One thing that has everybody in high spirits during the season of Navratri is Garba. Every year the entire city is booming with late-night Garba fests and jubilant celebrations. However, while we celebrate this custom every year, and add traditional twists to it indefinitely, we fail to know, practice, and understand what traditional Garba looks like and how our ancestors before the pop-traditional songs would dance and celebrate this marvelous occasion.

It is no secret that with all the urbanization and modern remixes, cultural diversity has become so prominent, that the original traditions have been lost and are only anchored to a handful of passionate traditional artists. Thus, when I was given the opportunity to enter a workshop for the same, I happily registered myself. This workshop was a part of The Indian Dance Quest 2021 by Taal Group.

Since I am not particularly a physical person, the traditional style was exhausting. Within the hour and half of class, we would learn so many steps that sometimes it was hard to keep track and remember what I had learned in the previous class. Regardless, I felt that I could see how those traditional steps had turned to the steps we do today. The direct inspiration was clearly visible.

We also learned about Garba and why it is done, what it means and how much it means to soo many people across the state. It was nothing short of fascinating.

Evidence of Workshop-

CAS strand/stands in focus- Activity

LO1- Definitely, I was able to take note of my strengths and weaknesses from the first few classes. It made me feel a little out of place because the others had remembered the dance choreography and they were in sync with the music like they had already done the workshop before. Additionally, I felt like my stamina was low in comparison to my peers. However, I did have grace and was able to pick up the steps fast and was passionate about the workshop. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses is important to me because it helped me understand my areas of improvement and redeem great results.

LO2- Dancing was challenging because even though the current Garba dance style is similar to the traditional base, the requirements are completely difference. Since the workshop was held on a virtual platform it was difficult to ask for guidance and had to record the sessions in order to practice later. Moreover, since many of my peers were faster in catching up with the choreography, I felt a little embarrassed to ask my guru to repeatedly show the steps which held me back a little. Learning new skills is eye-opening and helps build better techniques and understanding of something that we have practiced for a long time. Challenges lead to growth.

LO6- The global issue this dealt with was the preservation of culture. Like previously mentioned in the reflection, amidst the urbanization and modernization of dance styles, the traditional concepts are profoundly lost. This workshop was a step to celebrate the traditions and secure the authenticity of our culture. It makes me puffed with pride to know that I was a part of the initiative.

LO7- The Ethical issue involved in this activity is the depletion of original culture and traditions by the increase in fusion and modernization of dance forms like Garba. The Ethical issue affects me inderectly because if we continue in the same way, we might lose touch of our own culture and will be stripped of the rich traditions. This issue made me feel like something had to be done, and something had to be done soon. This issue was something I was not aware of before the session I thought the way we did Garba was how it was done always, but I was wrong and I realized it after the session.

Thus, the week long workshop was nothing short of extra ordinary and eye-opening to someone like me who is inquisitive about the raw traditions, that we have now altered to convenience.