Dancers, like filmstars, also enjoy fan following and have various dedicated fan clubs. It is their art and talent that gets them their admirers.
Sometimes, these fans even become devotees who start to worship the artiste and not their art form. I feel that’s where fans go wrong. I have always believed that a dancer is a dancer because of the art form he/she practises and not the other way round.
Sometimes, people are in awe of the artiste, or secretly look up to them or are just simply in love with the art. Maybe because it is the respect that the dancer commands and receives, their achievements, their contacts or simply just how smoothly they perform or beautifully they can get their work done. And it’s obvious that such people display good if not great leadership qualities, and people often wonder what makes them click? Why is it that when dancing legends like Mrinalini Sarabhai, Sitaradevi, Sonal Mansingh, Pandit Birju Maharaj enter a room and people simply get up to touch their feet? Have you ever wondered if it has to with their art? Is it their personality or their aura that makes people surrender in front of them.
And while most people believe that aggressiveness, influence and determination to succeed appear to be the necessary traits, in reality there’s much more. I have believed it is something that is completely opposite of it. It is their humility, the love and discipline for their art that makes them the great human beings they are. Be it a legendary dancer or a super star, all have one trait in common that is the humility. People and fans often overlook the humility factor.
Humility is an important criterion for others to be able to relate to the legend. This makes the performer more approachable and a positive figure for his/her teammates and group dancers. Humility in a dancer brings makes it easy for teammates to open up and communicate with their guru.
In case you are wondering what if humility is mistaken for weakness? I agree that sometimes being humble may make others believe that the artiste can be taken for granted. I feel humility in a dancer can be misconstrued as a weakness. But that can be always be balanced out by adding the right amount of assertiveness and strength. One does not have to sacrifice competence, vision, and effectiveness in order to be humble. Humility in the context of a dancer is admitting that one does not have all the answers and that one may need help of the team in fulfilling team objectives.
Say “no” when you have to and don’t overdo the humility just for the sake of approval from others. When you see that the situation may get out of hand, pull up your socks and be assertive, in other words use humility but don’t abuse it. Familiarity breeds contempt, be open with your teammates but not so much that you are unable to maintain your distance with them. Avoid disclosing too much of your personal life, demand your respect, when required and don’t avoid confrontations in order to avoid conflict.
A dancer is a dancer because we perform our art with feet firmly on the ground and we never let pride get into our heads, because then we will no longer will remain dancers. We will lose our art as God above gives talent only to those who learn to respect it and cherish it with humility.