CHENNAI: When she was three, she put on her dancing shoes and went on to learn some moves. Since then, she has been exploring and learning various dance styles including Bollywood, oriental belly dance, tribal fusion belly dance, American tribal style, breaking and popping. “I even learnt Kathak for few years and a bit of Contemporary, Salsa, Bachata, Jive and Merengue,” explains Bindu Bolar. Bindu, also known as ‘Tribalina’, is one of the leading women of Tribal Fusion Belly dancing in India and will be in the city to conduct a workshop on the genre.
“Having been raised in an orthodox and academic family, I was never encouraged to dance. I tried my best to balance studies and dance and later on began to teach dance even when as I worked in the software field. But soon I reached a breaking point and quit my job to pursue a full time career in dance,”
she recalls.
So how is Tribal Belly dancing different from Classic Belly Dancing? The former is a sub-genre of the Classical Oriental style of Belly Dancing which originated around in the 1950-60s. “Initially, it was defined as American cabaret combined with American Tribal Style with elements of other dance styles like hip-hop, jazz etc. But the current scenario is very different,” she points out.
The costume is influenced by tribes from across the world and includes circle skirts, pantaloons and headdress decked with flowers and feathers. The genre’ music has a Middle-Eastern touch and also uses electronic and dubstep. “But, Tribal Fusion Belly dancing gives the artist freedom to use any kind of music that could be even Bollywood or world folkloric music. The steps are very intense, serpentine, precise and with a lot of muscular focus,” she remarks.
There are so many misconceptions about this dance form; for instance, it’s considered as a genre solely for the entertainment for men. “Belly dance is sensual. People often forget that there is a difference between being sensual and vulgar. It is a technical dance like any style and it is for everyone, regardless of their gender, age or size,” she avers.
This Bengaluru-based dancer who has trained and performed all around the globe says that though belly dancing was not very popular in the country earlier, it is slowly gaining an audience. “From TV reality shows to stage shows, Belly Dancing is getting slow recognition and encouragement. The first generation Belly Dancers like me and a few of my colleagues are trying our best to spread this dance form. We travel not just to metro cities but also try to reach out to smaller cities,” she smiles.
The workshop will be conducted today at 6:30 pm and tomorrow at 9 pm at Madras Dance Arts,
Nelson Manickam Road. For details, call: 7338705445