Tricky steps to master

Belly dancing has caught the fancy of many. For ordinary people, belly dancing is just about sensuality — but it is no cakewalk for the dancers who practice for hours to get their steps right. It is a rigorous and difficult dance form.

   “Before belly dancing became a dance form, it was used as a measure to prepare women for childbirth in the Middle Eastern countries,” explains Minoti, a dancer who teaches at the Lourd Vijay dance studio.

Belly dancers are mostly dressed in short blouses with harem pants or a skirt.
They wear shimmering pieces of cloth around their hips. Metrolife speaks to a few youngsters to find out what they think about the popularity of the dance — despite a few social restrictions.

Payal Gupta started learning belly dancing after her mom saw a performance on television.

   Apart from contemporary and Bollywood dance styles, Payal has excelled in belly dance and conducts classes in her dance studio.

“Belly dancing looks simple but it is very difficult; it is very technique-oriented, feminine and appealing,” explains Payal, who holds a record in the Indian Book of Records for belly dancing while balancing a cane on her head.

“This dance is not restricted to pubs or bars and definitely doesn’t serve as entertainment for men. It is a form of art and people should look at it as just another dance performance instead of judging dancers for what they wear,” she adds.
A few girls mentioned that they were lucky their families didn’t restrict them from learning belly dance only because some people feel it’s taboo.

Meenakshi Panchal expresses her passion for dance and says, “It’s about time people stopped talking about what belly dancers wear and started noticing the tricky steps.”

Some youngsters mentioned that their parents were quite apprehensive in the beginning but appreciated the exotic and mysterious dance after watching it for themselves.

“Initially, my parents were very concerned but after watching my dance shows, they were pleased,” admits Meghana B S, a degree student. She confesses that she was shy when she started learning and declares, “People do talk about what we wear but I have so much fun while dancing that I forget about the costume and focus on the steps.”

Deepashri L considers belly dance to be the most powerful dance form and believes that it teaches every woman grace and elegance.

She declares, “I was a very shy person, but belly dancing has made me feel confident. Yes, it is a sensual dance form and is all about how you carrying yourself. The perception depends on how judgemental a person is. If one sees it as a dance, they will find it very beautiful.”