Plucking the Petals of the Lotus

August 2003

“She loves me…She loves me not…”

The lotus is an exotic flower that grows along the Nile. It opens at dawn, displays a lovely blossom during the day, and closes at dark. It has a long history dating back to 4000 BC when it was a favorite depiction in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on tomb and temple walls and as the tall white crown worn by the king of Upper Egypt. Flowers from the Nile Valley can be found on many of the objects that the ancient Egyptians used everyday. Sometimes the lotus designs were purely for decorative purposes, and sometimes they had religious meaning, particularly used in funeral ceremonies in the Egyptian quest for eternal life. For the ancient Egyptians, the lotus flower was a symbol of creation, renewal and rebirth. As the lotus grows from beneath the depths to above the surface of water, it brings a tremendous hidden vitality as if out of nowhere, hinting at the true source of creation.

One of the few ancient Egyptian tombs that remained intact until late 20^th Century was that of King Tut. The tomb was finished in 1361 BC and was not opened until 1992 AD. Interestingly enough, it was filled with lotuses, their outlines adorning the tops of columns and decorating many things, including the oar King Tut was supposed to use to row into the land of rebirth. There, carved into the walls, you can see a beautiful woman turning to gently hold a lotus in front of the nose of the woman behind her, conveying the sweet fragrance of the soft flower. This carving resembles a lovely hand movement that we in the oriental dance world call the “Thousand Petal Lotus”.

The “Thousand Petal Lotus” is a remarkably interesting movement that is sure to capture an audience’s attention. It involves both hands and should be done at a time in your routine when you are not holding a veil or wearing cymbals (a stray ting is no less than distracting). For the duration of the 8, 16 or 32 counts that it is performed, be aware that your hands will captivate and mesmerize the audience. At first, the Lotus is difficult to coordinate, but once you break it down and practice it carefully, you will see that all it takes is a mastery of flexing and bending your hands around the wrists.

Start by taking a pretty pose, standing or kneeling. The Lotus is not effective as part of a large, traveling step. Allow the Lotus the right to have center stage, so that the audience may fully appreciate its beauty. The wrists become the center of the flower and the center of the movement. The hands and fingers are the petals. With movement, the petals appear to be many.

Let’s break down the Lotus into four basic positions:

1. UP: Bring your hands together, pointing the fingers upward, pressing your wrists against each other. Flex your hands back as far as possible. Round the palms as if you were cupping something. Gently keep your fingers together so that the hand appears to be whole all the way to your fingertips. Take care not to stiffen the fingers.

2. SIDE: Slowly rotate your left hand so that it points to the right, palm facing away from your body. Simultaneously, bend the right hand inward as far as possible and turn it so that the palm faces toward your chest and the fingers point to your left. The left hand is now on top of the right hand. The left hand remains flexed back in a cupped position, and the right hand is in exactly the opposite position. The wrists are touching just below the base of the thumb.

3. DOWN: Now you want both hands to rotate slowly until they point downward. Bend your left hand and point the fingers downward. Keep bending the right hand inward as it was, but adjust it to also point downward. Now both hands are bent as far as possible, with the left hand beside the right. The wrists continue to touch just below the base of your thumb.

4. SIDE: Rotate the right hand, flexing it back and pointing it to your left, with the palm facing away from your body. The left hand remains bent inward and rotates to point to your right. The wrists continue to touch just below the base of the thumb. Now the right hand is on top of the left.

Once you move through the four basic positions, return the hands to the first UP position, both hands rotating upward and flexing back again. The UP position always adjusts the wrists so that they touch entirely, not just under the thumb. Practice the Lotus by moving through these four positions in a clear, controlled manner. Start slowly, keeping the same speed throughout, and maintain smooth transitions. Keep the wrists held comfortably in front of your chest and resist any movement that might lower or lift your hands. Focus and concentrate.

When you can perform the Lotus slowly and smoothly without stopping, you are ready to add interesting variations. First, begin to increase the speed, but always bear in mind that the movement is never performed fast. Then, change the location of the Lotus. It can be performed anywhere your arms reach. For example, try drawing a vertical circle, lifting your arms slowly overhead, moving the Lotus to your right, lowering, and then lifting the Lotus to your left, finally returning it overhead. Last but not least, change your body position. Try the Lotus with your back to the audience, or in a backbend, or during floorwork.

How do you transition out of the Lotus? When you are ready to move on, simply open your arms quickly, as if the flower petals burst open. Then add hand circles as you lower the arms and go into your next dance movement or position. An alternate ending is to continue to move your hands in the same fashion as you did within the Lotus, but with the hands slowly separating. Open and lower the arms while you undulate the hands downward, simulating the stem of the pretty flower. (By the way, the opposite of this suggestion is a wonderful way to get into the Lotus! Undulate the hands while lifting both arms upward, and when the hands are high overhead, press the wrists together to start the Lotus).

Most importantly, be sure to perform the Lotus long enough for it to be recognized by the audience, yet never so long that it starts to appear gimmicky and boring. Never overuse the Lotus. It does not need to appear in every show!

The Thousand Petal Lotus will add an exotic touch to any oriental dance routine and is especially nice within a pharoanic-style dance. As you master the Lotus and perform it in full bloom, your dance repertoire will also blossom to new, exciting heights.

“The leaves break the bondage of the green stem, stretch themselves and form a green pool with untidy edges, Now the flower comes from out of the vast surface of the water, just like a very beautiful woman emerging gracefully from her bath.”

An ancient Chinese poem