When Aakash arrived in the camp, I personally felt more relaxed. He brought about this unique energy to the group which lifted everyone’s mood. The energy in him manages to spread to the people around him through dance. Especially during the warm up, he had very specific type of dance that was simple, and this made it easy for everyone to join in. Throughout the warm up, he gradually lifted everyone’s mood with his high spirits, and ultimately this made it easier for people to dance as they were already all excited for the class.
Another attribute Aakash has is that he is always eager to learn from others. Despite the fact that he is a professional dancer, he certainly does not place himself on pedestal but rather lowers himself to be a student. I believe this humility is important for every individual to withhold in their lives, because we are always learning, despite what we have experienced. Since he places himself in such a manner, it definitely makes it easier to interact with him on a one-on-one basis.
Moreover, Aakash brought his personal cameraman to the camp. There was a moment where he took a video shoot in the open, and people gathered around watching him. They seemed very intrigued by his dance since they never come across someone dancing in the open. They later approached asking him about his project. Furthermore, he also managed to interview the NYUAD students about how we were able to transfer skills. We addressed how we learnt from him and later used his teaching skills to teach it to the children at the camp. Conclusively, having Aakash with us brought a different influence to our workshops which certainly aided us teach the students better.