Yearbook Report 2009-2010

To understand the Indian Choreo Group, one must be present at a rehearsal. A typical session begins with a sophisticated, bloodless battle between the two branches of the sorority (yes, despite our best efforts we remain a sorority) for control of the dance floor. Due to its size and sciencee majority , the folk team usually wins, leaving the classical group to stew moodily in a corner while it awaits its mathematically inclined members.

Once they take to the floor however, all traces of sullenness vanish. Suddenly, the members rediscover friendship and connections, exchanging gossip and work details rather than tapping excitedly to the music. Commitments are recalled and appointments rushed to, causing the overworked Secretary to clutch at her curly locks and attempt stern reprimands. The third years discuss teachers and the second years leave while one dedicated and devoted first year hands out water to all and sundry. Honestly, it’s a wonder a performance is ever put up, let alone without too many obvious hitches!

Which halls were graced by the group this year? Obviously there was the opening of Harmony, which received rave reviews from devoted fans and groupies. Unfortunately, this adulation did not extend much beyond the hallowed corridors of Stephania. Despite both group and individual participation in a number of fests, only one prize was retrieved- Rini Aich placed second in the classical solo at the LSR’s ‘Tarang’. Whispers say that in-house favouritism was her downfall.

We struggle on though, and refuse to let these minor inconveniences hamper us. What do prizes matter when we may have a second round of the Choreo Soc fest in the pipeline? We’re keeping our fingers crossed for that, channelling a bit of that energy which we bring to rehearsals into organizing it. What does it matter if a lot of that energy is dissipated in idle chats and swallowed in languid water breaks? Those are the things that turn us into more than a mere pack of dancers- providing (cliché alert!) the adhesive that morphs us into a society.

The Choreography Society (Western)

Yearbook Report 2009-2010

There are some who think we are eccentric. Somewhat odd-ish. We turn exuberant cartwheels on sunny lawns, they raise a skeptical eyebrow. Our spurts of enthusiasm puzzle many. But then, those seen dancing always have been thought insane by those who could not hear the music.

This year our choreography society ,was not a newcomer getting its toes stepped on. Our theme for the competition circuit was female infanticide (having portrayed schizophrenia the first time around we had decided to pick something just bordering on cheerless instead of out and out disturbing). This has been done and redone to exhaustion, but our rendition of it was more along the lines of the stricken female rising out of nowhere and giving her oppressors a nasty surprise, which was well received showing that judges like some vim in their women. We performed at competitions in BITS Pilani, LSR, Dilli Haat and India Habitat Center winning second position in the latter two and exciting comment for our costume, music and strangely enough, dancing.

In an effort to make other people hear the music, we also organized a dance workshop in collaboration with the Artree academy of performing arts and the Leela Kempinski-Gurgaon. We achieved our objective with a JCR full of people nervously pawing the ground attempting the samba, hip-hop and contemporary styles of dance under the able guidance of some other people who had got more than they had bargained for in the way of students. 

We were finally granted our own society board, which then promptly fell into rampant disuse. This state of affairs is expected to continue until we have something to announce.

Having said all this, we are fully determined to dance in the sun- wearing wild flowers (or not, as inclination dictates) in our hair. And eccentricity be praised!