Thank you Meredith!! I can't wait to see this film! I love your article here. You have captured what the passion for dance entails and how it embraces your entire body, spirit and soul. I am 79 and dance has been my passion since I was 5 y.o. Ballet, jazz and Israeli folk dancing have been my favorites. I am still dancing and will never stop as long as I am upright. It's the air I breathe and takes me above the clouds. I can't even begin to describe in words the passion, joy and meaning that dance gives me and now in our current political state in the U.S., I think I'd die if I didn't have dance. The arts are healing and also expand our consciousness. Dance keeps me both grounded, centered and as takes me into other dimensions of pure love and hope. Thank you Meredith!
Hi Meredith. Just wanted to give you an update. I've watched "Call Me Dancer" 3 times and it won't be the last. I can't thank you enough for this. I loved it is an understatement. Dance requires such perseverance, resilience and above all..heart and passion. All the required training is so hard that it is truly essential that "You have to fall in love with dance". And all dancers do just that. It's a passion I can't compare to anything else in my life and it never leaves you as dance becomes an integral part of you. This story of Manish and his wonderful teacher, Yehuda is so absolutely beautiful. One of the things I loved about this doc is what Manish said about how dance unifies people. "When you dance with other dancers, you absolutely don't see racial or ethnic differences. You're all the same". So beautiful and it's so true. It magically happens as soon as you dance with others. Another thing I loved about this story was how his Israeli teacher, Yehuda, who had no family left was completely included and embraced by Manish's family and the Indian culture. Yehuda found his family that wholeheartedly welcomed him in as an equal member. Third thing I loved about this doc was the kind of mature love that Manish and Yehuda had for each other. Yehuda's love for Manish was not at all controlling or possessive. He wanted Manish to flower into all that he knew he was destined for and so with immense love, he let him go to America to study with other teachers so that he could expand and to spread his wings and fly. So beautiful the story of these 2 soulful, heart filled people with a searing passion for dance. This doc brought such tears of joy to me with its powerful messages and reached down deep into my soul. It is a brilliant example of how we can reach out to people outside our tribes and live together peacefully in community. When I did Israeli and international folk dancing in L.A. primarily in the mid 70's, there were all kinds of people dancing together filled with joy. I fervently believe that if all cultures could dance together, we would rise above and beyond our differences and experience what it feels like to live and thrive in peaceful community with each other. When you're dancing, there is no room for all mental thoughts and critical judgments. That's the magic about dance and the music. It literally transports you into another realm of existence that in my opinion is sheer nirvana. Thank you Meredith.
So much beauty in these intricate dance moves. He looks like a floor performing gymnast. A job as performer is great if nothing else keeps you fit and healthy. Somewhere on youtube an elderly woman in her 90’s, a former Rockette was suffering from dementia but upon hearing the music to a number she had performed many times was still able to perform all the moves! It’s absolutely lovely!
Thank you Meredith!! I can't wait to see this film! I love your article here. You have captured what the passion for dance entails and how it embraces your entire body, spirit and soul. I am 79 and dance has been my passion since I was 5 y.o. Ballet, jazz and Israeli folk dancing have been my favorites. I am still dancing and will never stop as long as I am upright. It's the air I breathe and takes me above the clouds. I can't even begin to describe in words the passion, joy and meaning that dance gives me and now in our current political state in the U.S., I think I'd die if I didn't have dance. The arts are healing and also expand our consciousness. Dance keeps me both grounded, centered and as takes me into other dimensions of pure love and hope. Thank you Meredith!
This is inspirational in so many ways. Thank you for posting. I can't wait to see the film.
Hi Meredith. Just wanted to give you an update. I've watched "Call Me Dancer" 3 times and it won't be the last. I can't thank you enough for this. I loved it is an understatement. Dance requires such perseverance, resilience and above all..heart and passion. All the required training is so hard that it is truly essential that "You have to fall in love with dance". And all dancers do just that. It's a passion I can't compare to anything else in my life and it never leaves you as dance becomes an integral part of you. This story of Manish and his wonderful teacher, Yehuda is so absolutely beautiful. One of the things I loved about this doc is what Manish said about how dance unifies people. "When you dance with other dancers, you absolutely don't see racial or ethnic differences. You're all the same". So beautiful and it's so true. It magically happens as soon as you dance with others. Another thing I loved about this story was how his Israeli teacher, Yehuda, who had no family left was completely included and embraced by Manish's family and the Indian culture. Yehuda found his family that wholeheartedly welcomed him in as an equal member. Third thing I loved about this doc was the kind of mature love that Manish and Yehuda had for each other. Yehuda's love for Manish was not at all controlling or possessive. He wanted Manish to flower into all that he knew he was destined for and so with immense love, he let him go to America to study with other teachers so that he could expand and to spread his wings and fly. So beautiful the story of these 2 soulful, heart filled people with a searing passion for dance. This doc brought such tears of joy to me with its powerful messages and reached down deep into my soul. It is a brilliant example of how we can reach out to people outside our tribes and live together peacefully in community. When I did Israeli and international folk dancing in L.A. primarily in the mid 70's, there were all kinds of people dancing together filled with joy. I fervently believe that if all cultures could dance together, we would rise above and beyond our differences and experience what it feels like to live and thrive in peaceful community with each other. When you're dancing, there is no room for all mental thoughts and critical judgments. That's the magic about dance and the music. It literally transports you into another realm of existence that in my opinion is sheer nirvana. Thank you Meredith.
Enjoyed that, thank you! Happy it's on PBS so I can watch.
Wonderful film.
So much beauty in these intricate dance moves. He looks like a floor performing gymnast. A job as performer is great if nothing else keeps you fit and healthy. Somewhere on youtube an elderly woman in her 90’s, a former Rockette was suffering from dementia but upon hearing the music to a number she had performed many times was still able to perform all the moves! It’s absolutely lovely!
So good! I never could understand people that had such a passion for something such as dancing, various arts. It is very special.