Author and a not-so-long-ago dance show judge Chetan Bhagat, in his blog, gave a discourse about what dance really meant and how it could not be judged.
He put down three questions for all to answer. One, could dance, a form of expression just like a love letter, be judged? Two, the rightness of eliminations and the exposure of children to its overbearing burden. And three, which failed to interest us, the five best dancers of Bollywood. So here is an attempt to answer these as we tell you our side of the story.
Bhagat: All my life, I grew up with the fear of dancing. I can write books, articles and bare my heart out to the world in written form.
Well, some people can dance and bare their hearts out to the world. Some can cook as a form of expression. Some others sing, while some can gossip away to glory. We have a reality show for each. Sure, expressions can’t be judged, but writing is the most recognised form of ‘expression’, and is being judged since the first literary award came into being. Judgement is everywhere. Whether you like it or not even the ‘baraati’ dance gets judged…
Sure most of you’ve faced that!
Oh Shaadi se yaad aaya, how many of you have danced for your friends’ or cousin’s sangeet? You know where we’re headed…
Want some more examples? Here’s one. Whether you remember being a victim or don’t, or whether you ‘re doing this to your own kid or have been an audience to someone else’s, we all know deep down that this one is as true as the day is long.
“Beta uncle ko naach ke dikhao”, well there was no judging here! Huh.
These are only a few places where your character is evaluated, your worth as a child deduced, and your friendship assessed. And all on your skills of getting the right foot tap.
So our point here is, when it’s all around, why not just put up a damn show, it will at least benefit someone, or even make them a star choreographer, or get them enough dance students to pay for their ailing mother or the dilapidating house!
Much about the judgement part. Elimination is a tough call. Agreed. But life has so many ways of eliminating us. From the unfathomable pain we felt when we lost our favourite toy, to losing the favourite boy, or when our job gave us no joy, (that rhymed!) we all have faced elimination, and came out of it. We learnt. Sometimes didn’t. But nevertheless, came out a winner.
When we see kids crying on being eliminated, our hearts wrench, and deep down we disagree with the whole process. But it is as it is. When children can beat Sharmaji ki beti in life’s competition, a talent show is nothing but a win-win.
We rest our case here.