A Dancer’s Dog Named Jackson

A dog is a man’s best friend. And before you say that you are a cat mom, let me bow and say that I agree that cats are the queens of the human house. Whether you have a dog or a cat, we all know that animals can be more humane than we expect. It’s overwhelming and absolutely necessary for stressed humans.

It’s as if we make everything complicated. But our pets show us that happiness lies in simple things like shelter, food, and, of course, lots of love. The incident is a minor one that happened in the pre-COVID era.

My dance friend, Dev Adhikari, had a beautiful and strong Labrador named Jackson. He called him Jackson, after his favourite dancer and performer, Michael Jackson. Yes, Jackson is now with the angels, but I promise this story has a happy ending. Dev adopted Jackson after he saw him wandering around the streets. Jackson was very weak because he hadn’t had much to eat at such a young age. Jackson was also a well-behaved dog who was adored by his family and neighbors. 

My friend, Dev, is a wonderful contemporary and Bollywood dancer. He had a busy life with training, teaching, and stage performances. Sometimes he had to leave Jackson behind for a longer time than intended.

Just like any other Indian household, Dev also lives with his family and brothers. It’s quite convenient to live in the same house as your parents, considering the huge population and difficult financial conditions.

One day, Dev got a call from his dance studio saying that the parents of a student had come to inquire about the admissions process. Dev’s dance studio is not too far from his house, so Dev agreed to meet them in 5 minutes. At the time, his brothers had already left for the office, and only his mom was in the house. Dev knew that the meeting would only take him half an hour, so he informed his mom, gave a good-bye hug to Jackson, and hurried away.

Dev never put a leash on Jackson when he was nearby because Jackson was a very good boy. Dev took Jackson for a morning and evening walk and kept the leash on a stand outside in the courtyard. 

Unfortunately, that day, instead of half an hour, it took Dev one hour at the dance studio. As he was returning and was just a few metres away from his house, Dev heard a dog’s loud cries. Dev knew instantly that it was Jackson, and it seemed as if he was in a lot of pain. Dev dashed towards his house and opened the courtyard door to find Jackson whimpering on a leash. In anguish, Jackson was not only howling but also trying to fight with the leash that was rolling on the ground. He was shocked to see the anxiety and pain in Jackson’s eyes and quickly unleashed him. The second Jackson was freed, he hugged and licked Dev uncontrollably. Dev could sense the anxiety and fear that Jackson was trying to fight. It was as if a demon had caught Jackson, or perhaps Jackson remembered something from the past. Whatever it was, it affected both Jackson and Dev deeply.

After much loving and kissing, Dev took Jackson inside the house. For a long time, Dev promised Jackson that he would never again leave him alone. He also inquired about the incident with his mom, but she was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen. Since the courtyard door of the house is usually kept unlocked, Dev assumed that maybe some kid’s neighbours had played a trick. Or just casually put a leash around Jackson because dogs are generally seen on a leash.

A year later, when I met Dev in a dance workshop, I was fortunate to see his contemporary dance performance. It was a very interesting choreography, with some improvised movements and beautiful dance technique. Usually, when dancers present contemporary choreography, it is inspired by a theme. But this dance had some really frustrating and original dance steps.

One of the advantages of contemporary choreography with improv technique is that it allows the audience to read a dancer’s personality.

To give you a loose outline of the performance, as I felt about it, it was like this: The dance started with some super flexible moves, then went into some searching and shock, and later Dev’s moves became quick, frustrating, stressful, and ultimately slow, breathing hard, and finally into a final fall.

After a few weeks, when I was still dissatisfied with the way I felt about the choreography, I called Dev. I asked him about the inspiration for his choreography. Dev told me about this incident that happened with Jackson. By including improv techniques in his choreography, he tried to show what Jackson must have felt in that moment of imprisonment. I was shocked because I could never imagine that a minor incident could affect a person so deeply.

Dev explained to me that dogs are not just pets for play or for security. But Jackson was like a family member and a son. Jackson was Dev’s best friend and brother. Watching Jackson that day whimper in pain made Dev reflect on how much humans take their pets for granted. Dogs give us unconditional love. There is absolute purity and honesty in their love. Dogs love us; that’s why they listen to our commands. It does not give humans any right to boss them around or treat them badly. Recalling this incident filled Dev’s eyes, and I understood that he missed Jackson so much. And my eyes also welled up as I realised that this is a perfect example of true love for a friend and a brother.

Now, Dev has another dog named Dassy and a cat named Glory.