DANCING THROUGH 대한민국

If you know me, you know there is no Anjali without dance. Where there is dance, there is Anjali. For me, dance is more than just a hobby. I believe it is the most beautiful form of expression and my therapy. Whenever I experience an overload of emotions, the best way I release them is through dance.

A few years ago, when I was struggling with depression, the only thing that helped was dance, with music, obviously. I used to dance at 12/1 AM in the living room, and those sessions always ended with me on the ground, crying my heart out. That’s what dance means to me. I live so many magical moments through it.

This was also the time I was introduced to K-pop and BTS. I didn’t understand a word, but that was never a barrier for someone who feels the music. When you feel it, the meaning just follows.

And as you might have already guessed, I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember. I’ve participated in and organized dance showcases and competitions. 

So in 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in an international dance festival, guess where it was? South Korea! Now, when you combine the two things I love, K-music and dance, there’s no chance I’m missing that opportunity!! I was there for a month, an all-expenses-paid trip. One of my biggest flexes is that I went to my dream destination for free and danced! Just the sound of it still amazes me. The festival had participants from around 55-60 countries. And no, I didn’t start dancing midway through writing this. (Of course I did, who am I lying to?)

Midway through the month, we were asked to prepare a speech about our experience to share with an audience of 3,000 people from different countries. Everyone prepared theirs. Now, there wouldn’t be a point in me writing this if mine wasn’t selected, so no drumrolls, I was chosen to address the crowd and share my experience! It felt so emotional, something out of a fairytale. Me, in a new country, the one I had always wanted to visit, talking and addressing people, many of whom didn’t understand the language. So I spoke with a translator. It felt surreal. I’ve uploaded on LinkedIn, the video of my half-speech because the person recording forgot to charge their phone!

I didn’t expect anything out of it. I just went on stage being myself, saying what I truly felt as authentically as I could. But it was so well received, and my words really resonated with the audience. I felt like a celebrity that day! I received a standing ovation, and after the show ended, a lot of people approached me. I was confused for a second, but they wanted to take pictures with me! A lot of people didn’t understand English, and I was trying to communicate with my broken Korean, but we didn’t struggle, our hearts and emotions did all the talking. (I was reminded of the wild statistic that 55% of communication is non-verbal.)

Now, if you’re still curious about the other half of my speech, even though I don’t remember the exact words after two years, I talked about depression and loneliness as rising problems in today’s generation, and how dance and music bring our hearts closer. I spoke about spending time with people, trying to navigate without words, understanding the pain everyone goes through, and yet valuing life through the small moments we spend with our loved ones and doing what we love.

I reminded everyone that life isn’t just about money (well, the majority of my life lately has been about navigating money in a new country, oh my, so self-contradicting, but I try to remind myself!). The whole point is feeling the joy, the pain, and everything in between, of your loved ones and of humankind, to be honest.

I thank IYF for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts and for this memory that will always be a beautiful part of my life. Well, we didn’t win the competition, but I felt like I won in life. There was a lot of chaos, a lot of sickness, believe me, I lived every bit of it. And like Naina said in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, "Kabhi kabhi kuch baatein humare yaadon ke kamre ki itni khidkiyaan khol deti hain ki hum dang reh jaate hain."

And the friends and bonds I made there, even I’m shocked, but we’re still in touch. Every now and then, my WhatsApp group chat is filled with like 400 messages to read. I love it.

So here’s to winning in life and not just competitions. To living with your loved ones and enjoying every bit of life, even the pain and frustration. Cheers!

Thank you to all the lovely people I met in my journey! You'll deserve a special mention: Vaishakhi, Amit, laadkilek (Swati), Vikranti, Tazeen, Shivani, Shivani (Chivu), Shivanya, Abhi, Udit, Kim Mirae, Kim Eun Hee, Asmita, Julie, Kim Juae, Nibedita, Nikhil, Pushpa, Chiku, Samuel, Rajesh, Kim Yeonjoo, Eunkyu..... and many more!