SIP Cultural Evening

I'm going to fast forward through the trip because it's an exhausting endeavor and write about something fresh in my mind-our performance! All semester long we've talked about the cultural evening and it didn't hit me until days before that we would actually be performing. The performance was a combination of dance, music, Hindi skits, and whatever else we felt like doing. I was in the Kuchipudi dance and a short Hindi skit which everyone loved. This was a truly Indian experience in all aspects. Let's start at the beginning. Our professor, who is great, had a wedding in the family and the date was set a long time ago for April 8. A few weeks ago this was announced as our date for the performance too. In case you didn't know, weddings are a HUGE deal here. Millions of rupees are spent to make super elaborate, beautiful, busy weddings. Obviously, the wedding came before us so we were placed in the hands of her assistant who has been in our class for a while. He's a really nice guy but doesn't speak much English so the day before the show we just ran it through a few times and there were some head bobs exchanged between him and a few others who had come to watch. So we were given some details-call was at 2, don't forget your bells and bangles, ect. After lunch we all excitedly and nervously head down to the auditorium to begin the day. The process of getting ready for an Indian dance is makeup, costume, hair, jewelery, bells, prayer, performance. Around 2:30 we start with the makeup. There were three makeup artists there and they really were artists. It was at least a 30 minute process and involved reshaping our lips, eyebrows, and eyelines to make us look classically Indian which I must say was a great success. In the middle of this we are running the piece on the stage for the first time, which actually isn't a bad space. It wasn't too deep, but wide enough to fit 14 of us pretty well. Then the costumes arrive. We had taken measurements a week before which were just bust, waist, leg length and oh wow, the costumes were a disaster! We passed them out and went to the hallway to try them on and, surprise, none of them fit. They were basically children's size. Our measurements were written clearly on the bag with our name on them and they were absolutely nowhere near our size. The thighs were supposed to be a little loose fitting, so our knees could bend, and many of us could not get them far past our knees. The same happened when we tried to squeeze the tops past our elbows. If it did get that far, it certainly did not hook for those of us with, ahem, larger parts. So there was a lot of swapping and seam ripping (and accidental ripping) and plenty of frustration. Some of us found one that was close enough so that was ok. In the meantime, the costume man has been called to bring a bunch of larger ones over; thirty minutes, he says. It's now around 4 and the show begins at 6. Between 4 and 5 we rehearse some more, eat some snacks, and sit around. At 5 the costumes go back on and the hair starts. There are 4 of us left completely without costumes. In the meantime, on go the wigs for those with short hair, fake buns the size of CDs, and braids that go down past our waists. Lots of weight and lots of bobby pins, but in the end so worth it because we looked and felt amazing. Oh, we still don't have costumes. As jewelry begins, we convince the guys to let us do our hair and the agree given we're getting a little too close to showtime. In goes my bun and a large clump of black hair is tied and braided into my own hair. Next thing I know, all of this elaborate jewelery is being tied around my bun, head, and neck. Wow there was a lot of it. Apart from trying to stick the earrings into my non-pierced ears, it was a swift and easy process. That's a lot of weight on one head but makes it surprisingly easier to keep a good posture and keeps you more aware of what your head is doing. Plus, we looked so cool. Next, our fingertips and toes were painted so they can be seen more easily from stage which is an excellent tradition. My nails are still hot pink, but it was pretty effective. Now there are 14 of us-we can hardly recognize each other-all done up in classical Indian hair and makeup. Ready to go, right? Whoops, forgot about those costumes. I should also say that while the process of sitting in the chair and being worked on was pretty ok, things started getting more crowded and crazier as time went by. The 14 of us crammed into a pretty small space turned into more helpers and more people yelling at this person and some more people trying to get costumes and small children running around. 5:30 comes around, a time when we would usually be 98% ready and everything set to go. There was no way we could have gone on by 6. The call comes that the costumes are at the front gate which is less than 5 minutes from the auditorium and was also a complete lie. We wait. The show is pushed back to 6:15. We wait. Show gets pushed back to 6:45. Sometime close to 6:30 the Vice Chancellor shows up so the show can't be pushed back anymore. We were second in the show, just following the sitar piece. Time's up so we get creative with multiple pieces of fabric and lots of safety pins and right as the last hook is in place, the new costumes arrive just as the show beings. Frantically, the three of us left (the fourth is on stage performing) throw on the first thing we see and finally, success! I even had time to do a quick pooja and put on my bells. It actually worked out rather well as the costume I got was a beautiful color and fit really well. I had little time to think about that because seconds later we were lined up, lights off, with flowers in hand. The crowd loved us. Those 10 minutes on stage were fantastic. Being in full costume and makeup gives you a real push into character and it was really exhilarating. Of course, there were the butterflies and the small mistakes (or big ones...) but it was unlike any other performance I've had and I really can't wait to do it again. This was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us and we definitely got the most out of it we could have. No time to think about it then because I was immediate put into a saree and rushed back on stage for my Hindi skit. Thankfully I hid my lines in my lap because I was so focused on dancing all day I completely neglected my lines. Last week my class of 7 put together a short and funny skit about a mother trying to marry her son off on a dating game show. We all had some clever lines and we got a great response from the audience. Overall, the show was a hit and was so much fun doing. This was another one of those extremely rewarding experiences that make my trip here so unique. Even if I keep with Indian dance, performing it back home will never be the same as being in India.