Fancy Some Fusion?

In defining the term "fusion", the dictionary uses, among others, the terms "melting together" and "union". My sappy, poetic soul loves the depth behind these terms. I love even more the actual fusion of... well, various things. Ideas. Music. Foods. Souls. Hearts. (Yes, I meant it when I said I was sappy).

There's fusion all around us. From DJ Suketu's remixes to the corner 'Chinese Bhel' and 'American Chop Suey'. Fusion can create magic. Fusion is what creates Life itself. An entrepreneurship idea, a new recipe, new workout, a new soulmate. It's like when you drop two different coloured inks into a beaker of water. At first, they hold their own, streaking through in their own hues. Then they give in, merging first into the surrounding water, and eventually into eachother. A whole new compound, a whole new colour.

It's the same thing with people. Initially, they're 'individuals'. Separate entities, disconnected beings... And then slowly, sometimes without their even knowing it, they begin to merge, blend, and fuse into one. A whole new being in their union.

I also adore the concept of fusion in dance. The merging of two completely different styles to create something fresh and different just gives me goosebumps! My earliest memory of the concept being Michael Jackson's little jugalbandi with the Bharatnatyam dancer in the 'Black or White' video. Then in Step Up, where Ballet and Jazz met Hip-Hop and Ballroom. Sheer poetry!

What a lot of people don't realise is that practically every single dance is interconnected. What distinguishes them is generally one or a combination of music, posture and attitude. Most trained dancers tend to limit themselves to the traditional forms of their genres. It takes a real dancer's soul to hear only the rhythm -- first in their ears, then in their veins. A mridangam can spawn B-boying, a sitar Ballet, a beat-box Salsa, an electric guitar Belly Dance...

That's part of the reason I don't teach traditional Belly Dance. I mean no disrespect, neither to the art nor the purists, but I just enjoy incorporating the unexpected into a routine. Hip-hop, Indian Classical, Ballroom, the works! Not to mention mixing the music up a bit. After all, how many people do you know who would picture a Belly Dance routine to Moby's techno mix of the James Bond theme? Well, I would. That's just how I think. :)

And now, after over a year of ideation and conceptualization, a routine I've dreamed of is finally coming to life. And I can't wait to share it with you all once it's ready!