During my first travel in India, in 2007, I met a woman in Gokarna ( south west India ) who had just been in Rajasthan. When I told her I'm a dancer she insisted that I should travel to the desert region of India and learn their culture and their dance. By that time, my plans were different. I wanted to travel more to the North, to go to Varanasi, to do a Vipasana meditation course in Sernat and then to travel in Nepal. So that's what I did and I had pretty nice time!
On my second time in India, I went again in Gokarna and there I saw for the first time some Rajasthani "gypsies", pilgrims to the holy city of Gokarna.
They played their drums and were singing and the children were dressed as Gods and Goddesses and they where dancing in the rhythm, in a way that reminded me a lot of Belly dance but in a more earthy way, stamping the sand with their feet. Girls wearing big, full round skirts and boys with big turbans, were moving their hips really fast, isolating the upper body which was always in a perfect proud posture, while their arms were moving in a way that reminded a lot of a snake. Continuously stamping the earth, participating to the music with the bells they were wearing on their ankles, suddenly they started spinning and spinning and spinning so fast that I thought they will fall.
I was mesmerised!
I knew where I was going next from Gokarna, Rajasthan!! Raja means King and Sthan means the land.
So, The Land of the Kings was calling me!
I went to Pushkar, the holy town of Rajasthan, with the holy lake and the only Brahma temple in the world!
I searched on the internet about a school or a teacher who could offer me some classes of this incredible dance and that's how I found the place that changed my life : The Shakti School of Dance.
In the old Ranji Temple ( Krishna Temple ) is this sacred place Colleena Shakti has created, as she says "by accident". An amazing school of Indian culture and Art. She offers classes and intensive courses of Odissi Classical Indian Dance, Indian fusion Belly Dancing and Rajasthani "gypsy" dance with Khalbelia girls to teach it!!!
I had found my place for the rest of the trip! I stayed 3 month and every day I was learning something new!
The dance was so joyful and Raki so sweet, I didn't wanna leave!
Since then, I go back every year for at list 3 months! Rajasthan and its dances has taken my heart!
