Dancing with Strangers

Walking down the bustling East Nanjing street in Shanghai that beautiful November evening, you are instantly drawn by the jazz music being played somewhere down the street, the trumpet opening up to the clear blue skies in joy, arms outstretched. You walk faster trying to find the source, excited, you love live music on the streets. That is where music should be, rubbing shoulders with routine, offering brief glimpses of abandon.

A struggles to catch up with you. You, apparently, walk very fast – which you are usually unaware of until you notice people anxiously moving out of your way :)  She is relieved when you finally locate the source of the music – on the second-floor balcony of a huge building, a live orchestra playing. And in front of us, amidst the milling crowd, a middle-aged woman dancing to the music, all by herself, smiling.

Of course you have to stop. You are amazed by her confidence, her happiness at twirling around by herself, unmindful of the crowd who give her space. This is the woman you always wanted to be. You stop and watch, smiling from ear to ear. And as was bound to happen (sigh), she notices you in that crowd, one among the two Indians – and reaches out, asking you to dance with her. You are embarrassed, try to explain to her that you cannot dance, that your eagerness to learn is only matched by your incompetence, as many dance teachers and friends would confirm. Of course she does not understand English, and your embarrassment just adds to her mirth.

She persists, and not wanting to spoil her happiness, you finally agree. What the hell, you are used to making a fool of yourself. She takes over, tries to make you dance, twirls you around, you with your backpack and two left feet – and the crowd around stops, starts watching and clapping! We have become a tourist attraction, people are taking photos, smiling and laughing.

You give up and allow yourself to be led by this warm friendly woman, her foreignness reducing with each twirl. You clumsily step on her feet, move in unintended directions, and smile back at the crowd – if this will help improve Sino-Indian relations, so be it :)

And so you learn that there is also a time to dance with strangers, while trumpets shine in the last rays of the setting sun, and the walls between us begin to crumble.

6 Oct 2011