As flexible as it gets

Hipnosis 2013’, the international belly dance festival, was held at the Jnana Jyoti Auditorium. Watched by many dance lovers from across the City, the event was created and executed by dancer Payal Gupta. 

The two-day session, which consisted of a flea market for belly dancers, dance workshops, belly-dance competition as well as an entertainment section, saw many youngsters taking an active interest in it. 
Dancers from countries like Italy, Brazil, Canada, England and France were a part of the festival along with artistes from India.

The highlights of the fest were fusion performances like belly dance fused with bharatanatyam, belly dance based on classic music and belly dance influenced by salsa. 
Kids in the age group of five to seven years won the hearts of the audience as they took to the stage.

Full of style, grace and moves, the dancers presented different genres of belly dance and attempted to innovate on classical music and other styles. 

Veronica, a dancer from Canada and now based in India, said that she was surprised to see so many people turning up at the show. 
“It was not just the youngsters who had come to see the show. There were also people who came with their entire family and they were actually enjoying it. I have been staying in India for a while now and the appreciation for music and dance is very high here. I enjoyed dancing in Bangalore,” she said. 

The second half of the show was even more interesting as the dancers came on the stage with different kinds of props like wings and fire. 
   Essa Duhaime, a dancer, said that she has danced in several cities in the country and enjoys learning new forms of dance. “We have worked very hard for this show and I was glad to see such a great response from the audience. 

We have been treated very well by Payal and her team and want to come back to Bangalore to perform,” she noted.

The team presented a good variety at the show, the catchy music and the colourful costume added an edge to the programme. 
Many could be seen applauding and dancing along with the team on the stage. Seema, who was there with her group of friends had a great time. “The show was very vibrant and the dancers looked stunning on the stage,” she said.