Summary of 'Dance Like a Man'

The play Dance Like a Man tells the story of three generations; their personal ambitions, sacrifices, struggle, compromises, internal conflicts and the way they try to cope up with the life; and mainly focuses on a dancing couple. In this play reader comes across many emotions and is taken virtually into the world of the characters that is flooded with their dreams, success, failures, frustrations, anguish, manipulations, conflicts and unseen hopes that are too far to achieve. Every character manages to come to terms with the situation and eventually creates an individual Ivory Tower to live in. Here the Researcher would discuss every aspect in detail that deals with the play and the characters. 
Meaning of Dance: 
Dance is a very significant factor in this play that means different things to different characters. Jairaj and Ratna wants to develop their career as dancers and for them Dance is not only a hobby but also life and soul. It is not only their passion but also a tool that will help them to gain desired success. Personally for Jairaj, Dance is a form or a means to express emotions and stands as the tool of defiance, revolt, negation of a particular way of life that was decided by his father, Amritlal. He starts dancing as a hobby or rather a fancy that his father thought would perish after a period of time but it does not happen that way. Jairaj continues his practice of traditional dancing in spite of all the opposition from his father and overtly presents himself as a rebel. He becomes more headstrong because of the support of his wife, Ratna who also was interested in traditional form of dancing. The reason behind Amritlal’s opposition suggests that his mind was not ready to accept his son as a Bharatnatyam Dancer. More than that he was shocked on knowing the fact that Jairaj was planning to grow his hair long just like his Guru, which would enhance his Abhinaya. Amritlal saw dance as something that was practiced by prostitutes, which was turning Temples into Brothels. If we see Amritlal as a father his oppositions were not so very illogical. He gave his son the freedom to practice dance but he was worried that the passion of dance would not lead his son anywhere and he would not be able to support his family in future. In the society everyone wants the Male to earn that much so that the house would run properly but Amritlal knew that dance would not help Jairaj to earn enough money and that would make him unworthy in the eyes of his wife Ratna. For Amritlal, dance was good as far as it remains a hobby but it was not proper to be taken as a profession. And we should not forget that traditional dance, especially for Male was not considered a respectable profession in the olden days in India. Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri says,
“The underlying fear is obviously that dance would make him ‘womanly’ – an effeminate man – the suggestion of homosexuality hovers near, although never explicitly mentioned.” (p. 68)
Dance, for Ratna, serves as an undying passion that drives her character throughout all the actions of the drama. Behind all her moves in the drama, Dance was the main factor. After reading the play one may coin her character a selfish one as she lives only for herself and uses others as a mere tool or a step to go ahead. Her character has a negative shade and that makes her different than others. She involves herself in a relationship with Jairaj and that was a clear self-centered decision on her part. No love or attachment with Jairaj was there on the outset of the relationship. Her overconfidence and faith in her own talent was so much that she hesitated not even once to destroy Jairaj’s career as a dancer joining hands with her father-in-law, Amritlal. She single-mindedly follows her heart overpowered by mind; and tries to be famous using Dance as a medium. Traditional Dance stands as a thing that will help her in earning fame and money along with respect in the world of dancers. Her machinations were so lethal that when Jairaj came to know about her inner desires the purpose was already achieved; leaving Jairaj a failure; mere mediocre dancer. In a way she took the advantage of Jairaj’s love for her and her status as a wife. In the process of having name and fame she sacrificed Jairaj’s life and his substance as a Male. She was a constant force pushing Jairaj towards the world of Dance even when she was aware that he was not talented enough to reach the zenith of success. She was the person responsible for Jairaj’s undoing as a character as well as a dancer. Unfortunately she did not stop here only but went beyond and consciously shaped her daughter’s life also as a Traditional Dancer. Lata, her daughter, was used by her to fulfill her inner suppressed desires to earn fame and money nationwide and abroad. Unknowingly Lata falls in the whirlpool created by Ratna and becomes the object only. Ratna’s endeavors seem very ambitious and manipulative. She was ready to establish her daughter’s career on the right track right from the very beginning and for that she schemes, manipulates and uses all her contacts and links. It is very clear that Ratna saw her own self in her daughter Lata and therefore acted so violently to create a firm, concrete base for her. Symbolically, Lata in the play is none but Young Ratna, who succeeds with the help and support of his mother.
Mahesh Dattani uses Traditional Dance as a medium that creates conflict in the play within the minds of the other characters. As the play goes forward and the actions take place; Dance takes the center stage and pushes the characters outside. Traditional Dance, in the play, is not only a form or a tool that enables the writer to tell his story but it creates its own psyche that guides or misguides the actors on the stage.
Meaning of MAN:
Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri writes, “Dance like a Man is a play that deals with one of Dattani’s pet concerns – gender – through one of his principal passions, dance.” In this play, as a reader, one may find that the play poses some delicate questions among which one surely is of MALE idea. In India people think that traditional dance is meant only for women and it is a land on which no Male should ever tread. Here the question is not of mere dance form or hobby but it has very deep roots in our culture too. It is about the whole conditioning of a Nation that boasts of having the most ancient cultural tradition. Here, dancers are identified as ones who have long hair, womanly gait and effeminate speaking style. It has some homosexual undertones also woven in it but here in the play they are not mentioned directly.
When Jairaj takes up Traditional Dance as a hobby and lifelong craze he takes it as something that gave him pure delight. He never thought Traditional Dance as something that is ‘Proper’ only for women: Here we can say that the decision was brave and daring. He was perfectly convinced with the idea and allows Ratna also to dance. He respected his teacher who was with ‘long hair’ and ‘womanly gait’ as expressed by Amritlal. Jairaj’s approach towards Traditional Dance was sincere and honest; and somewhere his character conveys that he believed in Art for Art’s Sake. When Amritlal expresses his disapproval for the Dance teacher’s coming home and shows contempt for his walk, Jairaj favors the teacher and dance. The radical act of Jairaj, having dance as a hobby, shows that he believed in carving a new path and had the ability and mettle to cling to it. He faithfully follows his hobby only to realize afterwards how he was used by Ratna joining hands with Amritlal. For Ratna Dance was a medium to gain popularity and status and for that she married Jairaj who would never stop her from dancing. Ratna’s selfish inner desire was so powerful that she cold-bloodedly plays with the emotions of Jairaj by misguiding him constantly. In the guise of a true life companion she deceives her husband and tries to curb his potential as a dancer. In order to gain personal aims she sacrifices Jairaj’s abilities. Ratna not only spoils Jairaj’s life but tries to mould her daughter Lata’s life also by making her a traditional dancer. In spite of being a Male member of the family Jairaj never tries to command his authority over Ratna and instead, she, very deliberately plays with his emotions. When Jairaj returned to his father’s house, Ratna disliked it and she says in the play ones,
“You! You are nothing but a spineless boy who couldn’t leave his father’s house for more than forty-eight hours.” 
Shockingly for the readers, Ratna herself discards Jairaj’s Maleness openly and he accepts it without any offence. In the play Maleness of Jairaj was not that much a question of Body than that of mentality. Researcher found that for Ratna Maleness might have meant one’s independent decision making power, doing the work that one liked, living on one’s own conditions, standing on one’s own feet without any support and some other that Jairaj lacked. Interestingly even Jairaj was trying to prove himself an able MALE to Ratna. When Ratna was worried about finding a mridangam player for her daughter he says,
“Will finding a musician make me a man?” 
Through out the play Jairaj appears as one who suffers on account of choosing his own path, which was untrodden by others. His portrayal is so noble that he never blames Ratna for the death of their son Shankar that was the result of her carelessness or insincerity. Opposite to general understanding or expectation here Amritlal, the father-in-law of Ratna, tries to curb Jairaj’s passion for Traditional Dance and for that takes her help. In the play, Dattani puts Jairaj on the end where not the woman but man is targeted. In the play we witness the psychological manipulation of a man by his wife and father. 
Role of Ambition, Revolt, Compromise and Manipulation:
Ambition, revolt, compromise and manipulation are four very essential components of the play Dance Like a Man. In each character the reader will be able to find either of them. The actions of the play are guided by them and because of that only it has become so complex and therefore interesting. The characters have many shades and they are not easy to understand.
Amritlal wants his son Jairaj’s life to move in a particular direction but he has some different likings. Amritlal tries to control him all in vain and there starts the clash of the two ideologies. Jairaj’s mind was inclined to Traditional Dance and his unflinching desire was not extinguishable. His ambition to establish himself, as a well-known dancer was so strong that he staunchly protests against his father’s demands and uses dance as a tool to revolt. To him dance serves as a weapon that helps him in defying the way of life that his father wants him to follow. He rejects the normal conventions by choosing Traditional Dance as his life long passion and presents himself as a Male who believes in leading a new path. It is notable that for him dance was not a profession to earn money but it was something that gave him self-satisfaction. He was not happy by the ways that Amritlal adopted in life to make money. He saw Amritlal as one who was pretentious and deceiver. He was not convinced with the idea of progress in which his father believed. The clash and conflict led them to such an extent from which it was impossible to connect a cord. At one point of time, in a state of anger he leaves his father’s house but ultimately was forced to compromise and returns to him. Amritlal tried to divert Jairaj’s attention from Traditional Dance but failed and then he was forced to join hands with Ratna. Ratna, who was in favor of her husband earlier made a compromise and helped Amritlal just to secure her ambition in his house. She became a partner in the process of Jairaj’s undoing; revealing her negative side. She kept on building her bright future crumbling Jairaj’s talent and enthusiasm. Unlike Lata, her daughter, she exhibits every ill emotion through out the drama and presents herself as one who ends up doing everything to get what she wanted. Her entire character makes the play what it is and Dattani dexterously conveys the things that he wanted to put forward. Ratna’s character manages to grow and blossom despite of all the odds in the life and reaches from which only backward journey was possible. She was led by her ambition at such a speed that never allowed her to reflect on her own doings. The dance, that gave her the aim to succeed eats up the core of her being and personality. Even when Ratna married Jairaj, she had dance in mind and that passion was inextinguishable. Lata knew that Jairaj would not stop her from dancing and that is why she made Unison with him. The very establishment of her married life was rooted in her ambition driven actions and therefore destined to bear bitter fruits. Her mission oriented mind and psyche harmed her in life and never gave the serenity. She not only sacrificed Jairaj’s career but also tried to lead her daughter, Lata’s abilities. She was violently possessive about Lata’s career to succeed and for that she does all the menacing acts. She uses her influence on critics and gets appreciative reviews for her. Ratna’s not so successful career gave her much pain in her young age and she desired to make up for all that by establishing Lata as a promising dancer. Her own dissatisfaction caused her to take all such actions and that made her life full of tensions and disturbance. Her over ambitious nature forced her to say,
“We were never anything great, never will be, and nor will our daughter be anything but an average human being.” 
For her, professional success was everything and humanity was on the backstage. Therefore, in efforts of gaining that trivial professional success she loses her humane element somewhere. In the whole play Lata was the only character that was relatively realistic and content. It is this quality that makes her different from others. For her Traditional Dance was important but it never became a wild passion at any point of time. The desire to take dance, as a hobby was very clear in her mind as she tells Vishwas,
“When I was a little girl, I used to stand near the door and watch mummy and daddy practice. It was magic for me. I knew then what I wanted to be.”
She takes dance as a pure art form and does not link it to any gender. She wanted to pursue dance but her desire was not blended with any passion or force. For her, marrying Vishwas was also important and she wouldn’t sacrifice her love for the dance. Her balanced mind makes her likable and different from her parents. Actually she is away from the circle in which her parents were trapped which was too vicious to believe. She dances and continues to do so because it is a hobby for her and not a way that leads to the path of success. There is no malice, over ambition or misled want in her that keeps her interest in dance. Considering this aspects reader can conclude that Lata stands in stark contrast with other characters.
Dance Like a Man is a play that does not present the character as pure White or Black but it shows their different shades in all possibilities. The characters are capable enough to take the readers along with them in the flow of the dialogues and leave them thinking. The play poses fundamental questions and presents the actors with the best of their talents. It demands the answer whether the world is progressive in real sense or we are still in search of that utopian era where no dance form is actually attached to any gender of the dancer but considered as a pure form of Art.