i want to take on bollywood dancing/ classical indian kathak dance, but i don’t know how to convince my super-desi mom to let me do dance. it will be purely for exercising purposes, by the way. kathak dance, btw, is classic indian dance (in the movie aaja nachle, the girls are doing kathak dancing to the song “o re piya”)
any ideas? thanks.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
Usually for pure exercising purposes they built gyms . . . you might wana try that :D
Re: How to convince my mom?????
Tell your mom that it will increase your rishta prospects...it'll be another thing to include in your list of talents. Tell her it will help you with married life. I tease, lol. Okay more seriously...maybe show her what this sort of dance looks like...it can give her a clearer picture even if she says she has an idea about it. Discuss the benefits of dancing. If she still doesn't budge....talk to someone who'd be more flexible....such as dad or perhaps an older sibling/relative that can do some convincing. If that doesn't work.....you can pout, feign a hunger strike, and emotionally blackmail her into caving in. OR....pffft....if you have some money of your own and can afford it....tell her you've joined a "gym" and will be working out there a couple times a week.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
lol, I think we know what khatak is, tyvm. Are you in Pakistan? It's taught in a few places in Lahore, btw. Also in Karachi. I dont think convincing your mom would be hard b/c it's not vulgar but quite ethnic and synonymous with our culture. I say you let her know it's for exercise and just some extra fun. My family is super desi but even my mom, khalas, dadi and nani all love khatak and it actually used to be taught on TV before Zia-ul-Haq came along and got it removed. I wish someone would bring it back and teach it again on TV.
I find khatak beautiful and elegant, I would def. take it up if I wasn't so damn shy about dancing in front of people. >.<
Re: How to convince my mom?????
**i think if you do NOT dance in front of men, it may be ok Islamically and that's the reason why she is NOT letting you do that. it's NOT about being desi, it's about respecting and practicing one's religion. she, as a mother, it's her religious duty/obligation to guide to the right path...i dunno how old you are but that shouldn't matter because parents are parents no matter how old you are.
having said that, respecting and listening/obeying to parents is one's religious duty/obligation as long as they are not ordering you to do something which is against Islam. parents are the ONLY relationship that Qur'aan specifically and unequivocally enjoins all Muslims to obey their parents.
***now, it's up to the individual to either please themselves or please Allah thru pleasing parents.*
Re: How to convince my mom?????
mom aapki hai........hum kya bata saktay hain??
Re: How to convince my mom?????
"You want to be a dancing girl?" - in a desi accent. :)
I learned Bharatnatyam (along with other regional/folk) dances for about 4 yrs from the age of 18..loved it!! It instills grace & discipline, and is the BEST workout ever, talk about buns of
steel! However, once I met my husband, he wasn’t to keen on the stage performing, so I stopped right before we got married.
Now I get my dance fix through weekly Bollyrobix classes with my girlfriends 
Re: How to convince my mom?????
Use youtube to learn it , that way she will not have to worry about you going out for this purpose.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
for a second i thought you were serious
Tell your mom that it will increase your rishta prospects...it'll be another thing to include in your list of talents. Tell her it will help you with married life. I tease, lol. Okay more seriously...maybe show her what this sort of dance looks like...it can give her a clearer picture even if she says she has an idea about it. Discuss the benefits of dancing. If she still doesn't budge....talk to someone who'd be more flexible....such as dad or perhaps an older sibling/relative that can do some convincing. If that doesn't work.....you can pout, feign a hunger strike, and emotionally blackmail her into caving in. OR....pffft....if you have some money of your own and can afford it....tell her you've joined a "gym" and will be working out there a couple times a week.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
No problem in keeping the "Niyyah" of exercise, unless one doesn't show it to those whose "Niyyah" could become impure.
Just my opinion, and I could be totally wrong. Your and mine Creator knows BEST!
Re: How to convince my mom?????
I would go with the fitness/exercise excuse and you are getting a discount cheaper than the gym.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
if your only purpose is exercising then why not look into other ways ... that is if your parents dont agree
Re: How to convince my mom?????
i've already tried gyms. they're just not my thing, i guess.
Re: How to convince my mom?????
i've already tried gyms. they're just not my thing, i guess.
My advice to you would be to consider private kathak lessons. I'm not sure where you live, but when I got started in classical Indian dance, it was with a local Indian dance group, there were and still are many in my city/region. My guru was Gujrati, and she gave private lessons in her home as well, for those who did not want to participate in the troupe, where stage performance & participation in competitions was mandatory.
Khatak, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali etc require extreme commitment & discipline. They are not just "dances", but a means of telling a story with actual theories and technique. Serious teachers/gurus of these artforms will throw a brick at you if you dare confuse them with Bollywood dancing...lol!
I hope you'll get the chance to at least take private lessons, it's alot of fun, definately hard work, but great fun!
Re: How to convince my mom?????
awww...just tell her you got a membership and go to your lessons.
easy peesy woman!
Re: How to convince my mom?????
ok so I'm OBSESSED with kathak and wanted to take it. My mom wasn't too keen on the idea because it cost a lot and it requires A LOT of practice. It's not really one of those things that you can do for exercise, I mean, you CAN but it's...really intricate and detailed. And my mom, being desi and from Lahore, said that it was something that "those girls" do so I wasn't allowed to "waste" my time on it. :/
If you can find a reasonably priced instructor, do it!!!
Re: How to convince my mom?????
it takes a lot of practice with kathak to look anywhere near half-impressive. most of those who are good have learnt it as a teen, or a pre-teen. do you even have any teachers/classes nearby who are willing to teach someone your age at a beginner level? there is a big different between classical indian dance and bollywood dance. the latter is probably more what you'd enjoy.