“Belly dance is essentially an umbrella term for a lot of dances practised in North African and Middle Eastern countries,” says economist-turned-belly dancer Debapriya Das, the artistic director at Nrityakosh, an oriental and fusion belly dance school in Bengaluru. Admittedly, the term itself is a misnomer of sorts, stemming from a problematic Orientalist perspective that often reduces all these dance forms to a singular one: a hypersexualised and exoticized dance style with questionable origins, defined solely by the Western gaze.
“The name is coined by someone who is not from a Middle Eastern background,” points out Debapriya, adding that tracing the journey of the dance, which is believed to have possibly originated in ancient Egypt, can be complicated. “It is very difficult to take the influence of Orientalism out of the dance form,” she says, adding that while serious practitioners try their best, often referring to it as Raqs al-sharqi or by naming the specific folk style they are performing, the struggle is an ongoing one.
“There are influences from many parts of the world, triggered by the imperial rule, by the art exchanges that have happened, by people travelling and migrating,” she points out. “A lot of us have tried to define it. But I think the merit is not really in defining the dance form but in getting an understanding of the vastness of the dance and also how the modern construct of the dance is so influenced by Orientalism,” she believes.
Many such ideas around the Middle Eastern dance styles, which fall under the belly dance umbrella, were discussed and performed recently at Parikrama: The Oriental Journey, a lecture demonstration by the Nrityakosh Company, which took its audience through the history, culture, socio-politics and music of these dance styles. “We were trying to answer the question of what belly dance is,” says Debapriya, pointing out that often, too often, people think that belly dance is what Nora Fatehi does. “Of course, that is beautiful in itself. But there is so much more,” she says.
Expanding the understanding and scope of the dance form is something Debapriya is deeply invested in, which is why Nrityakosh’s shows are usually socially, culturally, and politically relevant, ranging from shows about the Romani poet, Papusza to those tracing the history of belly dance and how pandemic completely upheaved all our lives.
Their upcoming show, Arabian Nights, which will be staged later this month, is a dance-centred reimagining of the One Thousand and One Nights, which focuses on the women of these stories. “I have always found the perspective of these women in these folk tales very interesting,” she says, adding that around 80-90 dancers will be performing in this 120-minute show, which will open on October 14.
Always a dancer
Debapriya has been dancing from school | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Debapriya’s dance journey began many years ago when she was enrolled in Bharatanatyam classes as a child. “It was something I enjoyed even at that age,” she says. “I didn’t always understand the complex nature of it, but I would love to attend classes and do shows with my gurus,” says Debapriya, who trained in the dance form till the age of 18.
Then life happened, and she went on to study, garnering a BA and MSc in economics. “I was doing a lot of commercial shows, but no real dance learning was happening in those five years,” says Debapriya, who only resumed training when she moved to Bengaluru with her first job as a research economist, a decade or so ago. “The five years of not training had left a void,” she recalls, adding that at that time she just wanted to learn everything. “So, I resumed Bharatanatyam, went for ballet and enrolled in contemporary and belly dance classes,” she says.
At first, she viewed belly dancing as simply a fun activity, but over time, she began to understand that there was much more to it. “I started doing my own research into it,” she says, adding that she was curious to understand what it was beyond, “moving your hips, a fitness thing.” She began travelling every summer to Europe and the US to study Middle Eastern dance forms and the contribution of these folk dances to belly dance.
As she went deeper and deeper down the dance rabbit hole, she also began thinking about her life choices. “The life that I was leading as a research economist was a really fun one and if my love for dancing wasn’t so much, I would be doing a PhD today,” she says, admitting that she had really liked the public policy and research space that she had been in. However, as she worked and trained, she realised that she was investing a lot of money into her dance practice. “I wasn’t sure where it was leading,” she says.
By 2017, she began teaching part-time “just to get some experience and earn extra money to fund my dance education,” says Debapriya, who wanted to test the waters before fully transitioning to dance full-time. “I wanted to get an idea if this was even for me,” she says.
Within a year, however, she made the choice to fully transition, going on to formally establish Nrityakosh, which “specialises in Middle Eastern Dances & its associated fusion formats” in 2018. “I planned that call for a few years,” she says, admitting that it was a smooth transition. “As an economist, minimising risk is taught to you,” she says, with a laugh. “And once I transitioned, it never occurred to me to go back.”
Scope, structure and struggles
Nrityakosh offers a structure to belly dance education | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nrityakosh prides itself on being an organisation that offers a structure to belly dance education, making it a viable career option. But how does one introduce structure to a dance form that, unlike classical forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathak, had no history of codification? It does have its challenges, admits Debapriya. “The lack of strict codification can be empowering as there is freedom to it,” she believes. “But it does lead to a lot of difficulties too,” she says.
On one hand, the lack of codification means that the dance form imbibes the pop culture of every country it travels to, whether it is in India, North America or Latin America. “That is why it is so popular,” says Debapriya, pointing out that in India, for instance, it is very easy to pair belly dance movements with some peppy Bollywood songs. “It probably gives an understanding that it is a simple dance format. You put on a peppy song, move your hips and chest, and some shimmying happens. It seems very easy to mix.”
While this understanding may be fine for people who see a belly dance class as a weekend hobby, someone who wants to make this a profession may need a more structured program. “Yes, it is a social and cultural form that you have to enjoy. But for students who think about it, structure is important,” she says.
Currently, besides regular workshops, Nrityakosh offers structured certificate courses across three levels — beginner, intermediate and advanced — enabling students to garner a physical, technical and theoretical understanding of various Oriental dance styles, according to the institute’s website. “There is a 4-5 years training that you must go through,” says Debapriya, adding that mentoring and performance opportunities are also part of this journey.
Building economic independence is very important for any creative professional, including dancers. “If you can’t pay rent your passion doesn’t do anything for you,” she says, pointing out that the commercial side of belly dance has one serious drawback: though there is demand for professional dancers, non-Indians are often given the first priority. Having said that, going by the changing demography in her classes, interest in the dance form is growing substantially in the country, she says. “Yes, it is a difficult space but things are changing,” believes Debapriya.
COMMents
SHARE