My Values

MY VALUES AS AN ARTIST & the values of shakti school of dance

Art is a Path

We believe true art strives for inner transformation.  The way of art is a path and philosophy of life steeped in values and higher vision.  The artist never truly arrives at perfection, it is a constant deepening on a hero’s journey.  Each and every action we take, even our thoughts, will shape us as artists. Art is an outward expression of our internal reality. Let it be beautiful!

Excellence & Work Hard

We believe in honest hard work.  Excellence and perfection in every detail is what sets the masterpiece apart from the ordinary.  We seek to empower ourselves through integrity gained from hard work. No one can take away the confidence and satisfaction earned through unimaginable hard work and sacrifice. Let the truth of our hard work speak for itself, rather than overcompensating with self-promoting or competitive behavior.

Patience & Perfection

Dance is an ocean… with out patience we linger in the puddles and loose the expansive possibility of our greatest potentials.  We are striving for refinement and mastery in each movement.  We will need limitless patience for this journey.  This is the example our Gurus set for us – unending patience and love for the art. 

Surrender, Service & Humility

Our potential is limitless when we surrender to something greater than ourselves.  We offer the fruits of our labor with generosity to serve others through our art.  Humility is a quality of greatness.  It shows one’s self-control, purity and proximity to truth.

Transcend Limitations

Our limits are our comfort zone. Let us be limitless!  We believe in working at our highest potential, rather than settling for mediocrity. Training to be artists offers us a chance to push past pre-conceived limitations.

The Art is bigger than the Artist

We believe art is bigger than the individual artist.  We hope to feed and nurture art as a whole, as well as our dance lineage through our creations and thoughtful presentation.  We express our creativity and individuality through tradition by offering our work back to the art form, and giving credit to the lineage with humility and grace.  With this attitude we build a collective momentum in our dance communities.

Celebrate Culture

We strive to spread the joy that is found in preserving and promoting culture!  The values of a culture are woven into its art forms.  In this day and age cultures, languages and traditional arts are dying out all over the world, and with them we loose wisdom.  Let us celebrate the value of culture and lineage!

Lineage

We believe in the power of lineage.  The blessings and Guru Shakti which transmit and resonate through the teachings are the very life breath of Odissi dance, yoga and the other lineage based arts we work with.  We strive to preserve the vision of our linage and respect the purity of the tradition.

Thoughtful Exploration

While our school works mainly with classical and traditional dance forms of India and beyond, we also explore fusions in a contemporary context.  While fusion is a natural interaction between elements that has happened through out history, we believe in a thoughtful approach.  We must always take responsibly to evaluate context and consider the outcomes of our artistic explorations beyond ourselves.

Art Uplifts

(Satyam Shivam Sundaram) –  A pillar of Indian Aesthetic philosophy, this noble intention of art is what ultimately sets the course we are to travel in our journey as artists.  We believe art must reveal this “eternal divine beauty” (truth).  Art should uplift our audience and community, transmitting a positive energy and message.  This is important virtue of transcending the ego is what unites yoga and dance on the same path.

With noble intentions, I pray that my art may heal, inspire and elevate all who may come into contact with it.
 
I pray that I will purify myself in the fire of sadhana (practice) so that I may become a channel of positive energy.
 
May my Gurus blessings always be upon me.