Meeting with Parle Patel - Garba talk

Garba-Fusion research - a research of Garba and contemporary

My journey

Hello, everyone. I would like today to talk about my Zoom meeting with Parle Patel, founder of GarbaFlow and a professional in the Garba world.

It was so great to have a personal meeting with someone who has so much historical knowledge and understanding of Garba.

Topics discussed:

During this meeting, we discussed numerous fascinating topics, which I also recorded as a voice note to help me remember as much as possible and avoid forgetting in the near future.

Following this meeting, I discovered that Garba has numerous variations originating from various rural areas in Gujarat. Today, the diverse steps observed in a 'Garba class, performance, or event' are a compilation of these distinct rural regions, each with its unique movements in dance or farming.

In recent times, turning has become a significant element of Garba, but in the past, it wasn't common to execute as many turns as we see today. Today's Garba differs from the Garba of earlier times. It has been passed down through oral tradition, performance, and observation. Therefore, the most effective way to learn about Garba is by continuously engaging with others and learning from each other to 'connect the dots in between stories'.

Garba was originally a dance for women and served as a way to preserve stories through various artistic expressions like dancing, singing, and playing instruments. This is why we commonly say 'to play Garba' rather than 'to dance Garba'.

It is a common misconception that Garba is solely a spiritual practice for connecting with the goddess; however, it also has a significant social dimension that unites communities regardless of social status.

Garba has three primary characteristics: the clap, the bend, and the turn. You will always encounter these three elements while performing Garba. As noted earlier, turning has become a popular trend.

Many additional topics were discussed that I will talk about soon.

I shared a few minutes of my solo with Parle to see his reaction and gather his thoughts. I was especially interested in his perspective on a non-Indian researching this fusion and how I could present my ideas respectfully. He provided positive feedback, emphasizing that my work was commendable and appeared respectful. We also discussed potential future collaborations and the possibility of having him as a mentor who could guide me effectively.

I am really grateful he had the time to meet me and talk about Garba with such passion.

Next Post...

In my upcoming post, I will be showing my performance at The University of Bedfordshire and sharing a post talk about the reserach and funding.

Keep updated x