A belly good time

Kavya Viswanathan, a 33-year-old architect turned belly dancer, who hails from Palakkad, loves to explore the world, telling gypsy stories through belly dance. Her magical movements blend in with her expressions, making her a charming beauty. After managing her job and dance for almost eight years, she finally switched to be a professional dancer in 2015. "I call myself a dancer even though I was passionate about architecture. But you can't have two husbands. So I chose one and started Martiya School of Dance in Bangalore", says Kavya, while hosting a two day belly dance workshop in Kochi. Though one of the major misunderstood dance forms, belly dance is gaining popularity by the day.

“People associate belly dance with  movements of hips and the stomach, not noticing the movements of the feet, head and arms," she says. "The girls have been lovely here in Kochi," she adds.

North Africa and the Middle East countries have a long and rich history of belly dance although it's new in India.  Apart from being a form of entertainment, belly dance is a good exercise for body, mind and soul. "It has an ability to strengthen your core, which in turn supports your spine. This is what I feel Kerala needs to know about belly dance," she states.

Kavya's passion made her travel the world and train under renowned gypsy dancers like Khairriya Mazin of Egypt and Reyhan Tusuz of Turkey and tribal fusion dancers like Zoe Jakes. Apart from the performances and world tour, she loves teaching. She has been doing it for seven years. "I learnt everything the hard way with the support of my family and I want to make it easier for the beginners. To keep learning, keep growing as a dancer and share what I know," she concludes.