Ila and Arin were on their usual evening route. Ila was singing on top of her lungs while balancing and riding her bicycle in a zigzag manner.
“SOMEBODY ELSE
‘ROUND EVERYONE ELSE
YOU’RE WATCHING YOUR BACK… hm hm hm SO COMPLICATED!”
Arin laughed. “Wow, watch out Ila! Haha, you are so excited to face the wrath of Guruji. You didn’t learn the names of the mudras yet, right?”
“I tried for two whole hours, but no luck!” Ila replied.
“I can’t seem to get this Ubhayakartari hand pose. I end up joining all my fingers together. Anyway, I am going to get an earful for not bending my legs enough or swaying my hips correctly.”
“That’s true. And that is because you don’t practice at home like we are suggested to,” Arin teased.
“Oh! We are already late. Let’s hurry before the warm-up starts.”
Arin and Ila reached just in time. Their Guru, Anandji, gave them a quick look and resumed,
“Ok everyone. Ta theyi, ta theyi. Bend your knees. Stomp your feet firmly on the ground!”
“I think we just escaped an earful,” Arin whispered. “Let’s practice.”
They joined the other students and began their warm-up. They bent their knees carefully to balance on their feet, placed their fists on their hips, and focused on grounding themselves.
The warm-up continued for another fifteen minutes. Afterwards, Ila and Arin went into their respective dance rooms. Ila was an Odissi dancer, while Arin practiced Kuchipudi. Both of them had been friends since they were four years old and had met right here in the Nritya Shala. They came to learn and practice dance here every day for two hours. Both aspired to become professional dancers one day.
After practice, Anandji gathered all the students.
“The city newspaper is going to host a creative dance competition next month. You can either enter solo or as a team. The winning team will be featured in the newspaper and receive coupons to the water park! I believe this is a good opportunity to think creatively about your dance and present it to the world. The forms can be found at the office. Think about it. All the best!”
Ila and Arin rushed to their cycles when Anandji stopped them.
“Did you both fill the form?”
“Oh, Namaste Guruji. No… we didn’t think about it. I don’t think we can do it,” Ila said hesitantly.
“Don’t think like that. I have seen some crazy, creative moves from you. Crazy… sure. But also creative. You can use those skills here.”
Arin laughed. “Haha yes, the creative ‘mistakes,’ you mean.”
“Mistakes are always stepping stones. And you may never know what step can lead where. Promise me you will think about it. Okay, ride safe.”
They cycled back home through the red-blue hues of the evening sky.
When they reached Ila’s house, Arin parked his bike. “Should we give it a chance?”
“What? You mean the dance? Haha, have you lost it? We will make a mess out of ourselves.” Ila imitated a wobbly movement and pretended to fall.
“No, I am serious. You are creative. And I can bring dedication and clarity to our dance.”
“Oh… you are serious.” Ila paused. “Hmm… I think I can imagine some steps. We can even fuse our dances, Odissi and Kuchipudi!”
“Yes! Let’s do it. I’ll text you after I reach home. We can decide the song and idea.”
Arin sped away. Ila parked her bike in the shed and began twirling, swaying her hips, moving her hands through imagined mudras.
That night, they decided to show the contrasting nature of day and night through their dance forms. They would begin practice immediately.
The next day, they started choreography. They managed to create a strong beginning and ending. But one sequence in the middle troubled them.
“Argh! We can’t seem to balance ourselves in this pose. I think we should change it,” Ila sighed.
“But this is the star of our routine. We must keep it! Let’s tilt our bodies slightly backward and stretch our hands forward. Like this.”
Ila tried…and fell.
“I can’t!”
“Let’s not give up. What if we circle a bit first? Maybe that will give us enough momentum to move into the pose.”
They circled in a semicircular pathway, extended their hands, leaned back, and held it for a few seconds before tumbling down together.
“Oh no… I don’t know what to do,” Arin said.
“Wait. What if one person goes into the pose and the other mirrors with the opposite posture? That way we can balance each other.”
“Hm… that makes sense. And it’s better than removing the step.”
They tried again.
This time they moved into the pose gracefully, balanced, and transitioned smoothly into the next step.
“Yay! We did it! I knew you had that creativity in you!” Arin exclaimed.
They jumped and high-fived.
For the next few weeks, they practiced intensely: refining foot stamping, synchronizing head movements, sharpening expressions, softening transitions, perfecting balance.
Finally, the day of the competition arrived. The hall was crowded. Participants sparkled in stunning costumes. Each performance ended in thunderous applause.
Finally, it was their turn.
They held hands. “Let’s do this. Let’s just enjoy dancing.”
They began. Fierce and graceful. Day and night unfolding through movement. Their feet stamped rhythmically against the ground. Their hands told stories. Their heads tilted and turned with precision. Balance and expression merged.
Then came the crucial pose.
They circled in their semicircular pathway. Leaned back. Extended their hands.
And held.
Night and day stood suspended.
The audience erupted into applause.
Backstage, they jumped with joy.
“I almost tipped,” Ila laughed. “But your hand supported my leg just in time.”
“I told you. I got you,” Arin smiled.
All performances ended. It was time for the results.
Who won?
We don’t know.
But we do know that two young dancers rode back into the night on their bicycles, filled with passion. And as the cool air brushed past them, they made a silent promise to themselves
They would never give up.
They would keep dancing.
WHERE’S THE SCIENCE? Click to find out.
Through Ila and Arin’s dance, we experienced balance, coordination, rhythm, while they creatively solved their problem. BESIDES PERFORMING, Their bodies were thinking, adjusting, responding, and learning through movement. Every wobble, every fall, and every correction carried a scientific principle within it.
- Balance and Center of Gravity – Tilting backward required careful distribution of body weight to avoid falling. When their bodies aligned properly over their base of support, they become stable.
- Momentum – The semicircular turn helped generate motion, allowing them to smoothly enter a difficult pose. Movement created the energy needed for balance.
- Force and Impact – Stamping their feet transferred force into the ground, creating rhythm, sound, and grounding. The interaction between foot and floor shaped both expression and stability.
- Symmetry and Counterbalance – When one leaned in one direction and the other mirrored the posture, their bodies balanced each other. Opposing forces created harmony.
- Coordination – The synchronized movement of head, hands, torso, and feet required complex communication between brain, nerves, and muscles.
Want to experience something similar?
Stand still and gently lean backward. Notice how quickly you lose balance. Now take a small circular step before leaning back. did you feel anything different? Can you feel momentum helping you?
Stamp your feet lightly and then firmly. What difference do you feel in your body?
Embodied Science Stories 