Dawdling, Hip drops & Belly rolls …

She is a virtuoso in them all

Anusha Nutoh
Anusha Nutoh

Mysore :

One can burn 330 calories per hour through this beautiful dance.

For pregnant women, this dance works wondrously during the birthing process. It facilitates natural childbirth and is a perfect post-natal exercise that helps one tone the abdomen to perfection.

She is an expert in the very graceful Middle Eastern dance form which is not just popular in the Middle Eastern countries but is equally loved by those in Western countries too. And what makes Anusha Nutoh special is the fact that she enjoys the distinction of having been the first one to start belly dance training classes in Mysore.

Twenty-five-year old Anusha’s tryst with belly dancing began almost over a decade ago. Inspired by pop singer Shakira’s belly dance in one of her music videos Anusha decided to learn the dance.

When asked about the acceptability of belly dance in a conservative Indian society, she says “Yes, India has a long way to go and accept this dance form as a prestigious one. There is a myth that belly dancing is like cabaret because of which many hesitate to learn this dance form in India. Also, many think, belly dance is all about showing the belly and wearing revealing costumes which is absolutely not true.”

This myth she says in perpetuated by old hindi movies and other regional movies where the vamp is always seen exposing her belly and prancing around.

Anusha’s aim is to rid people’s minds of such thoughts. “Initially, I learnt belly dancing to be a performer. But the non-acceptance of the dance form by people made me decide otherwise”. She says and adds saying five years ago she decided to set up her own belly dance classes in Mysore to teach and rid people of the perception of ‘sleaze’ they associated with it. “In fact it is a fantastic ab exercise”, she adds. A bachelor’s degree holder in Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Anusha, who is married to city based businessman Pramood Shandilya, takes classes at city’s Jayalakshmipuram, Nazarbad and Vijayanagar for which the demand has been increasing off late, according to her.

Having gained expertise in the same by attending various workshops by expert trainers at Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Europe and Italy, she has been successful in mesmerising the audience with her belly dawdles to the absorbing Arabian music at shows like Yuva Dasara-2007, the International Salsa Congress festival at Bangalore-2008 and twice at the Raqs Sharqi show at Dubai.

For now she says more than being a well-know belly dancer she is more intrested in increasing the acceptablity of the dance form. “I do not perform anywhere and everywhere just for the sake of money as I believe in performing only before a classy crowd with a capability to accept and love belly dance as a form of art,” she says, adding, “I also design my clothes according to the crowd before which I will be performing. There is no rule that one has to show the belly while performing belly dance.”

So those of you willing to burn those extra kilos in the body, boost of possessing the perfect figure and staying as fit as a fiddle now know what’s best for you? — AN

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 08th, 2013

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