“I did not choose dance, dance chose me,” shares Meher Malik (33), Director of Studio Banjara (formerly Banjara School of Dances), a school of belly dance in Soami Nagar that now runs virtually. Malik—she took up belly dancing at 17—believes that the body is a vessel, and that it is only by understanding our own bodies deeply that we can experience the world in a more dynamic way. “I think the people who feel disconnected from dance are those who feel detached from themselves. It [dancing] is one of the most natural states of being,” Malik shares.
Often sexualised, belly dance is now being embraced by a number of people for the many benefits it offers. As one of the first few schools of belly dancing in India], Studio Banjara has helped foster a community of individuals passionate about the dance form. “Everybody who has ever walked into our studio has only left more confident or more powerful, becoming more comfortable in their skin. I don not see any reason why people shouldn’t try it,” says Malik.
Sway for health
The techniques of belly dance are believed to help pregnant women; it encourages active birth and eases the process. “When I went into labour, the only thing that actually helped me feel better was to keep moving my hips and practising belly dance. That was the only thing that was easing the contractions,’’ adds Malik.
Over the years, belly dance is being reclaimed by those passionate about it. Practitioners across genders affirm that the dance is empowering, and can help in developing a positive self-image. Consequently, a significant number of people are taking it up.
Nikita Singh (26), a resident of Greater Noida, started belly dancing in 2017. She has been learning the dance form mostly through YouTube videos until recently when she decided to take up professional lessons. Singh, who has vitiligo, shares that she was once apprehensive of taking up belly dance. However, over the years, practising the dance form has helped her embody self-confidence by fully embracing her skin condition. “Whenever I dance, I feel happy and at peace. Belly dancing has given me the confidence to be in my skin; it has helped me embrace my condition and my body. People often say that ‘you are showing your belly’, but it is just a dance form and it is my body. One can do whatever they want to with their bodies,” mentions Singh.
A spinal surgery at 13 resulted in visible surgery scars and a stiff spine for Pooja Sinha (29). “I have marks on my body, especially on my belly. This made me very conscious of the area around my belly,” she says. A student of Studio Banjara, Sinha further shares, “After I went there [Studio Banjara], I stopped worrying about my surgery marks. Belly dance has changed me as a person. It has made me more confident.”
Among the myriad health benefits it offers, the dance form also helps develop better balance, strength, digestion, and co-ordination. “My back would feel really stiff because of the surgery, however belly dancing has made me more flexible,” adds Sinha.
Offering a word of advice to those who are keen on learning this dance form but are often discouraged, Malik concludes, “It is never too late to get into your body. The best question you can ask yourself: why is something holding you back? If something is holding you back, I think that is all the more reason to do it.”