Category: dancing

6 Word Memoirs

Recently, in my English class, we created 6 word memoirs. They were really fun and easy to create and so, I thought it would be nice to share that over here! 6 word memoirs can either be 6 words that sum up a big part or your whole life, or they can describe one specific event. With the way that my English teacher led us through it, there are 4 main steps to writing a 6 word memoir.

Step 1. Take anywhere from 3-5 minutes and write down a big list of life events. These events don’t have to be in order or make sense to anyone but you. Make sure you keep writing and let your subconscious bring up some of the major events you have experienced.

Step 2. Pick any one of the events and write 2-3 sentences about it. You can add any details you want, but don’t let it become a full paragraph.

Step 3. Cross out any unnecessary information. This step can sometimes be hard, but try to think of the main points of your event. Also make sure to keep the mood of the event intact when you cross things out (for example, if you’re writing about a scary moment, don’t cross out all the scary parts of it).

Step 4. Using the words or phrases you have left, experiment with different wording choices and ideas. When you have one you think that fits best, congrats! You’ve written a 6 word memoir.

Here’s an example that I made in my English class:

Step 1. I had around 32 events written down in the span of 5 minutes. Some of my most important/memorable were the Austin trip, COVID/google classroom, online lunch, PUPS potluck (all grades), my mock algebra STAAR, Murder on the Sea (my group’s theater production), and getting into leadership. All of these events definitely influenced me a lot and helped me become who I am today.

Step 2. I chose to write about Murder on the Sea, a theater production my and my ensemble created last year. My 4 sentences were:
My first look at theater performances. I had practiced all weekend and probably wore my grandfather out as he listened to me practice. I remember being extremely nervous, but also ready before the performance. It was the time I decided to join UIL theater.

Step 3. The next step was crossing out unnecessary information. Below is what I had after step 3.
My first look at theater performances. I had practiced all weekend and probably wore my grandfather out as he listened to me practice. I remember being extremely nervous, but also ready before the performance. It was the time I decided to join UIL theater.
At the end, the main phrases I had left were “first look”, “practiced all weekend”, “extremely nervous, but also ready”, and “decided to join UIL theater.”

Step 4. Some of my ideas included:
– practicing all weekend, UIL the goal
– first look at theater, in love
– never forgetting shining on the stage


Finally, I chose this one- “Memorizing done, am I good enough?”

I picked that specific one because it not only ties into theater, but also dance, a huge aspect of my life.

Have you ever written a 6 word memoir? If not, will you give it a try?

Hamilton: The Musical

Recently, I was able to watch Hamilton. It was an amazing experience and I enjoyed it a lot. I hadn’t watched Hamilton before, so it was a first time experience that I loved.

I really enjoyed the diverse cast and how we got to see so many people of different races playing the characters. Main characters, like Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Angelica Schuyler, were played by diverse actors and I enjoyed that.

The songs were also so beautiful and I loved how they all embodied the character(s) who sung them. Some examples were Burn (sung by Eliza) and Satisfied (sung by Angelica and Alexander).

Another thing which I found really interesting was how the same set was used for all the scenes. Unlike other musicals which I’ve seen before, the set was the same, though the characters did transition from place to place. I also thought the way that the set was built was unique and spectacular.

What’s your favorite musical?

A Bold Dance of the Ages

Recently, for my English class, we had to write a brochure based on an element of our culture. I picked Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance from the state of Tamil Nadu. I hope you enjoy!

Strong taps echo through the auditorium as the audience watches, mesmerized by the bold and strong dance. The dancer is performing Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance. Bharatanatyam is one of the most interesting dance forms because it’s bold, unique, and captivating.

The History:

Bharatanatyam has a rich history through thousands of centuries and kings. Here are some of the most important parts of its history.

CHOLA DYNASTY (9th to 13th century):
The Chola kings left a lasting legacy to Indian classical arts. In the Brihadeeswara temple, there are verses from the Natyasastra and sculptures of Shiva performing the 108 karanas. Many forms of art centered around the temples and grew well.

VIJAYANAGAR DYNASTY (14th century to 15th century)
The Vijayanagar kings provided a lot of patronage to dance. King Krishna Deva Raya (16th century) is said to have been a great supporter.

NAYAKA KINGDOM (16th to 18th century):
King Raghunatha Nayake encouraged dance and music. The king also wrote the Valmiki Charitra which included information about Sadir (the old name for Bharatanatyam) and the talam system.

MARATHA DYNASTY (18th century)
The Maratha rulers had the strongest links to the present-day Bharatanatyam. King Tulaji wrote the Sangeetha Saramitra with a list of adavus. Natwanars were also significant members of the king’s court. The famous Thanjavur brothers lived during this era.

BRITISH ERA
The British Government tabooed dance performances and dancers lost their glory.

REVIVAL (early to mid 20th century)
Art lovers worked to remove the stigma from dance. In 1932, Sadir was renamed to Bharatanatyam.

The Mythological History:

At the beginning of Treetayuga, peoples´ lives were filled with greed, anger, and jealousy. There wasn’t dharma and the asuras ruled the world. To combat this, Lord Brahma created a fifth Veda that would be enjoyable and dispel the bad. Lord Brahma taught this fifth Veda (the Natyaveda) to Bharata, who in turn taught it to his 100 sons.

Bharata asked Lord Brahma to bring down apsaras to add grace.

With this, he was satisfied and performed it at the Dhvaja Mohatsa. The asuras got angry because the play was pointing at their demise. As a result, they started attacking the performers.

Brahma asked the divine architect, Vishwakarma, to build a Natyagriha that would restrict access to evil. Vishwakarma instantly built the perfect theater.

Then Brahma took this play to Lord Shiva. Shiva suggested that they add nritta to the play to enhance it. After watching the show, people understood how to defeat the demons and started living better lives.

The Margam:

A margam is the order in which you learn and perform Bharatanatyam items. The complexity gradually increases as does the time and the abhinaya sections.

It begins with a Pushpanjali and an Alarippu. Combined, this section is around 5 minutes. Next is a kouthuvam, the simplest item, usually 2-3 minutes long. It focuses on bhakti. After this is a jathiswaram. This is a pure adavu dance with no abhinaya. Then, there is a shabdam which is followed by a 45-minute varnam. After that is a Padam or keerthanam, which is more abhinaya based. The margam concludes with a Thillana.

Dr. Sunanda Nair, a Bharatanatyam expert, says the margam is important because “It’s like a school syllabus. You can see every step and you know what you’re learning. When you graduate with a Thillana, you have control of what you know. You peak at that ending point. The margam also gives you a connected approach to dance where everything is linked.”

Her favorite type of item in the margam is the “Padam or Keerthanam, I think. In these, you get connected abhinaya where you can really become a character instead of having abhinaya broken up by jathis.”

The Parts:

There are 3 parts to Bharatanatyam, which are all used to form most items.

1- NRITTA
Nritta is pure dance. It is made up of angas and karanas. It doesn’t contain abhinaya, instead focusing on adavus. One example is the Jathiswaram.

2- NATYA
Natya in Sanskrit means dramatic art. It doesn’t contain adavus, instead focusing on abhinaya. One example is the Padam.

3-NRITYA
Nritya is a combination of both nritta and natya. It includes both adavus and abhinaya. One example is the Kouthuvam.

Aaharya:

There are 3 main parts of the Bharatanatyam Aaharya. These parts are the costume, the makeup, and the jewelry.

There are many different costume styles in Bharatanatyam. There is a skirt style which includes a blouse and a skirt. Another style is the pant costume which is a blouse and pants, with a pleated fan attached to the pants.

The makeup is bold, with thick black eyeliner outlining the eyes, pink eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick. The tips of the fingers and toes are also usually colored red with the palms painted with a red circle.

The jewelry´s base color is gold with green and pink jewels set in. There are two necklaces, a choker and an aaram. You wear a chandra and surya on your head to remind yourself to be grounded and that you are only a speck of dust in the universe. There is also a nethichutti which is partly on your head and partially on your forehead. The earrings are small jumpkhas attached to a maatal. You also wear valaiyal.

The hair is braided, sometimes with a pre-braided extension adorned with ornaments attached. Fake flowers are attached at the back.

On your ankle, you wear chalangai. On your head, you wear a pottu.

Glossary:

Aaharya (aa-har-yah)- the costuming, makeup, and jewelry
Aaram (aa-rum)- a long, dangling necklace
Abhinaya (a-bin-ney-ah)- emotions and feelings, sentiment
Alarippu (A-lar-ip-poo)- a dance where you warm up the body
Angas (un-gah-s)- the major parts of the body
Apsaras (up-sah-rahs)- heavenly nymphs
Asuras (ah-suh-ras)- demons
Bhakti (buk-tea)- devotion
Bharatanatyam (buh-ruh-ton-aat-yum)- an Indian classical dance from Tamil Nadu
Brahma (bruh-ma)- the god of creation, one of the three main gods
Chalangai (cha-lung-ay)- ankle bells, to make your taps sound pleasing
Chandra (chund-reh)- the moon
Dharma (duh-r-ma)- good
Dhvaja Mohatsa (dh-vaj-ja mo-hut-sa)- Indira´s flag festival
Karanas (kah-rah-nas)- the poses
Natwanars (nat-van-ars)- people who keep talam
Natyagriha (nat-yuh-gree-ha)- a theater
Natyasastra (nat-yuh-sas-tra)- the book of dance
Pottu (puth-tuh)- colored dot/shape on the forehead
Shiva (shiv-a)- the god of destruction, one of the three main gods
Surya (shur-yah)- the sun
Talam (tal-am)- how you keep the beat
Valaiyal (vul-ay-al)- bangles, bracelets

Bharatanatyam has filled people with wonder and joy for centuries. It has flourished and grown, even when there are obstacles. Bharatanatyam is such an interesting dance because it is diverse, vivid, and enchanting.