From the beginning of time, there was movement. Language came secondary, while movement spanned as a form of communication across animals and humans alike, uniting them in a unique way. Dance and movement has now become a way of artistic expression and reliant communication stretching from different cultures, countries and languages. I was browsing different photos of dancers and came across the one here and became inspired by the overlap that happens between dance and culture. This particular picture was taken in India, where dance is an intricate form of art. Dance in India is based on mudras, or hand formations, and their meanings and categorizations. All the dance forms revolve around the nine rasas or emotions, Hasya (happiness), krodha (anger), bhibasta (disgust), bhaya (fear), shoka (sorrow), viram (courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder) and shanta (serenity). All dance forms follow the same hand gestures or hasta mudras for each of these rasas. The dances differ where the local guru has adapted it to local demands and needs.

It is no secret that movement is a uniting force, and I intend to connect all that is movement to all forms of artistic expression.