Weddings, family and a whole lot of dance!!

The word family wedding always sends a slight shiver down my spine. And no, it isn't because I hate to see another one losing their independence. It is because the Marwari/baniya style of wedding that we people have in my maiden household calls for a lot of female involvement in terms of dancing skills. Now, all those who know me would also have seen me dance at some point of time. I am sure you haven't liked what you saw. I, for one think I am very bad at dancing and that's putting it mildly. Some who don't like me might call it pathetic!

I have avoided the Indian dancing format for long. The first time I danced was on Meera Didi's ladies sangeet. A solo performance! On an Ila Arun number! Resham ka Rumaal! With an actual orange rumaal to match my orange lehenga! God alone knows how I feel about that performance 15 years later.

It was Twinkle Toes time again at Niti's wedding when everyone thought I was an adult and could manage my 'two left feet'. Well, they were wrong. I did dance but the thumka's and the lachak's just weren't there. Everyone thought that being the younger sister of the bride I deserved to be in the middle of both the dances I was a part of. I am sure they repented their decision when they saw the videos of that dance. While they danced on 'Mujhe pyar karengi', I danced on my own funky tunes...God! When will grace come to me while dancing?

Well, God did help me out a little at my wedding! I was back to a solo performance, after all, it was my own damn shaadi. After 15 years, I had to be a lot better than earlier. This time around, I gave myself in the safe hands of a choreographer who chose a 'Guru' number for me and expected me to do an 'A la Aishwarya' for her. She also soon found out that if I managed to pull off all the right moves on the stage, then it was my lucky day.

Somehow, that dance did turn out fine, maybe God gave me a one-time dancing grace. But he took it away the next day itself and I suffer from the 'rupal can't dance' syndrome till now. And that is how I come to the story of shivering over Family weddings. With Ankur's wedding knocking on the door, it is dancing time again.

There is a dance for the sisters, there is a dance for the kids, there is a dance for the bhabhi's and there is a dance for the couples! But where the hell is the dancer in me? You know your dancing is very bad when your husband looks at you practice and recommends to teach you a bit on the drive back home! Now, for all of you who know Mohit would know he never objects to anything I do. But I knew I must be looking hideous when he advised me to practice a little more. The fact that he is a good dancer doesn't help at all!

How two kids of the same mother get different dancing genes is beyond me? Niti is such a graceful dancer and I am not even the 'D' of a dancer. So much to the extent that during weddings, it is taken for granted that she will dance. And for me, everyone hopes that I drop out of the dance voluntarily. I wonder why my mum didn't give me those dancing toes that Niti got?

Anyhow, the heart of the matter is that I am a bad dancer and my bad facial expressions don't help me on stage either. I am going to avoid all that yet another time and dance on yet another wedding. Maybe there will be a miracle and despite little practice and low confidence, I will pull it off nicely! But Ankur it is all for you! Better remember that! Your sister made a dancing fool of herself, all for you!! :)

Till next time!
From Twinkle Toes!! ;)