The Riddle called Chaali
Sometimes I think that what dancers really are looking for, when they unconsciously stare at everyone's bodies, are these hidden Chaali-s that can reveal to them a muse of sorts, a pattern in the mess
In classical dance, there's something called a Chaali. Literally translated, it would mean 'style of walking', but as with all nomenclature in traditional Indian things, the word is more of a riddle than a definition. It asks to be unlocked, with a special key, created by the unique person who shows an interest to explore further.
For me, a Chaali means so many things. In the crudest terms, I could call it a particular rhythm: the rhythm in which a baby walks, a butterfly flits, an elephant ambles. It's a comforting thing to watch, because it is both discovery and recognition - haven't we all observed these rhythms in life, without really defining them as that?
But then, that's the riddle, I think. A Chaali, is not only a physical thing. It is a relationship between the viewer and the doer. Don't you just know sometimes, what exactly your loved one is going say, just a split-second before he does? Don't we just repeat certain behaviour over and over again because we know that there is someone who has known us long enough, to whom this will all make sense? Maybe a Chaali is like love; it's a pattern that grants immediate intimacy. And maybe that's why one of the crucial ways to introduce a character in classical dance, is to give it a distinct Chaali. It's a device to save time, energy and emotion. Because once you've struck that love-like comfort, we can get to the heart of the matter - the meat of the story - without the preambles.
Dancers are compulsive body-watchers, this much they'll all admit. We watch bodies like connoisseurs watch art: with a keen hungriness that's also curiously distanced, dispassionate and obsessive, watching everyone, taking in everything and judging nothing (except perhaps our own bodies). Sometimes I think that what dancers really are looking for, when they unconsciously stare at everyone's bodies, are these hidden Chaali-s that can reveal to them a muse of sorts, a pattern in the mess, a method in the madness. We all want the key to create love-like magic. I love the irony of that; it's when performers learn to be viewers, that any kind of beginnings can be made towards creating that moment called art.