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In the rigid structure of tradition, Sam found freedom through movement. Born into a working-class Sikh family in Punjab, his journey from truck driver’s son to celebrated Odissi dancer spans continents, cultures, and profound personal transformations. “The Lion Dances” follows Sam’s courageous path from India to Melbourne as he navigates the uncharted territory between sexual identity and cultural heritage, finding in the ancient rhythms of Odissi dance a language to express what his mother tongue has no words for. This is not just a story about dance—it’s about finding grace in the spaces between worlds.
In Punjabi, we have no word for ‘gay.’ In dance, I found a language beyond words.
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<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>The Lion Dances - Featured Quote</title>
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/* Base styles */
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margin: 0;
padding: 0;
box-sizing: border-box;
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body {
font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif;
line-height: 1.6;
color: #333;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
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/* Featured Quote Section */
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position: relative;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
padding: 100px 20px;
background-color: #1A1A1A;
overflow: hidden;
}
/* Spotlight effect */
.spotlight {
position: absolute;
width: 80%;
height: 300px;
background: radial-gradient(
ellipse at center,
rgba(212, 175, 55, 0.15) 0%,
rgba(212, 175, 55, 0.05) 40%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 70%
);
top: 50%;
left: 50%;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
z-index: 1;
pointer-events: none;
filter: blur(15px);
}
/* Quote container */
.quote-container {
position: relative;
max-width: 900px;
width: 80%;
text-align: center;
z-index: 2;
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(30px);
transition: opacity 1.5s ease, transform 1.5s ease;
}
.quote-container.visible {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
}
/* Quote text */
.quote-text {
font-family: 'Playfair Display', serif;
font-size: 38px;
font-style: italic;
font-weight: 300;
line-height: 1.4;
letter-spacing: 0.01em;
color: #FFFFFF;
margin-bottom: 30px;
text-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
}
/* Key phrase highlighting */
.quote-highlight {
color: #D4AF37;
font-weight: 400;
position: relative;
}
.quote-highlight::after {
content: '';
position: absolute;
bottom: -2px;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 1px;
background-color: rgba(212, 175, 55, 0.6);
transform: scaleX(0);
transform-origin: left;
transition: transform 1.2s cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1);
}
.quote-highlight.animated::after {
transform: scaleX(1);
}
/* Quote attribution */
.quote-attribution {
font-family: 'Montserrat', sans-serif;
font-size: 18px;
font-weight: 500;
color: #D4AF37;
letter-spacing: 0.05em;
text-transform: uppercase;
opacity: 0.9;
}
/* Quotation marks */
.quote-marks {
position: absolute;
font-family: 'Playfair Display', serif;
font-size: 180px;
line-height: 0;
color: rgba(212, 175, 55, 0.1);
z-index: 1;
}
.quote-mark-left {
left: -60px;
top: 30px;
}
.quote-mark-right {
right: -60px;
bottom: 0px;
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
/* Mask overlays for vignette effect */
.mask-overlay {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
background: linear-gradient(
to right,
rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.9) 0%,
rgba(26, 26, 26, 0) 20%,
rgba(26, 26, 26, 0) 80%,
rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.9) 100%
);
pointer-events: none;
z-index: 3;
}
/* Subtle dancing figure silhouettes */
.dancer-silhouette {
position: absolute;
width: 200px;
height: 200px;
background-size: contain;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center;
opacity: 0.03;
z-index: 0;
}
.silhouette-1 {
top: 20px;
left: 5%;
background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 200" fill="%23FFFFFF"><path d="M50,30 C60,10 80,20 70,40 C90,60 75,80 60,90 C70,120 50,130 40,110 C20,120 10,100 30,90 C20,70 35,50 50,30Z"/></svg>');
transform: rotate(-15deg);
}
.silhouette-2 {
bottom: 20px;
right: 5%;
background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 200" fill="%23FFFFFF"><path d="M40,30 C20,50 30,80 50,70 C80,90 70,120 50,110 C30,130 40,150 60,140 C80,160 60,180 40,170 C20,180 30,150 40,140 C20,120 40,100 40,30Z"/></svg>');
transform: rotate(15deg);
}
/* Responsive styles */
@media (max-width: 1024px) {
.quote-text {
font-size: 34px;
}
.quote-marks {
font-size: 140px;
}
.quote-mark-left {
left: -40px;
}
.quote-mark-right {
right: -40px;
}
}
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.quote-section {
padding: 80px 30px;
}
.quote-text {
font-size: 28px;
}
.quote-attribution {
font-size: 16px;
}
.quote-marks {
font-size: 120px;
}
.dancer-silhouette {
width: 150px;
height: 150px;
}
}
@media (max-width: 480px) {
.quote-section {
padding: 60px 20px;
}
.quote-text {
font-size: 24px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.quote-attribution {
font-size: 14px;
}
.quote-marks {
font-size: 80px;
}
.quote-mark-left {
left: -20px;
top: 20px;
}
.quote-mark-right {
right: -20px;
bottom: -10px;
}
.dancer-silhouette {
opacity: 0.02;
width: 100px;
height: 100px;
}
}
/* Font imports */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Playfair+Display:ital,wght@0,300;0,400;1,300;1,400&family=Montserrat:wght@400;500;600&display=swap');
</style>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Featured Quote Section -->
<div class="quote-section">
<!-- Spotlight effect -->
<div class="spotlight"></div>
<!-- Quote container -->
<div class="quote-container">
<!-- Large quotation marks -->
<div class="quote-marks quote-mark-left">"</div>
<!-- Quote text -->
<blockquote class="quote-text">
In Punjabi, we have <span class="quote-highlight">no word for 'gay.'</span> In dance, I found a <span class="quote-highlight">language beyond words.</span>
</blockquote>
<!-- Attribution -->
<div class="quote-attribution">— Sam</div>
<!-- Large quotation marks (closing) -->
<div class="quote-marks quote-mark-right">"</div>
</div>
<!-- Mask overlay for vignette effect -->
<div class="mask-overlay"></div>
<!-- Dancer silhouettes -->
<div class="dancer-silhouette silhouette-1"></div>
<div class="dancer-silhouette silhouette-2"></div>
</div>
<script>
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
// Reveal quote with intersection observer
const quoteObserver = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
entries.forEach(entry => {
if (entry.isIntersecting) {
entry.target.classList.add('visible');
// Animate the highlighted phrases
setTimeout(() => {
document.querySelectorAll('.quote-highlight').forEach((highlight, index) => {
setTimeout(() => {
highlight.classList.add('animated');
}, index * 800); // Stagger the animations
});
}, 800);
// Animate spotlight subtly
animateSpotlight();
// Stop observing after animation
quoteObserver.unobserve(entry.target);
}
});
}, { threshold: 0.3 });
quoteObserver.observe(document.querySelector('.quote-container'));
// Subtle spotlight animation
function animateSpotlight() {
const spotlight = document.querySelector('.spotlight');
let posX = 50, posY = 50;
let targetX = 50, targetY = 50;
// Random position within constraints
function updateTarget() {
targetX = 50 + (Math.random() * 10 - 5); // 45-55%
targetY = 50 + (Math.random() * 10 - 5); // 45-55%
}
// Initial update
updateTarget();
// Animation loop
function animateLoop() {
// Smooth interpolation towards target
posX += (targetX - posX) * 0.01;
posY += (targetY - posY) * 0.01;
// Apply position
spotlight.style.left = posX + '%';
spotlight.style.top = posY + '%';
// Occasionally update target
if (Math.random() < 0.003) {
updateTarget();
}
requestAnimationFrame(animateLoop);
}
animateLoop();
}
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
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