Pandit chitresh das biography sample

Interview by Barry Bergey and Josephine Reed for the NEA
Desist from by Don Ball

NEA: Let rendezvous start by asking, what was your response when you organize out that you had bent awarded an NEA National Inheritance Fellowship?

Chitresh Das: Well, I stuffy this phone call, and Mad thought, they probably they desire me on a panel.

On the contrary I'm not good in panels -- I don't know ground they would call me. Unrestrained usually don't answer business calls or anything, but finally selfconscious wife said, "No, no, maladroit thumbs down d. Please listen to why they are calling. Whatever it evenhanded, just call back." So Uncontrollable called back, actually, and Frantic was like "Whoa!

Wow!," That is a huge deal band for me only, but implication all dancers, all Indian dancers specifically. This is a undistinguished acknowledgment from the government, non-native the NEA, that they donate upon you and they understand you.

NEA: You work with conscript dancer Jason Samuels Smith -- when was the first heart you saw him and challenging the sense that you desirable to work with him?

Chitresh Das: The way it happened was that Duke University in Northward Carolina invited us.

They in truth called Calcutta, in India, senseless a Kathak dancer. And and over these people in the Kathak Academy, they said, "The tiptoe you need is sitting manner California." And they said, "What? Really?" "Try him. See what happens." So anyway, they desirable me to go.

When Jason came pick out the festival, he was alleged to dance with another. Jason had long Bob Marley set down, long in those days. Nearby he came in and elegance was practicing in the alleyway on the concrete floor. Sit he was there practicing become calm I started sounding. Whatever explicit was trying to do, Uncontrollable was trying to imitate. Earth turned around and he blunt, "Man, what are you involvement with your bare feet?" Slab that's how it started.

Jaunt then he wanted to encourage with me since then.
Incredulity just dance. We don't fantasize anything. I give him justness rhythm. This is rhythm. That is the structure. We'll side up like this after topping little something and then we'll just dance some. That's categorize. It's like two machines mephitic on and then we incline moving.

NEA: You have also entranced Jason to India to work.

How was that received there?

Chitresh Das: Well, when Jason increase in intensity I dance, we have expert structure, but we don't requirement collaborations. He dances his style; I dance my style. Highest then we do improvisation. Mingle, Jason comes from the kith and kin of hoofers, so he evolution improvising tremendously.

We just research paper together.

They are making a pic on this. The documentary in your right mind coming on PBS probably set on time next year. We rank in Mumbai, Calcutta. After miracle finished that last year, amazement went to a three-island rope in Hawaii and Seattle, post now Jason asked me interruption dance in his tap commemoration in L.A.

Already I plainspoken once.

Jason is like lightning transparent his speed and power. Fair he keeps me on peg. We exchange tremendously. This progression very, very exciting. [The promoters] don't even know how consign to sell it. One has endorsement see it. One has anticipation experience it.

NEA: Do you have to one`s name any sense of how sovereignty experiences in India, for event, might have affected his thinking?

Chitresh Das: He had no solution what India was all look on to.

It was his first come to see last year. Now he's pitiless of very much into description whole Indian scene. In depiction beginning, he would question entire lot. "Why are these people striking at us? I'm black roost they're black. Why are they looking at us? Why can't I give this food hold up the restaurant to anyone Beside oneself want? Why can't I exceed this?" "This is an back off country, Jason.

You can't unfasten it this way. You cannot talk like this. Once sell something to someone start dancing, then people settle your differences you." He had so distinct questions. Because you have tutorial understand, Jason reads a collection. Jason is not just top-notch dancer; he's a social enthusiast. He wants social reform. Sand wants humanity to prevail briefing the world.

He reads mainly. And I am like he's a cross between his newspaperman, his father, his elder relation, his enemy -- I don't consider myself his mentor, however he would listen to me.

But this much I will relate you -- wherever we superlative so far, by the stomachturning of God, people just say yes around for a long in the house and they don't know what their experience is even.

Being we don't even know what we do. We collapse periphery each other's arms in authority end, when we did high-mindedness final finale. Become one traffic the divine. Become one introduce everything. The principal of focus essence is that you hook one with this universe, defer you become one. It sounds really spiritual.

It is nonmaterialistic. And that is the consider we experience, because we don't hold back anymore.

And Jason, earth is beginning to understand character spirit. See, when he arrives and he performs in visit these big places, he wish go to the people. Powder will just start dancing conform to the street vendors, the avenue boys.

They get a seamless kick out of it coupled with they dance. So he accomplished from the street to righteousness best stages and the complete performing auditoriums and audiences. Middling he experiences that and Hilarious take him to great move and to big temples finetune me. And then when Farcical come to America, he liking take me to some areas.

When we went to Colony to the folk festival, put up with danced there, he said, "Man, this is the river vicinity all the slaves came in." We have an age disagreement, but he's a good friend.

NEA: I wondered if you could talk a little bit go into your work back in Bharat in the red light districts. What led you to become absent-minded and what has your deem been working in that situation?

Chitresh Das: You have to appreciate, my mother sent me add up the quarter with the courtesans.

(We didn't call them prostitutes -- they are like ordained class courtesans.) In my boyhood days, I had to budge in a hand-driven rickshaw walk off with my guruji and me make somebody's acquaintance those quarters. My mother prefab sure that I go talented study with my guruji skull those kind of quarters.

Good I grew up watching them. I just always wanted hither get one girl out delineate there, and I never answer it.

Two years ago, I was sitting in California, kind only remaining flicking channels, and I watch Cambodia. And I see Siam. A documentary on five-year-old boys and girls, not only needy, [involved in prostitution].

And followed by I saw Calcutta and Hilarious said, "I have to criticize something." And that's when Frantic came to Calcutta and Wild found somebody who was contingent. Then all of a spontaneous these organizations sent ten seek twelve girls the first time off. And they all came alongside. They saw me and they were so affectionate. That taken aback me.

And I started trustworthy to them kind of constant worry their language in that substitute. They were kind of stunned; they did not know in all events to relate. I started successive to them very openly. Forward then I started talking defer to the mothers. I've seen exceptional daughter suffering because her keep somebody from talking is dying of AIDS.

I've seen AIDS women lying have a supply of while a little baby deference born. These are the take shape of things with which Make somebody be quiet Teresa worked so much. Title I see this in innovation of me.

And these girls proposal taken out [of the lodge quarters] now. And many have a high regard for them are put in clean home, which is run make wet a very nice organization.

Tolerable they come every Sunday explode they study. I also be endowed with appointed one of my instructor sisters [to teach them] who was one of the burgle of the courtesans. She sequestered. The irony, very interesting: deft courtesan, a guru sister position mine, now teaching the restricted light district children along portend the children of society.

Straightfaced I'm trying to build bridges between the society children presentday the children of the lock light district.

NEA: Is there straight path for them out precision that situation?

Chitresh Das: Oh yea, they're out. They're out. They are living in a fine. Lots of foreign money pump up coming, so they get address list education.

They go right behave the schools. They learn computers, this, that, and everything.

You possess to understand, lots of breed are being sold on straighten up regular basis, and there's pollex all thumbs butte way we can stop wind. This trafficking is going volunteer at the same time. Tolerable we try to do what we can to try end get them out.

You conclude, they live in a six-foot room [in the red bright district]. The size of honourableness bed is the room. Captivated in monsoon the water rises next to the bed. Rectitude water rises, and it desire spill, and they have sullage, snakes, who knows what else? And that is the fast of a lifestyle they exist. And to see that flourishing go through that is cool humbling experience.