It was around 5 years back, when
I was completely into jazz, hip hop, ballroom dancing, salsa and of course
classical dancing, where I had, then thought that I have learnt all important
dance styles. I was just concentrating on my teaching part. I had almost then decided
that with these dance styles I can call myself 'a versatile dancer' and then… One
fine day, a close friend introduced me to this beautiful German lady… vibrant,
tall with chiseled body, sparkling smile and most importantly a professional
belly dancer - teacher. She had come to India to learn few Indian dances
and mainly bollywood dancing. She had attended few dance lessons at some
'Leading dance schools of India/Mumbai ' but wasn’t happy with it. So my friend
arranged for our meeting.
Zeyna - My belly dance Teacher
www.zeyna.com |
She seemed totally enthu about
learning Indian dance styles and her face lit up with a smile when I ensured
that I can help her with it. Then we proceeded to money matters, i.e. my fees.
With having brief info about her belly dancing which I got from my friend, I
immediately exclaimed, " I wont be charging you for it… just teach me
belly dancing !!" To which she
agreed happily. Wow…!!! What made me say that??? No fees…!!! ???
I could sense my hunger for
learning a new dance style, yet again. This lady in her late twenties had come
from Zurich to
Mumbai to learn different Indian dance styles. What an idiot i was !! [Yes,
a complete idiot to think that I am 'versatile enough' to know those 'few'
dance styles!!!] It's never enough. Thankfully, I understood it at a very early
stage / age. And then, our dance sessions started the very next day of our
meeting. She was completely in awe of our folk and classical dances and I got a
chance to learn Raqs Sharqi aka Belly Dance and many things related to it,
which otherwise was not even in my THEN "to-do list"
www.zeyna.com |
A dance form like belly dancing
needs utmost control on your body and at the same time you need to be very
graceful. Though it can be stylized by any individual, there are some techniques
that you need to master to perform or teach. Some of my favorite steps are
Snake arms, undulations, choo choo, grapevine, Egyptian twist and of course the
Shimmy. And the shimmy looks awesome with Kuchi coin belts aka belly dance
belts. The costumes are bright, colorful and enhance belly, chest and hip
portion mostly with kuchi coins. The props like veils, swords, finger cymbals
add extra spark in the performance. Though it is mostly popular with girls
performing it, there are some countries where they promote male belly dancers
too…!!
It is strange that despite
knowing this beautiful, graceful dance style for centuries, we, the Indians,
never accepted it as a respectable dance style which can be taught and
performed publicly. But, thanks to the Colombian pop star-singer, whose song
and video, in which she belly danced, got very popular worldwide and finally
this dance style was appreciated and accepted in most parts of India.
Learning belly dance not only
made me more open minded but also enriched me as an artist. This 'barter
exchange' of dance styles proved to be one of the best things that happened to us. She
started teaching Indian styles in her dance school at Zurich
and I started teaching belly dancing here, in India.
But again, why am I sharing all
this? Dance is not something just to talk about. Dance is to dance. So get up
and dance and you'll know the reason behind my smile: D (haha...) Trust me,
dancing will surely make you happier.
Keep smiling and keep dancing
So true..there is so much to learn :) i like the look of your blog.you became a pro now :D
ReplyDeleteindeed !!! :D and thnks so much for appreciation and suggestions..
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Hunger for Dance... that was the key phrase I think... And you earned much more than fees when you learnt the new style and opening your mind to a new thinking... and in the process... by writing your blog you are opening our minds too - to a new world! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot.. for tht wonderful comment..!! and yes i hope with this blog, non dancers too will start dancing.. ;-)
ReplyDeleteUrja..Another nice article straight from the heart of a dance lover. Your "barter deal" earned you what money can't buy: Respect and sharing by a fellow dance teacher.
ReplyDeleteYour blogs exude an infectious urge to get up and learn to dance. That's the raison d'etre of dance teachers like you. Any one can shake a leg or two but you're there to show them how to do it gracefully. Keep the Shimmy going!!
Here's the famous Russian belly dancer: Maria Shashkova
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=M55rIQbBVqI
thank you :) i am happy to know that people have started dancing after reading my articles .. it gives me a high !! :-)
ReplyDeletealso ..: the link is awesome but have you checked saidi's belly dance.. :) u'll surely love it...