A Dance For you and Me

Azmina, my interviewee for the month of February 2016, starts her dance story with a glimpse into her life-long love of movement,

“I was always athletic, continuously on the move. As far back as I can remember, I have been exercising, whether it was running, swimming or step aerobics in the early 90’s! As time went on by, I qualified as a practicing lawyer in London, England- I continued exercising, running and attending the gym during the mid 90’s. Some more time went by and my life took on more depth with my marriage to a wonderful partner and, later, with the birth of our two daughters. During this time, I still continued exercising, mostly in a gym. Then I moved to Basel as a trailing spouse, for my husband’s career. Since I did not speak German, I could not practice law in Switzerland without first re-training, which would have meant leaving my young daughters in full-time daycare.”

At such a juncture, Azmina bravely decided on a new career-course and returned to studying to become a teacher in Basel. Azmina’s new career allowed her to support her girls as they grew up, and gave her a meaningful and rewarding professional life, even though it was in a whole different league from a legal career.

Azmina is in good company! At the start of each class, as I look around the dance floor to welcome everyone, I see women who have already had a warm-up just rushing to the studio on foot, by bike or tram. They’ve wrapped up their last meeting of the day and finished checking in on the childcare arrangements to get ready for an hour of dance. When we turn on the music and the lively Bhangra starts its pulsing, the demands of real life recede with each thrumming beat, delivering us to a place of magic and fantasy- Oh yes, to a place where the sun always shines and the half-pony rules!

Back in May 2012, the only trouble was that the supposedly “simple” half-pony was giving Azmina a right rough time. She enjoyed running very much and had continued running with gusto after each of her girls was born. The year before she started dancing, Azmina was diagnosed with a bad case of chronic Plantar Fasciitis, which flared up often enough to pretty much stop her physical activities in their tracks. Not able to run anymore, Azmina was struggling to find an alternate form of exercise, when she learned about Bollywood dance classes from a good friend of hers who was also a student at DanzBollywood. Smiling over how she felt when she learned of this class, Azmina reminisces,

“Bollywood! There was a word that made me smile; it brought back so many memories of growing up in the West as a young girl of Indian origin. Being of Indian origin for my generation invariably meant wearing Punjabi suits on Sundays, eating samosas and drinking chai on winter weekends and watching Bollywood movies with mom and dad who were keen to maintain their cultural identity, no matter how many generations removed they were from India; My parents grew up in East Africa and I grew up in England. It was partly through these movies and (particularly through the dances in them) that I, and many of my peers with similar backgrounds, reconnected with our ancestral roots. This is why I set my misgivings about being able to dance with my injured foot aside, and showed up to a trial class one Friday in May 2013. The rest, as they say, is Danz(Bollywood) history!”

Why Azmina says, “Dance it, Lady!”

When I see Azmina’s remarkable enthusiasm on the dance floor, I am humbled by her faith in my teaching and, at the same time, inspired by her dedication to dance. I think back to many memorable moments we’ve had together; the time we performed to a large Indian audience celebrating Divali, the festival of lights – all of the performers were either of Indian origin, but had grown up in the diaspora abroad or, Swiss. The icing on the cake was being paid to perform at an Indian festival to an audience that comprised primarily of people who had moved to Basel from India. What an honor it was for us to be appreciated in this forum! I also think back to the time when Azmina taught a dance piece that I choreographed to over 30 of her students during their learning about India. How amazing it felt to join in the show put on to share with the students’ family and friends. In summary, Azmina shares that,

“Dance has helped me understand my body more, to become aware of my strengths, weaknesses and my changing shape. I love dancing so much that I decline social events which conflict with class time. Oh, and, the Plantar Fasciitis has simply disappeared!”

On that happy note, as DanzBollywood kick-starts Azmina’s weekend and I end this column, I wish her a lifetime of fun on the dance floor. Nach Baliye! Dance it up, lady!

In my column A Dance for You and Me! I look forward to introducing you to ordinary people who have had a memorable encounter with dance.