Yet another feeling of achievement, yet
another successful show. Can't believe I danced for more than 1
hour, and that too with no mistakes. I know (especially after
seeing the videos) that I could have been much better, but I
also consider that this is just my comeback in
dance - not sure how long will I continue, but I have
certainly decided that I am not going to leave dancing, until
dancing itself asks me to leave :)
I
joined Just Dance Academy in January 2008, and it was more than
half a year that there was no concert held by us. We kept deferring the date for a couple of times, and
finally concluded at the 21st of February, 2009 as the day of
our concert.
Some
of the songs were already finalized, and many not yet set.
Nevertheless, the ones already set were also to be polished,
finished, and practiced to be improved on. We came up with
multiple songs, in multiple sequences, and I, as usual, was the
Mr. Editor. Got various versions of various songs done sitting late nights and days, and
finally, we froze 14 songs.
Tiring
practices (at least 3 hours daily for about a month) went
on, tearing my shin(s) (don't know if this word can be
pluralized) apart, and I was not the only person. All of us
were working hard enough to try and get to our best possible
level. Daily rehearsals were really tiring, and really fun
as well, with all the jokes, all the mistakes, making funny
faces when we went wrong, and with almost no smile on the
face. It's logically true that when you dance for 3 hours
continuously, you find it difficult to smile, however, this
is what learning is all about.
We had received
our costumes earlier itself, and since costumes are not
supposed to be of your personal size, we got them altered,
stitched from various ends, to fit us properly. I got them
done from a tailor, who charged me more than Rs. 100/-. Yes,
it took him efforts, but I would not have paid anybody so
much, but this tailor was recommended by mum, so I went to
him. The pants got a little shorter than required, so got
one of them re-altered to make a little longer. The only
pants I was very skeptical wearing was the one in Taal, as
it was very loose, light, and very easily slippable. I put a
safety pin, and then it made me more confident on the day.
And ya, the red jacket & red pants for Marjaani, which
looked the funniest when we got them are looking the best in
the video.
Finally arrived
Friday, the 20th of February, 2009, when we were supposed to
perform our Technical Rehearsals at the venue, which was at The
Poona Club, Bund Garden Road, Pune. Yes, this was the same
venue where we had performed our Aaja Nachle dance. However,
this time, it looked much different and comfortable as
compared to the last time, because the huge shade that was
built made the area look bigger than the open space, that
made the stage look more tension-free ;) We
reached there at 5 PM, and then started positioning
ourselves and practicing steps. It was a tiring evening,
which lasted till 10 PM. It was fun, no doubt, but then
looking at our own performances, we were a little more
conscious that we needed to do much much better. Since the
area in our class was much smaller than that on the stage, it
was much necessary to get acquainted to larger space, giving
louder expressions, and louder dance movements. This ensured
that we would be exhausted by the end of it. Yes, Friday,
the 20th of
February, 2009 was an extremely tiring evening, with legs
almost broken into multiple pieces :)
I
did not sleep that night. Was only remembering the dance
steps automatically, sub-consciously. Thanks, to myself,
that I didn't dance in sleep that night, but it was no less
than that anyway. I had planned my Saturday, the 21st of
February, 2009 to go shopping for some remaining stuff in
the morning, take a lot of rest in the afternoon, and then
leave in the evening after a proper diet. Plans went
accordingly, and I left around 4:30 pm, as some more
positioning was to be done at 5 pm at the venue. We
were probably still not completely accurate in our
positions, but we did try our best.
The show was
scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm, and as time passed by, the
number of butterflies in my stomach kept increasing. The
only worry I had was changing the Dance Pe Chance t-shirt to
Marjaani Red Jacket, as there was no break in between,
otherwise, I was pretty confident with my steps. Accidents
are not under anybody's control, so, we don't have to worry
about them. I had troubled my face at home itself, only
thing pending was the little make-up, which I did around
6:30 pm. Thanks, to Divya, who helped me put the foundation
on my face, and still keep me recognizable as Sagar
;) Then we wore the costumes, and prayed together.
We shouted three cheers for a fantastic show to come, to
gather energy.
I don't
remember when it struck 7:30 pm in the clock. Announcements
were made, and the music of Taal began with "Kisike Ishq Ke
Waade". With all the energy, enthusiasm, and blessings of
Shiv Baba, we went onto the stage, and the show began
already. With almost no break in between, we were supposed
to change our costumes, and we fortunately managed to do
that. Just before Dance Pe Chance, I gave the Marjaani's red
jacket to Soheb, who was very co-operative, and went onto
Dance Pe Chance, which received a lot of claps during and
after the song, especially, when all the girls lifted me up
in the air. I changed for Marjaani, and couldn't believe I
was ready in no time. I don't know who carried my orange
t-shirt back to our green room. Then the show carried
on, and we couldn't believe we managed to complete each song
after the other, with not more than 1 minute break in between to change the costumes. I was a little apprehensive of Desert Rose
(the most complex, tiring dance number), but it was a
success. People clapped for our first floor work, fan kick,
and it was fun doing it.
The Green Room
wasn't directly attached to the stage. It was pretty far,
and we were just rushing, changing, cleaning our faces,
combing the hair, and putting up that powder to look and
feel fresh again.
I cannot forget
to mention Aye Bachchu. It's my favorite-most song of the
entire show, and it was amazing fun dancing on it. It was
sounding so different while performing - guess they had made
some sound changes. It was mesmerizing, and absolute fun to
perform on that song.
The show
continued with all the songs, and we had a blast. My stomach
was badly aching just before Dostana songs, but I managed
to gather my breath, and stop the pain. Audience was really
sweetly clapping for Jaane Kyon on the beats, and increasing
our enthusiasm. Like I said to the choreographers, these Dostana songs
were the sweet dishes of the show (and hence should be kept
towards the end), well set, and everybody was getting them
right, plus they were cute too. I loved the way the
spotlight was put onto the both of us - boys - at the end of
Jaane Kyon, when we turned back for Desi Girl.
I don't want to
go so soon to the end of the show, but I know reading is
boring than seeing the performances in real. Baawre was the
last core dance performance as such of the show, and it was
hugely applauded too. Then
came the Finale, which we enjoyed in white, peaceful
dresses. There has to be a Madhuri Dixit's song in my
dancing :) It was Ek Tu Hi Bharosa from Pukar. After all the applause, we also danced on stage on
Shut Up & Bounce and Rab Mix. Then all our names were announced, and
we left towards the Green Room for packing our bags.
People were appreciating us outside, and I heard Sidharth
telling me that some lady was looking for me, asking if I had appeared in any Marathi Dance Show.
The moment I went out, there were so many people coming to
me and appreciating for all the dancing. It was definitely
overwhelming. I cannot forget to mention the name of the
person who was the lucky medium through which I joined this
class, and he is Ganpathi S.
This was an
evening when my legs did not shake, break, or pain. It was
an evening full of joy, fun, and happiness by the end of it.
I can never ever forget the blast we had inside the Green
Rooms, on the stage, and then off the stage :)
I will always cherish this Concert, but there are
many more to come, hence wrote down the wonderful experience
of this one :)
Overwhelmed by
the amount of appreciation I received from everybody who saw
my dances. Many inspired, many new fans, and for me, I have
a much bigger responsibility to be much better the next time
- whenever it is.
We had received
our costumes earlier itself, and since costumes are not
supposed to be of your personal size, we got them altered,
stitched from various ends, to fit us properly. I got them
done from a tailor, who charged me more than Rs. 100/-. Yes,
it took him efforts, but I would not have paid anybody so
much, but this tailor was recommended by mum, so I went to
him. The pants got a little shorter than required, so got
one of them re-altered to make a little longer. The only
pants I was very skeptical wearing was the one in Taal, as
it was very loose, light, and very easily slippable. I put a
safety pin, and then it made me more confident on the day.
And ya, the red jacket & red pants for Marjaani, which
looked the funniest when we got them are looking the best in
the video.
I don't
remember when it struck 7:30 pm in the clock. Announcements
were made, and the music of Taal began with "Kisike Ishq Ke
Waade". With all the energy, enthusiasm, and blessings of
Shiv Baba, we went onto the stage, and the show began
already. With almost no break in between, we were supposed
to change our costumes, and we fortunately managed to do
that. Just before Dance Pe Chance, I gave the Marjaani's red
jacket to Soheb, who was very co-operative, and went onto
Dance Pe Chance, which received a lot of claps during and
after the song, especially, when all the girls lifted me up
in the air. I changed for Marjaani, and couldn't believe I
was ready in no time. I don't know who carried my orange
t-shirt back to our green room. Then the show carried
on, and we couldn't believe we managed to complete each song
after the other, with not more than 1 minute break in between to change the costumes. I was a little apprehensive of Desert Rose
(the most complex, tiring dance number), but it was a
success. People clapped for our first floor work, fan kick,
and it was fun doing it. 
The show
continued with all the songs, and we had a blast. My stomach
was badly aching just before Dostana songs, but I managed
to gather my breath, and stop the pain. Audience was really
sweetly clapping for Jaane Kyon on the beats, and increasing
our enthusiasm. Like I said to the choreographers, these Dostana songs
were the sweet dishes of the show (and hence should be kept
towards the end), well set, and everybody was getting them
right, plus they were cute too. I loved the way the
spotlight was put onto the both of us - boys - at the end of
Jaane Kyon, when we turned back for Desi Girl.
This was an
evening when my legs did not shake, break, or pain. It was
an evening full of joy, fun, and happiness by the end of it.
I can never ever forget the blast we had inside the Green
Rooms, on the stage, and then off the stage :)
I will always cherish this Concert, but there are
many more to come, hence wrote down the wonderful experience
of this one :)