Dance

    Since the 1920's the term "Garba dance" has been used to describe a constantly evolving form of popular and artistic dance movements. It is artistic dance movements. It is a reflection of our culture, and as the culture changes so does the face of this dance. This dance has improvisation and individuality as its core. Any kind of dance inspires me. Especially, Indian dancing. The syncopated sounds of stick dancing can be considered as Garba dancing, but so can the body popping movements. The common theme of tying these seemingly odd entities together is rhythm, or more specifically, rhythm steeped in Indian influences. Indians dance to Garba in celebration of birth, marriage, and cultural programs.

    That particular dance just inspires me. It really makes me feel good about myself. It is celebrated every year in November where all Indians get together and dance around God's pictures. It symbolizes the birth of a certain God. This dance lasts' nine days and it is called "Navratri" in my language. It inspires me because it is for god and it makes god happy and if god is happy, then I am happy. To me I feel like somehow it will give me good luck. Although that is not the reason why I do it. It is also fun getting together with all my friends, and making up our own dance and basically just do whatever you want. We have fun swirling our bodies and clapping our hands to the beat of the music with great emotion while we dance around the pictures of the god we worship and that gives me happiness and pleasure. This dance is primarily accompanied by the beat of various types of drums, as well as string instruments, guitar, and other musical instruments. You get to dress up really fancy with special Indian jewelry and everything. Dressing up in those colorful outfits and dancing makes me feel good about my culture and myself and I am proud of it. I plan to pass this tradition on to my children. Hopefully, the tradition will never end. I love the smiles on my parents faces when they see that their daughter is following their culture trait and tradition that has been going on for centuries.

    By the end of this essay I can summarize that the Indian dance called "Garba" is a form of personal expression created and believed through improvisation. This dance also makes me feel unique. It is a heritage that can be traced to its Indian origin to today's eloquent dancing. It defines certain characteristics including techniques of how you do this particular dance and a rhythm that gives you  a swinging quality to the movement. When people see me and they ask me about the dance, it really amazes them after I tell them about it. And I love telling them about it.