Is it logical to say the ‘Dance’ as a
treatment of sufferings in human life?
Dance, a
physical artistic activity nevertheless thought as a treatment of common
nuisance. Besides entertaining to restless mind in podium, the dance is also
helpful in other way around both for the dancers and the viewers or the
audience. My indication is towards the ‘healing’, a process of emotional and
spiritual remedy from the abnormal state of mind. The abnormality which
may grows from common trauma, troubles etc. All of us face our life more or less through mental sufferings.
History tells us about the shamans as well as other healing practices exist in different corners of the
world. In fact, they are still believed among many group of people. The Deodhani
practice of India (celebrated as a shamanic festival every year at Kamakhya temple of Guwahati, Assam)
can be drawn attention in this regard. Healing teaches us material and
non-material world, mostly implemented to those who partly lost their
life-essence. Life essence is the energy that keeps us going, takes interested
in life-in learning things and in challenges. It also helps us to trust
ourselves. Most of us face depressions, fatigue in the cause of traumatic
situation where part of life essence is lost. Those people might involve in
spiritual matters to understand the ordinary or material world, might obsess
with the trauma, and might feel something is missing. Those people feel lack of
energy, depressed, ill and untrusting due to the emotional effect of the
trauma. A healer can get back the essence of life. A
shamanic healer can find and retrieve one's life essence. Their healing
technique is called soul retrieval. The shamanistic dance, folk dance, dance
with spiritual overtone, Martial art, dance of popular culture etc. might have
something else beyond their artistic moves and bents. These arts try to speak
not only the rhythm but also a narration through moves.
The
world is growing day by day acquiring unlimited sources of achievement. We are
grabbing a lot at ease but at the same we are also not free from social and
political strain. The traditional lore binds us together with our people in a
cultural situation. We often become gender sensitive as because of controlled
by rites and rituals made by our previous sufferer. Those are actually the lore inherited
in generation from past and also very much reflected in various practices or social
forms such as folk dance and music. The free flow of mental and physical energy is allowed to flourish in
various folk dances.
Dancers
find themselves confident to express and communicate their sub conscious
desire. Dance helps to divert the concentration from an ordinary life into a
different world of beautification with passion, control and balance. It may help
to be logical, cultural, compassionate and spiritual. Dance, as a form of
Narrative Art uses songs/lyrics or rhythmic beat to communicate the viewers. Performing
a narrative or story Indian Dancers traditionally portray the mythological
story and circumstances such as of Krishna-Radha, Ram-Sita etc. The artists temporarily
get into the characters to uplift the audience about the scenic beauty and it
is said that the characters of portraying spirit are imagined to be embodied
into the dancers and uplift the souls of both dancer and audience. This kind of
spiritual healing help to flow the energy freely that again helps to transform
the inner being.
Different
Dance movements and twist of the body also help to strengthen the bodily
problems. Research said that the popular western Belly dance has a positive
approach towards the difficult stages of womanhood such as menstruation, sexualities
and bodies. Health requires a free flow of energy that one can accomplish
his/her desire. Dance can be used in feelings, when one’s energy is blocked in
many ways.
An Indian Dance
has possible quality to uplift the inner being into a world of cheerful and
self esteem. Dances have their own language of
expression and Indian Dance has definite nomenclature of kinesics (Angahara and
Karana) along with elaborated meaningful gesture. This might help the dancers
to express the unsaid in an environment of symbolic beautification. The traditional Indian dance has seductive, ascentic as well as yogic postures that help to balance a body.
Organisations such as American Dance Therapy Association and Association of the Dance movement therapy,
UK have been maintaining
professionally the education throughout the field. The therapy is a treatment
towards anxiety, depression and severe stress processes through four kinds of
stages such as preparation, incubation, illumination & evaluation. Developmental movement therapy can be useful for people of all ages and may also help
people recover from strokes and brain injury, even in extreme cases.
Though the associations mentioned
about the benefits from diseases such as dementia, depression, anxiety,
learning disabilities, cancer, schizophrenia etc. there are also critical
review of ‘unproven’ dance therapy has been marked.
Healing is always an urge for everybody to keep balance of our
bodily problems and nuisance. We carry our healthy life depend upon doctors,
physiotherapists, yoga, astrologers and many. Can we go to the dancers to heal
ourselves?
Let’s surrender to the dancers as real healers on this World
Dance Day!
'Spotlight on Kolkata Sanved-saving lives through Dance ' |
Lets moves the body and heal.
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