Happy Diwali ' 15

 Dance2Konnect wishes all our followers a Happy Diwali! Diwali is a festival of lights and we are against the pollution caused by burning crackers. We militate against such practice of creating pollution and damaging the already affected Mother earth. We propose an idea to celebrate the beautiful festival by dancing, and to quell burning crackers.
#dancetocelebrate #dance2heal

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Birthday : 1 year old

Happiness will always be given at D2k to those who need it. 
Or lets rephrase that happiness will always be given at d2k if you ...wait you don't need a sorting hat , you already got feet. Yes it's been a year. EVERY thing has changed but we also will always make sure that NOTHING about our motive will change. We'll always look to provide you the best, always experience the best but never ever will Mr. Gandhi in green be involved. Because dance is just something too costly to be measured in terms of notes or lets just call it priceless?
"Yaar 16 saal ke bacche hain. Dance me bina profit motive ke kar bhi kya lenge?"      

Yes, not only you, not only our friends but someone or the other always had this question in mind and a really legit question that is, indeed.
We tried to exceed ourselves too much didn't we? We went from Nri's little garden to a wooden stage which was blessed by arguably the world's most talented sets of feet. What and who made this possible? The Elder wand? Pixie dust? Papa smurf? NO. The very fact that we are 16 year olds handling this made it possible. WE made it possible. Our first event went out to women and from seeing that little garden being filled by moms,sisters, aunts and grandmas too ,who knew we'd stand beside a Kinjaz member and the dancing gods of this planet. That day instead of that little garden being filled, it was our heart. Every time ,every meet , every talk we had we were never sure if the next event will work out or not, but we were always sure that about one thing that one day we WILL reach the finish line. And the very point that we don't have a finish line is the reason we keep trying to grow, our de leon never ends. It will, never end. If dancers can do something out of the world then the least we can do for them is give them something which is out of the box. The community is HUGE. You only realize this when you see the que, when you see the never ending number of dancers that are out there just looking for that single chance. And then look at us. And then look at us. I wont boast by saying it wasn't tough because it really was. Dance2konnect is just an year old and we promise to give out to this community every last bit of service we have. Urban dance tour India , all our supporters our team and all the well wishers this day calls for a big THANK YOU for all you have done for us. Its because of you that we have the will to go on. We dance we Laugh we Heal. But you make sure that even you 'Dance 2 Konnect'

Prose,Dance aur India

If you are an Indian born in or after the 90’s, you would sure have joined some kind of a dance

class as a child, or would have definitely been forced by your parents to get into one. We

happen to be writers cum part time old school philosophers, or  ‘typers’ as to what the world

and its ways have made us, but we do realize that these two lovable expressions of the mind;

dance and writing- have a lot in common, to start a boastful all so ingenious (or rather,

INDIgenous *pun intended*) living room discussion. With fingers dancing on our keyboards,

here we go.

The moment the most patriotic word of all times; INDIAN, finds its way to your introduction,

you ought to have dance coded into your genome. As biology students, we learn about two

kinds of reflexes – conditioned and unconditioned. Conditioned is what we learn to do in

response to a particular stimulus, unconditioned is the one that comes, well, unconditionally;

from the heart. To those whom dance comes as an unconditioned reflex, it is the best feeling in

the world. The profound pumping of the heart, the jaunty feeling that it gives you - dance is a

heart-warming experience.  For the others, who need some coaxing to get on the floor (but

then dance like they haven't danced in a millennium), it’s like they were birds trapped in cages.

Dance helps you vent out all that you have suppressed, be it happiness or despondence.

Of course, most Indians are to dance, what Karan Johar is to heterosexuality. And so as to not

let Bharat Maata down, the superstars of our country have coined up moves - thus impeding

the non-dancers from shaming themselves, and helping the moderate ones impress some girls

on the floor. Hrithik’s Ek Pal Ka Jeena; the pump and clean, or Salman Khan’s innumerable and

unforgettable steps, ranging from Jeene Ke Hain Chaar Din pelvic massage to Hud Hud Dabangg

belt flexing steps have got the whole population hooked on. And is nothing works, you always

have the ultimate weapon – The Naagin Dance.

Sometimes the congested dance floors do become a stage for Body Shake competitions, with

most men fighting  for the coveted titles of ‘Who does the best pelvic thrust’, and the damsels

in distress pining for ‘Who has it better with elegantly managing the tight dress’ and  ahh, their

Eiffel Towers of stilettos.

Garba to Bihu, Kathak to Kathakali. Hip-Hop to Ballet, B-boying to Contemporary. Dance is

always equal to happiness.

Be it the mini jig you do when you're happy or the unabashed thumkas under the shower

(singing Thande Thande Panni Se Nahana Chahiye), when it comes to dancing, all of India agrees

with Prabhu Deva on one thing – Any Body Can Dance. All you have to do is put up some beats,

and your crazy friends, or rather your ever ready set of back ground dancers, would always be

there with the perfect steps, born with the just right expressions; dazzling, in their great old

school overalls.

Everybody wants to tap a foot when Madhuri says Aaja Nachle, mimic the graceful lines of her

steps, watch her sculpting the aura around her. However, the ultimate truth of everything

between and beyond the Earth and Sky, is this harsh reality -sweaty armpits ho ya ho pair mein

dard, bhangra karne aatein hain sab desi mard xD

Though c’mon, who can resist the charm of a Dhinda Dhin Dha, or a buttering Bachchan step on

Jumma Chumma? How CAN anyone resist, we ask, if they have even ek chutki of Indian genes in

their DNA, dear reader baabu.

Jokes apart, now as our fingers slow down to finish their dance smoothly, we realize really how

connected writing and dancing are.  The dancers enfold themselves on the stage as the first

beat of the song rushes in. They mix and match their steps to the steady rhythm, expressing

what the song couldn't, telling a story, which a normal conversation couldn't. Dance and its

numerous forms are nothing but the evolution of the human mind and its various turmoils,

synchronizing the hand and the leg to the order and chaos of the throbbing heart and the

resilient brain. Just like writing - where we start building up a story, convey to the readers our

deepest thoughts, and make order out of bizarre alphabets to share with the world what we

couldn’t do through speech. When writing combines with dance, the lovely metaphors of a

writer’s imagination adore the tapping dancer's chorus, as they engulf admiration in ecstasies

of euphoria. Authors WRITE to connect with the readers. Dancers have a better way of

accomplishing that - they DANCE to connect.

-Author: Isha Anand ( Visit blog at www.ishaanand.blogspot.in)

Co-author : Richa das ( Visit blog at www.hasuric.blogspot.in )

DISCOVERING THE HEALING POWERS OF DANCE

VASHI : On the 18th of July, Dance2Konnect, a Navi Mumbai based organization consisting of a  group of young dancing enthusiasts, held a free dance workshop at the Hope and Care Centre at Vashi. The group taught funky and easy dance steps to people of all age groups and spread positive energy.

Senior citizens, kids, and adults were exposed to the freedom of dance as Dance2Konnect led them through their fun dance routines. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the workshop as they followed the dancers step by step. The 2 hour workshop seemed to bring a new atmosphere among the people. The group aims to use the power of dancing to heal. The audience was replenished by the energy brought to them by these young dancers. One of the senior citizens who attended the workshop said, ‘I love dancing, but I was shy, and feared judgement from society. Dance2Konnect encouraged the child within me to let it loose and groove to the beat.’ Dance2Konnect spread energy and hope among all who were present and made it an unforgettable event.

Dance2Konnect introduced the emotional value of dance to the audience alongwith introducing its unique and energetic approach. ‘I don’t know how they do this, but this group brought people 

of all age groups together and connected us without us even realizing it’, exclaimed another member from the audience. 

-Alinda Gupta

DANCE. From entertainment,to therapy. From a 10 year old to a 70 year old grandma. From technique,to Indian weddings. From shiamak to a person high on Bacardi. DANCE is everything. Dance can express. Dance can heal. Dance can cheer you up. There is nothing dance cannot do. Everyone can dance. Cha-cha ,rumba,pasa doble, hip-hop,b-boying. Dance has many names. But one thing common in all the dance forms is not only technique and synchronization of your body. But It is letting yourself go. Dance and music are two powerful pendulums of mood swings which go together simultaneously with each other. A contemporary routine accompanied by a slow song can make you go in your blanket and cry, on how beautiful it was. And a hip hop routine can make you pumped up for running a marathon all night. Dance isn't red bull running in your veins. It is pure emotion. 'Dance' is '2' 'connect'.Because a human maybe secluded,or He/she wouldn't be able to walk ,talk, or have any kind of disorders in the world.But if you have emotions inside you! You CAN dance. Because DANCE is MADE to express. This is what abides us. This is what connects us.I repeat, Its not technique , DANCE IS EMOTION. 
- JAY TRIVEDI

Dance As An Expression

Movement is the expression of life, of existence of the universe. This movement is fluid, like the movement of the waves; undulations, vibrations, pulsations. These are the same movement that animate this body we are; this body that does pliés, pirouttés, tondué, leaps and falls...is dance not just another manifestation of the living breathing universe we are a part of? Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing; it's the rhythm of your life. It is an expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.

Think about it; playing a piano is just tapping few keys in rhythm and making sounds. Yet a good piece of music can bring you to tears. Drawing is just making few strokes with a pointy piece of lead on a paper. Still, looking at a good art is eye-opening and can tell so much about the artist, and makes the viewer embrace its beauty and and its story. Dance is alike, it is not just moving your body, its telling a story. Every movement means something and expresses something. In that sense dancer's are both the art and the artist, creating master pieces with the beauty of their smile, their leaps, their flowing dresses, their curves,arms and the tilt of their head.

Dancing sanctifies our space. It could heighten our sense of being alive by making us one with the very ground we dance on, the air we breath and see the unseen.

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Dance2Konnect is an upcoming hub managed by my friend Pranjal and myself Apoorva for dance enthusiasts where we'll not only share our story but also would love to share your experiences,your story, something you learnt or maybe something you want to learn. Its a great way to widen the circle of opportunity for budding talent all over the world. If you want any specific story or an experience to be published, feel free to contact. Our facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/dance2konnect

Dance has no age bar.

Today let me tell you a story of a boy or rather a man who was a year short of 20 when he decided to learn a dance form. A dance form which brought him challenges because of its female centric perseverance in our diverse yet united society. He had to face the people who would ask him why he couldn't do something worthwhile or find a real job. He too was looked down upon by many.

The boy when in his first ballet class got disappointed after noticing that he's the only boy in a class of 21. That the few boys who joined thereafter only to drop out later didn't matter.

His steely resolve to become a professional ballet dancer bore fruit in 2005,when he got a scholarship to attend a workshop in Argentina. This trip served as the turning point in his life as in Argentina they comprised of 50 boys in a class. His two months stay in Argentina spurred him to become dancer-instructor at IFBC and open two ballet schools in Mumbai and Delhi.

But things were difficult on money front too as he,one of the three kids was brought up by a single mother. So, even after saving money by teaching ballet, financial struggles were something he's familiar with.

Yet today the man himself, Sanjay Khatri who is now 30 yrs old stands as the first Indian ballet dancer and has just proved every single person who's reading this,who wants to dance,who have been told that they cant do it, you can do it! And the same goes with whatever you want to do in life.