Discover Dance, Digging Deeper: Dainty Smith
Company Member, Purawai Vyas has written about her experience of the November 2021 edition of Discover Dance, with special guest Dainty Smith.
Purawai’s experience
Dressed in an ankle length, bright red robe, Dainty began her first piece, a burlesque number, in which she confidently and playfully removed and threw the robe to the floor to reveal a black and red burlesque costume. From her posture to her gaze, she radiated confidence and class. Dainty spoke to Neena about the form of Burlesque, and that it is really about finding your inner confidence and how to hold space. The dance form was a way to self-discovery for Dainty. She also spoke about the power of red lipstick; how it can empower one to feel seen and “show up”, as the colour red is striking and often draws attention. I really enjoyed when she spoke about learning burlesque and that the dance is more about learning about yourself, finding your own self-worth than it is about trying to impress or perform for somebody else. There was something that I found relatable as I heard Dainty’s story as an artist, especially when she described how she often went to the library and looked up books to find someone who looked like her that was doing what she loved. I relate to the sentiment of finding representation; to feel less alone and perhaps feel like you belong somewhere. Some words that came to mind, as I watched Dainty perform were ‘sensual’, ‘confident’, ‘knowing oneself’, ‘holding space’, ‘playing’, ‘fun’.
“from her posture to her gaze, she radiated confidence and class.”
“Dainty was experiencing a terrible pain flare up from her chronic pain condition the day of her presentation, when I arrived and saw the depth of her distress, I immediately said she could cancel without feeling like she was letting anyone down. Dainty did not want to cancel, and I understood. I knew that stepping into a persona, performing for an audience, and finding a way to keep connected through artistic practice are ways that pain can be set aside. I knew that even though her body was sending messages of discomfort to her brain, she would be able to overcome those signals with artistic fortitude. Discover Dance shares “backstage” and “in the studio” moments with an audience and at the during the presentation Dainty shared with that she was working through pain. Afterwards an audience member approached me and shared that she too suffered from a chronic condition and how inspiring it was to watch the magic that was Dainty’s performance and feel connected by a shared, human experience.”
- Nova Bhattacharya
“In the middle of a global pandemic, I was grateful that we had the capacity for Dainty to showcase her art to audiences virtually. We wanted to take care of our artists, and provide a space to share whatever was going on with them in the moment. It was cathartic to hear Dainty speak of her personal struggles, and also how she finds ways to empower mind over matter. I was drawn to her elegant choice of red lipstick, and was thrilled when she encouraged the audience to wear it proudly, even if it draws attention. Although I wasn’t ready to wear those shades out in public, that night I did track down all my shades of red and put them in the front of my makeup box, excited to share them with the world!”
- Neena Jayarajan