Thursday 1 September 2011

It's been a while!

Hello strangers
Long time no speakers!
So....I survived India. It was an incredible experience!
I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people and made some friends with a few people who I know I will be keeping in touch with and intend to share much more time with in the future. Sarah and Txell,  two gorgeous ladies from Spain who kept me endlessly entertained and also encouraged me to practice when I was really feeling more like burying my head in the sand.
Beautiful Marta, who I spent a lot of time with when everyone else had buggered off elsewhere, she is an infinite source of light and a real inspiration. I spent a little bit of time with all of the girls on the Odissi course and I grew very fond of all of them, I guess after a month or so of dancing together every day, it starts to feel like a family. We all looked out for each other and gave each other support. This is getting all emotional so I won't go on about how much I love everyone, haha
The other people that I shared a lot of time with were Sumitra and her father Kistur and their family who are Bhopa, a tribe of gypsies in Rajasthan. Kistur is a musician, plays a Ravan-hattha which he makes himself by hand and sells to foreign visitors. He was kind enough to share his time with me to teach me to play the Ravantah. Sumitra is like a 13 year old Indian version of me...a feisty monkey with a very cheeky smile and she has such a beautiful singing voice, she sings with her father and they perform for tourists but it is getting more and more difficult for them to make a living from this way of life. The story of the Bhopa tribe is featured in a film 'Bhopa: The Art of Survival'
I am going to be selling copies of this DVD and also a CD of their music, to help support the Bhopa and protect their heritage. Please buy a copy!