered in certain

very famous temples throughout India and

one of those famous temples was the

juggernut temple in puddi and so women

called Maharis would dance in the

juggernut temple and Jagannath is a form

of Vishnu who is also Krishna

and so this vation of temple this temple

of jagannatha these dancers were dancing

and acting out the stories of Lord

Krishna and the mood and the bhava of

Lord Krishna is very sweet and romantic

and it's like associated with springtime

and just loveliness

so this feeling in the dance form this

little bit of sensuality that's there is

not a earthly sensuality it's a divine

kind of romantic mood relating to the

Lord as your beloved and finally the

tradition died out so temple dancing at

one point in India in 1935 it was

outlawed women were outlawed from

dancing inside of temples and slowly the

dance was revived in and classic alized

into what we call OTC before it was just

what was done in the juggernut temple

and then when it was classic alized

there were gurus who were male gurus and

actors from the theatre and scholars who

got together and read the old text on

dance studied the sculpture in all the

temples in Orissa and then classical

eyes this dance form made it even more

highly structured and the training

process was established how one would go

through the training and then it was a

dance form that was put on the stage

and this was at a time when India became

independent and classical ization of

many indigenous dance forms were

underway just you know the masters tried

as much as they could to retain the

ritualistic practices and the spiritual

intention in the dance form

really can't explain why I was so sure

when I took that leap of faith to come

to India to study ODC and the chance to

meet the Masters that I have had my

category my OTC gurus my spiritual guru

it's pure luck to meet a master of such

immensity I met Sujata just in the last

few years I had another guru to start

ODC and I don't think I would have been

ready if I met her from the first day

because she's full power it takes a very

ready and willing student to already be

surrendered completely to work at the

level that she demands Galena is a very

good human being first of all I should

say that and such a devotee the first

year when I see her I could feel the

devotion in her eyes in her heart and by

staying with her spending some time with

her with closed circuit I could feel she

has that guru bhakti you know - devotion

to her guru and I could clearly

understand because it relates to me also

because I also a devotee of my guru so

it is a connection when one of my

student she starts loving me or he

starts loving me I could clearly

understand the point of view which angle

the devotion comes to me

so Kalina is definitely one of them to

whom I understood that she loves her

guru

she loves the art and she want to be

into inside that the involvement the

deep sense of getting the art and to

nurture whatever possibility from the

art the thing about studying under a

guru and that tradition in India which

we call the Guru shishya parampara that

lineage is not just about learning dance

technique it's a

about learning the way of life the path

of the artist and the way to fulfilment

ultimate fulfillment because in India we

believe that art is a path to

realization

she is someone who's very devotional and

I learned what it is to be a devotee

from her I learned the deeper meaning

the deeper nuance of the stories we tell

in our dance our dance is rooted in

Vedic philosophy the stories from the

Puranas about the gods and the goddesses

are what we use as content in the dramas

that we portray we have to understand

that connect with it we have to believe

in it so she not only teaches me the

steps the mudras and the stories that

were acting out but she really lives by

those values that we convey through our

stories and I have rarely met another

classical Indian dance guru that I can

say really lives by that for that code

of ethics that code of values that we

learn about through the Vedic stories

that beauty inside of the dance is not

to be confused with a beauty that is an

external beauty so what Indian classical

art teaches us is Satyam Shivam Sundaram

but what is the binding element of

beauty is is an eternal truth what is

eternal truth its spirit

standing on stage is a very vulnerable

thing it's thrilling in that way the

audience gets to participate in your

vulnerability to strip things down to

their essence and try to reveal a truth

I know that if my mind is clouded with

insecurities or doubts or fears or any

concern or even pride that that will

cloud the experience for the audience

that they won't get that divine

transmission of beauty of peace and

contentment because I'm busy worrying

about my own experience and really

performing in front of an audience it's

a shared experience it's just as much

mine as it is the audiences

I have dedicated my life over a decade

to collecting this wisdom this these

precious teachings it just feels natural

the next step would be to share that my

school in Rajasthan is been a temple and

I don't think I would still be doing or

DC if I didn't have a school that was

inside of a temple it brings context to

the dance why it's a devotional dance

form and why we're dancing and acting

out stories of the gods and goddesses it

all finds a context and make sense in

that temple atmosphere so life in a

temple it's not a fantasy it's a reality

which takes a lot of discipline and it

takes a lot of sacrifice

one of the special things about the

school is that it's not just the dance

or it's not just yoga she is working to

have us them understand the hidden

layers in all of this and she explained

a concept called guru Shakti where when

you see a dancer dancing and their

technique is beautiful and perfect but

there's something that's not nice

worse is a dancer where yes their

technique is perfect but there's

something extra maybe in the way that

they move their eyes or just in their

their energy that makes you have this

emotional reaction to them and that is

connected to the Guru's sort of the

ancestral blessings and the ancestral

energy flowing through them when they

dance and that's what I what I've seen

when I see Kalina dance and when she's

sharing her practice and her sort of

gems of wisdom with us and that's why

she has this community of women who are

coming to her to learn more than just

the physical practice of dance and yoga

something different that I get from

studying with Kalina is that she really

sees dance as a very holistic practice

and she incorporates you she truly sees

it as a yoga it's not just a dance form

it's a very full experience and she

really transmits this to us in every

moment every day the evening classes

where we sit down and talk about various

philosophies and theories

this is the perfect place and the Temple

Dance Festival and the Shakti School of

Dance it's like living it's like a

living workshop where you're living you

know getting to that place for your

offering offering your efforts offering

your dance offering your love offering

yourself so that something's hopefully

divine and greater can flow through what

do you see is the most important art in

my life although I do other art forms

like fusion dance and Rajasthani folk

dance no other art that I've come across

offers that potential of expressing your

higher self because we do or DC to

become a conduit for something divine I

have my cultural roots my familial roots

but spiritual roots even you know

metaphysical wisdom of ancient times all

over and indigenous cultures are being

lost slowly and we're focusing on other

things in our society in this school and

in our philosophy classes or even just

in the art itself in the stories were

portraying we are keeping alive these

ancient virtues and wisdom that leads to

a place of liberation

and philosophy also comes with a simple

reason that I'm asking Who am I I'm

doing a book on Upanishads and even in

those times that is we're talking of

BC's they're talking of these Rishi's

this money is going to the forest are

Enya's and asking the question about Who

am I what is my existence and what is my

connection to the world that I perceive

and even this model will you asking the

same question and I think arts do answer

these questions at least they get you

closer to it

Nadia

from years of training in Indian

classical dance I bring these techniques

and aesthetics together with

contemporary dance and belly dance

Nadia

I travel the world teaching Indian

fusion Indian fusion belly dance I teach

these styles of dance and I perform them

and they're really the style of dances

it's my own creation it's where I'm able

to play with the classical Indian

aesthetics and the values of Indian art

and carry them over to something modern

that is something maybe outside of

Indian culture but is my own experience

my life experience my dance experience

all of my students who've come to any of

my workshops I just feel so proud of

them I respect them so much because

usually people come to my school or come

to my retreat to have a paradigm shift

to have a moment in their life where

they step outside of the mundane and

step outside of just going through the

motions and they want to challenge

themselves and they want to grow and

they want to explore their potential and

I really try to push everyone to their

limits in my class and when I see people

rising to the occasion I just feel

really in awe of that they're my heroes

I want to be like that I want to push my

limit every day and every dance class

and when I see my students doing that I

feel like it's this bouncing back and

forth of inspiration that they inspire

me and their sincerity

you know the students who come with

really sincere intentions and just to

enjoy every moment in the class and I

see that on their face it's like oh my

god I just have so much to learn from

them in their contentment in in going

through that struggle of learning a new

dance and I love to be a part of that

it's very inspiring a real incredible

teacher who offers such simplicity and

such elegance and such beauty like those

three words just keep coming through

even though the dance is so complex

watching kalenna dance and the devotion

that you see when she's doing it it's

and you you don't just see it you feel

it you know like and it's this feeling

of like god I want to be a conduit of

that of grace of this human not human

feeling it's very rare to find a

performing artist in the dance field who

constantly challenges herself and who

lives big : is such an inspiration

that's what so much of this is we will

act as conduits between the past and the

future and we're in a position where we

can take this information and make daily

choices of how are we going to

perpetuate this knowledge this beauty

this tradition and make it relevant

while not diluting it for personal

purposes if that makes sense there's a

much higher calling here

I find so much power and so much beauty

and so much inspiration from my lineage

I feel like more than being a dance

teacher I just want to teach people

about the power of lineage that adhering

to a lineage is not limiting that it's

limitless once you're inside of the

technique and the form but that's where

you get a hidden power and a hidden

confidence that it's not me who stands

on stage it's me and my whole lineage

standing right behind me backing me up

and giving me energy and giving me

inspiration and reminding me that what

I'm doing is right I wouldn't trade that

for a watered down version and I think

Elena's that kind of devotees and I

might just be born an Indian I

understand the language I'm blessed to

be heard because I love it there in its

own sense but there are people whom I

admire and I think she should be won as

individuals as real devotees of the art

is something which transmits transforms

and transcends and if it doesn't do

those things then it's not considered

art in our Indian tradition to transmit

a positive message that transforms

people for the better and will help them

transcend the mundane then this is what

art is this is our goal of art