She shakes it like Shakira!

Dancing since the day she took he first steps, this  charming Bengaluru-based belly dancer is going places. She is a self taught tribal fusion belly dancer and hopes on making people appreciate the art of belly dancing. After her recent win at the International Belly dancing festival in the city, Bindu Bolar is on full swing to promote the art of belly dancing in the city.

Born and raised in Mangalore, this talented IT professional moved into the city to take up her first job in a corporate firm.

She says, “I did not get the satisfaction that I wanted through IT, it was becoming monotonous. And since, I came from an education-oriented family, dancing, which I was passionate about, was also not encouraged.” Later, she began attending a few Bollywood dance classes in the city, which got her connected to professional and formal dancing. “I began dancing for the love of it and started training in hip-hop, street styles, b-boying and other major dance moves. When I began attending Anna Orchinov’s belly dancing classes, I began to take the art seriously and understood the intricacies in it,” adding to that she says, “However tribal fusion belly dance is self taught.” Winning the award as the Most Hipnotic Belly dancer, in the International Belly dancing festival she says, was a big step as it gave her the encouragement in training in the dance form more seriously. 

This MCA graduate not only conducts workshops and performs in shows across the country but also runs her own studio in the city. She proudly says, “Lights, Camera, Dance has been my soul since its inception and I teach a lot of dance styles like street dance, freezes, hip-hop and of course belly dancing.” She trains 100+ students in the city and conducts workshops across the country at Chennai, Pune, Indore and more. However, she feels that belly dancing does not receive the positive kind of attention it deserves. “People compare belly dancing to a lot of awkward styles and do not treat it like all other classical forms of dance. It is also a fun workout and helps in a lot of other health factors.” Bindu’s other interests include feeding stray puppies of which she fondly remembers, “Nobody cares for them in the city so I invite them in my studio and spend time with them. I try to find time for them during my work timings.”

Simple funda

• A good warm up and stretching is very important before starting your belly dancing routine or technique practices.
• Wear comfortable and apt clothing for classes so that you can see your moves better and the teacher can also observe better and make corrections.
• Add on a belly dance hip scarf or coin belt, it gives definition to your moves, makes you look beautiful and dancing is super fun with them
• Let go of the inhibitions. It is just important to remain fit.
• Consistency in practice and passion to learn is important for the art.