Dance, spin, juggle: How flow arts bring happiness to Bengaluru

From poi to hula-hooping, Bengalureans, thanks to groups like IndieFlow and Supervillain.wtf are slowly embracing flow arts for physical, mental, and emotional well-being

In his seminal work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi outlined his theory that people are happiest when they are in ‘flow’, a condition wherein they are absorbed in an activity for its own sake. In Csíkszentmihályi’s words, when you are operating this way, “Time flies. Every action, movement and thought inevitably follows from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

This near-spiritual state of being was witnessed on a small terrace in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, where the flow arts group Supervillains.wtf organised a ‘Kuthu Flow’ event in January. (Kuthu is a South Indian dance genre focused on percussion.)

As the sky slowly turned from pale pinkish-orange to hues of indigo and purple, Saira Riyaz, one of the co-founders of Supervillains.wtf, screamed, “LET THE KUTHU BEGIN!” in exultation. 

An evening of jubilation followed, during which the flow artists at Supervillains and the participants of the event danced, hula-hooped, juggled, and played with several ‘flow toys’, with one kuthu song following another. A few new participants, reticent at first, ultimately were sucked into the celebrating circle. Their skills unjudged, their mistakes overlooked, their actions cheered. For most of the gala, most people seemed immersed in whatever they were doing, i.e., they were in a flow state.

“This is what Supervillains is all about. We wanted to create something that spread joy, facilitated a sense of flow and brought happiness,” says Saira, who used to be — in her own words — a corporate slave. “The hustle culture of corporate life had created a lifestyle of prolonged stress and pressure, and I believe that’s not what life is about. We are meant to enjoy life — eating, dancing, and sleeping without being constantly weighed down.” 

This realisation became her motivation to initiate a change. When she found another like-minded person in Amit Goyal, they started Supervillains.wtf, a collective that wishes to enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being through flow. 

What’s with the name, though?