Sometimes the right kind of music puppeteers our body into expressive movement and we allow ourselves to let loose in the ebbs and flows of living. That is the joy of dancing; to bare your soul and say all that you’ve wanted to say with just your body is an art often called sacred. 21-year old Jainil Mehta, a fine-arts student at the University of Southern California has mastered this movement from the age of five. He is one of those rare people who know their purpose in life from a very young age. If you think his story is rare, then his talent is truly the only one of his kind.
At 5 years old, a young Jainil knew that dancing was the only thing which made him ‘secure’. He spent his days dabbling his feet in all the pools of creativity; he sketched, he painted and he danced while maintaining a brilliant academic record. In eighth grade, his iron-clad passion was often mistaken for naivety but he remained absolutely true to himself and danced his way into success. Having trained professionally in RAD Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Indian classical and Indian folk, he realised that the world of creativity is a vast ocean and he would have to reinvent himself wave-by-wave.
There is an abject sense of disapproval while pursuing arts, but somehow in the darkest of times we all turn to art for comfort, Jainil’s sense of self was so strong that he realised that his parents weren’t against the profession but were just concerned about the stability. This is where he tells us to not worry, as long as you are utterly devoted to your craft, amazing avenues will open up for you when you least expect them to!
But beware! The path to passions is gravelly, itchy and exhausting. Any field which requires a certain amount of self-expression presents a very unique predicament. It is the never-ending battle between self-expression and people-pleasing. Jainil too has borne the brunt of it; in the realm of social media, the balance between giving the people what they want while putting your heart on the platter is a precarious one. Jainil tells us to never give up creating. Even when the body takes a toll, or creative blocks emerge out of nowhere, one must never lose touch with the things that fuel us.
At the core of his passion, is a realistic motto of not only dreaming big but training hard and pushing the upper limit of your abilities. It is a well-known fact that it is difficult to earn a steady keep in the field of arts, that is why Metha says that it is important to keep doing something you have never done before and making yourself indispensable. After just a quick glance at his Instagram, one is left entranced and hungry for even more. I instantly felt myself correcting my posture and pointing my toes. In just 21 years, he has taught and learnt extensively, he is a true proponent of the fact that life should be large and not just long. “The journey from a student to a teacher is always a full circle,” he said. In his own words, keep doing what you love and rid yourself of what society may think of you. Keep dancing!
