I advanced onstage to the first beats of my Pushpanjali, trying to migrate gracefully to the pink X that marked the center of the stage. The colored lights beat down on me from the upper corners of the stage, blinding me from the audience (My mom decided, against my protests, that we would have to use those because they would make the video come out better...very like her) As I danced, I felt like I was swimming into the darkness. My brain was somewhere else entirely while my limbs moved of their own accord, but I didn't try to think about it because they seemed to know what they were doing. By the time I had finished the abhinaya and was about to begin the second stretch of intense nritta, I was able to catch up with my breath and the rest of my body. I finished Natesha Kavuthuvam in that notoriously painful pose that, on regular days, would have caused my right thigh to explode in pain (it doesn't look painful, but oh boy, it is). Today, though, I couldn't feel it (thank you, adrenaline) and I sunk into the pose until the lights dimmed.
My calves were still unbearably stiff and I hobbled offstage in a frenzy. Thankfully, Alarippu starts out slow. I managed to finish it without a hitch, except for the slight sloppiness due to the unresponsiveness of my lower body which I will blame on my inadequate stretching beforehand. I exited, had a sip of Gatorade, and returned to the stage for Jathiswaram, perhaps the fastest dance of all. Everything in Jathiswaram went alright except for the 5th Jathi, which I blanked out on and had to improvise on the spot. I picked it up again at the 6th Jathi and finished the dance okay despite that jarring moment. I was, of course, angry that my legs were still tight with tension and my dance rather sloppy. But for the next ten minutes, there would be a musical interlude and I would have some time to rest.
Rest? Yeah right! As soon as I stepped off the stage, I was yanked into the dressing room where the girls immediately got to work removing safety pins, peeling off my sweaty costume, and drying me off. Someone dragged over a giant fan. Someone else stood before me with a bottle from which I sipped glucose water. I traded my mango necklace for one with white pearls. My eyeliner was desmudged and darkened, my lips reddened and coated with another layer of Vaseline, and my skin given another dusting of powder. Thankfully, my bells hadn't snapped like they had during rehearsals a few days before. I had an emergency stash of borrowed bells (which various friends had brought me that day without even me needing to ask them) in case this happened. I hurriedly stretched my calves and quads before I was rushed onto the sidestage again. JA briefly explained the Varnam and beckoned me to come and give a small illustration of her description. After that, it began. It started off a little shaky due to some confusion with the song, but I slid right into the dance and finally found my comfort zone on the stage.
I welcomed the stretches of abhinaya that came after every intense jathi; during them I could rest and forget about staying with the rhythm. About halfway through the Varnam, I wasn't feeling that nervous anymore. And by the end of the dance, though my chest was heaving and the sweat dripping off me like crazy, I finished with confidence.
Ah, finally intermission. 1/2 done, another 1/2 left to go.
Continued...in Part 3: "I thought I said no ice in the Mango Lassi!"
Continued...in Part 3: "I thought I said no ice in the Mango Lassi!"
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