Take the Lead

We arrive at Athashri society in Baner at around 11am,and find a group of elderly people in the parking lot,adjusting straps of bright dungarees that they’ve donned for the occasion,pinning up lapels and complimenting each other. “I love this outfit. It’s so comfortable for working in the kitchen,going out,everything,” says Aruna Gokhale,proudly declaring her age. She is 80.

Vrunda Sathe,who runs Vrunda’s Ramp Shakers Dance Studio,walks in at this point and calls out,“OK children,let’s take our positions.” There’s an excited jostle and one or two break into an impromptu jig. There are 12 “children” in the class and their ages vary from 65 to 84. Sathe,who is 28,shows no signs of being daunted by the age group of her students. Taking her place in front of the two rows of students,she announces that they’re going to jive to a new song today — Koi kahe,kehta rahe from Dil Chahta Hai. The announcement is received with Asha More singing the first two lines,joined in chorus by Prabha Joshi.

Sathe instructs the dancers to stand with their backs to the audience as the music starts. The beats thump loudly on the speakers and we see the group tapping their feet. Inhibitions are a far cry for these senior citizens. In Joshi’s words,“We’re old and we don’t care what people think. We just want to enjoy.” Sathe asks them to count eight beats and throw their arms wide open. Step one in place,she moves on to the next while replaying the music,so that they can do it in tandem with the song. Pause,new step and doing it with the song again – the process is on the loop. The steps are simple yet peppy. Sathe has cleverly choreographed the sequence in which the participants begin with moving one part of the body at a time and then build up to moving the limbs and hips together. A light-hearted banter constantly plays in the background between getting the steps right and keeping up with the music.

At the end of the hour-long session,we’re inspired to believe that we just might be able to make some moves too after all. But then,when you’re at a dance workshop with 80-year-olds,you are ready to reconsider almost everything.