Garbha

Last night there was garbha. I went to see. It was chaotic, compared to many others I have been to in the past, but it was beautiful too.

Chaos was caused, I think, mostly because of the new ones, both foreigners and Indians, who did not know the steps. Garbhas can have as many as 22 step-cycle or more. Last night they were doing the simplest one.

I saw quite a number of foreigners learning to dance the Garbha. There were the more experienced ones, some elderly, and some experienced youngsters. They danced effortlessly. Among them were experienced foreigners. They had mastered the step.

I marked the difference between the fluid movement of the Indians and the not so smooth movement of foreigners. There seemed to be, a certain jerky and stiff something in the way the foreigners did it. There seemed to be 'angles' to the movement of non-Indians.

It was interesting and I saw how the sensibilities were translated through their bodies in that simple dance of Garbha. There seemed to be no questioning in the way Indians danced in the sense of surrendering to the joy at a deep, (psychic if you like) level whereas the Western dancers held back some bit of their individuality. I can not express this quite as well as I would like to...

The Indian-non-Indian aspect is just marginal though. It is there in order to contrast just to emphasise a minor distinction. What mattered, I think, was that they were enjoying it so wonderfully. I could not help feeling that they were celebrating the joy of living, the joy of dancing with Krisna, and he was there. I know it, he was there indeed, and because he was so present, there was that delight in that comparatively chaotic dancing.

And that seems to be the magic, the beauty of Garbhas. It is such a humane celebration: the joy of living, being together and expressing the joy through dance.

Matisse painted something of the spirit in his 'jois de vivre'.   

Garbha is beautiful.