A passion for tribal belly dance

Posture itself is so beautiful, says dancer Bindu Bolar

December 04, 2016 01:11 am | Updated 01:11 am IST - VISAKHAPATNAM:

Tribal fusion belly dancer Bindu Bolar, who is in Visakhapatnam to conduct a workshop

Tribal fusion belly dancer Bindu Bolar, who is in Visakhapatnam to conduct a workshop

When tribal fusion belly dance artiste Bindu Bolar steps on to the stage to perform, her liquid rhythm speaks through the graceful and powerful moves holding the audience spellbound.

She had a similar effect on the participants of the ongoing belly dance workshop here on Saturday.

It takes a different kind of passion and commitment to master a dance style that draws influence from a variety of international dance forms.

“Tribal belly dance is an improvisational style. Unlike the Oriental belly dance, this does not confine itself to the rigid framework of specific movements or music. This kind of style can be done in any kind of music, even Bollywood,” said the talented dancer who is popularly known as ‘Tribalina’.

A winner of the first ever belly dance competition held in India in 2013, Bindu has travelled across the country and countries like the U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy and China for conducting dance workshops. The tribal style belly dance originated in the US using traditional folkloric dance elements and costumes inspired by traditional and ethnographic tradition.

Speaking to The Hindu about her passion, Bindu said, “There is something extremely positive and inspiring about tribal belly dancing.

When the posture itself is so beautiful, it just triggers something in your conscience.

Every time you look at yourself in the mirror, you feel good about your body.” Born and brought up in Mangalore, Bindu in the IT sector working in a corporate firm in Bangalore before she decided to follow her passion in dancing to form her own company Lights Camera Dance and specialise in tribal fusion belly dance.

“My love for dancing took me to explore dance styles like hip-hop, street styles and b-boying. Then one day I was introduced to belly dancing by Anna Orchinov where I learnt the intricacies of the dance form,” said Bindu, who is also trained in Kathak, contemporary, Salsa and Bachata dance styles and also the Bollywood variety.

But what makes tribal fusion belly dance different? “There are a lot of muscular movements in tribal fusion belly dance which makes it stand apart from the classical Oriental style of belly dancing,” added the MCA graduate. Bindu, who has also judged several dance competitions at the national and international level, was a seasoned performer who seemed to be a little too much at ease with what she does at the workshop as she effortlessly glided through her rhythmic moves.

On the dance form’s popularity in India, Bindu said there has been a shift in the mindset of Indians and now many are seeking to learn various dance styles like belly dancing.

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