Children's Day Performance

My apologies for being so negligent with this blog. My only excuse is that there have been so many things happening that I've been overwhelmed by how much I need to post! So, to come will be postings on Durga Puja, Diwali, Halloween, a trip to Taki, and my birthday (whew!) but for now, I thought you'd all like to see the performance I did for Children's Day at my school. While Teachers' Day is celebrated on the birthday of India's second president, Children's Day is celebrated on the birthday (November 14) of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. I was told by one of the teachers that the kids were expecting me to perform something so I thought I'd give them what they've been asking for from the first day, a dance. The muses were smiling upon me because almost instantly, I could hear the music I wanted to dance to in my head: a mash up of the Bhangra song, Aye Jatt, the latest Bollywood hit, Chammak Challo, and the song my students have requested me to sing the most, Justin Bieber's Baby. I was the opening act for the day's performances and even though there were several places where my mind failed and improvisation was necessary, the reaction of the student's was even better than imagined. They clapped along, sang along, and cheered when they noticed I incorporated the signature Chammak Challo move into my Bhangra choreography. For the rest of the day, whenever I left the sanctity of the teachers' corner, I was swarmed by kids saying how much they liked the dance, sentiments that made the newly opened blisters on my feet well worth it :-)