Sanctuaries 2016; part 3 – embodying the oppressed

Before I had set the choreography, I just played the music and improvised to it. Aditya has set an evocative Abheri melody for the mice who are brought into the lab and observing the pain and torture around them. As I danced it, my body trembled the way a frightened mouse would. And I felt so much for the pregnant mouse who is so worried about the fate of her offspring. And in that moment it struck me as to how arts generates empathy and allows you to perceive the world with more sensitivity and understanding. In fact, the next day I ran the choreography through a few times, just to get flow, and after I was done, my body ached from the emotional stress of portraying the frightened mice!