Flow-Through the eyes of Indian classical dancers

Flow state refers to an optimal psychological experience associated with a complete sense of involvement in the task at hand. The present study aims to qualitatively look at patterns of subjective experiences of flow among Indian classical dancers who have been through formal training and are in practice at the time of conduction of research. Focused Group Discussions (FGD) with unstructured interview format were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to qualitatively interpret the data. The results from the study provide an understanding of the experience of flow in Indian classical dancers and further identify influences facilitating and inhibiting the flow experience. The emergent idea visualizes flow as a mental journey of transcendence. Flow is a psychological state attainable when one transcends the perceived boundaries of one’s art form and break away from the constraints posed by its norms to proceed into an abstract, yet an intense sense of involvement and energized focus. The study looks forward to contributing to the existing literature in the field of positive psychology concerning the concept of flow in artistic creation, more specifically focused on the art form of dance in the Indian context.