by Ritika Gupta
Payal Gupta from Bengaluru has carved a niche for herself as an international belly dancer. Recently, she won a prize at the ‘Belly Dancer of the World’ in Germany. Star of Mysore caught up with her for a tête-à-tête where she spoke about her journey. Excerpts:
SOM: Software engineering to belly dancing. What made you take this shift?
Payal: I initially taught dance to earn some pocket money and then I realised that it was what I enjoyed the most. Engineering was not my cup of tea but I completed graduation and then took to belly dancing as a serious profession.
SOM: Belly dance is considered to be a very controversial dance form. How did you manage to go a long way in this field?
Payal: It’s a pity that belly dance is considered as kinky at many places. But the fact is that it is an Egyptian ‘classical’ dance form just like Kathak, Bharatanatyam and a host of others that India boasts of. It has complex movements of the abdomen and the upper torso and takes really long to learn. Only passionate people succeed in mastering it and when someone dismisses it as vulgar it’s truly disappointing.
SOM: Tell us about the origin, evolution of belly dance.
Payal: Belly dance, for hundreds of years, was a community dance which was performed by the Egyptian women during gatherings. Mahmoud Reda (yes, a male!) fine tuned this folkloric art form in the 20th century to make it presentable on stage. It was picked up by many foreigners; they gave out their own versions of it and hence there are many types of belly dance like the American Tribal Fusion, the Oriental Style (Turkish), Persian Belly Dance and American Cabaret.
SOM: What do you think of the male dancers who perform belly dance?
Payal: I’ve seen a few brilliant male dancers perform belly dance. There’s nothing wrong in it and it’s absolutely their choice. Of course, the dance suits the figure of a woman better as it comes easily and gracefully to the fairer sex.
SOM: Which variation of the belly dance is your favourite?
Payal: I have learnt most of the variations but my favourite is the Classical Egyptian. No matter what styles you add to it, it looks best when it is performed in its authentic form. I also love performing with properties like the veil poi and double veil.
SOM: Is it true that belly dance aids delivery and relieves menstrual cramps?
Payal: Yes, that’s right. As the movements involve controlling the abdominal muscles, menstruation, pregnancy and delivery get a lot easier for women. It also greatly improves the posture and tones the body.
SOM: Hip-nosis, the annual belly dance fest of Payal’s Dance Academy is the biggest in India. What’s in store this year?
Payal: I’m getting the best artistes to perform and teach at Hip-nosis this year. We’ll have Aziza (Canada), Azad Khan (Germany) and Issam Husham (USA).
SOM: You won at the Belly Dancer of the World in Germany recently. How does it feel?
Payal: It felt like a beauty pageant as participants came from all over the world. I have been participating in this coontest for three years and winning it this time was an achievement. It was like as if an Egyptian danseuse defeated an Indian in a Bharatanatyam contest! People there were astonished because they think of India as a country that encourages only traditional forms like Yoga or Classical dances. I was representing my nation and it was definitely the proudest moment of my life!
SOM: It doesn’t end there. You won the opportunity of teaching at the Aziza’s Dream Camp ‘16, a residential belly dance workshop in Canada.
Payal: Oh yes! Aziza, whom I consider as the Goddess of Belly Dance, has invited me to take a workshop there and I’m really excited as it’s a huge platform for me.
SOM: Your name features in the Indian Book of Records for belly-dancing with a cane on your head for three minutes at a stretch. With so many achievements in your kitty, where are you headed next?
Payal: I’ve taken up the challenge of changing people’s perception of belly dance as an indecent art form. Also, I’d like to improvise in Egyptian Classical and represent India in many more international contests.
SOM: Bollywood has recorded many songs featuring belly dance. What’s your take on them?
Payal: Most of them are made ‘item numbers’ and hardly have any belly dancing! However, Rani Mukherjee worked really hard for the song Aga Bai from the movie Aiyya and did a splendid job.
SOM: You have been professionally associated with Mysuru for two years now. Tell us about your connection with the city.
Payal: I had never thought that the ladies in Mysuru would want to learn belly dance but the response has been overwhelming. The people here are really warm and considerate. I come here once a week for work but it feels like a relaxing holiday. I absolutely love it and hope to teach here for years to come!
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / March 15th, 2015