Rebirth.

It's been 3 months since my last post and for a change, I would be posting an entry which happens to be an academic requirement. More specifically, this entry would be about the extemporaneous speech I delivered. It just so happens that the topic I chose is very close to my heart so I wanted to immortalize it (in the web at least) in the form of a blog post. Trying my best to capture my speech verbatim. So here goes:


If you look up the word dance, Merriam-Webster would give you two definitions: a) as a noun, dance is a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music and b) as a verb, to dance is to move or to seem to move up and down or about in a quick or lively manner. (I moved my arms, jumped up and down) Is this dancing? I don't think so.

I could be all technical and tell you the different genres and types of dance but that would just be it, I would just be defining what dance is, in technical terms - I wouldn't be able to give dance justice just by doing that. What I want to do is be able to tell you what dance really is and what it really is about - that it's not just about mere body movements in accompaniment to music.

Dancing is surrounded by stereotypes. A ballerina would be thought of as a prim and proper creature while a krumper would be thought of as having rage issues. But what if in one routine, a dancer dances a fusion of ballet and krump altogether? Would you think it's a prim and proper way of letting out rage issues? I don't think so. We should not be defined by the genres we dance in, there's more to dancing than that - it's about defying stereotypes.

It is said that dancing is used to express the "inexpressible residue of emotion" which mere rationality cannot convey. Through dance, your audience could know which emotional state you are in. Dance can portray the strongest of emotions - happiness, sadness, grief or longing. With dancing, you could tell your life story. Whenever I get to watch my favorite dancers, certain routines would give me goosebumps, others would move me to tears. As for my own experience, whenever I dance, it sends me to nirvana - it gives me pure bliss.

I would share a line by Adam Sevani, Moose from the movie Step Up 3: "People dance because dance can change things. One move, can bring people together. One move, can make you believe like there's something more. One move, can set a whole generation free." With the likes of Fred Astaire, he defined 60's through tap dance. And who could forget the crotch grab, the moon walk, the superhuman 45-degree lean by Michael Jackson? He defied gravity! He is the icon of his generation. True enough, dance defines generations.

There's more to dancing than just mere body movements - it's about defying stereotypes, telling your life story, and setting a generation free. As an Indian saying goes, "To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak."

To cap off my speech, I moved my arms and jumped up and down again just like what I did in my introduction. I said, "These, are mere body movements." Then with one move that I executed with passion, I said, "This - is my heart speaking." ;)