Thread: Can Bd teachers teach Bollywood?

What is your experience.

I have learnt bollywood routines twice. The first was from a well known dancer who gives workshpos in various different styles. She had obviously had lessons in technique - although I got the impression that she had had just enough to be one step ahead.

the second is what I suspect is more common - teacher making something up based on her belief that Indian dance is part of the heritage of egyptians.

Have you learnt a bollywood routine and what did you think of it?

I have, from the teacher mentioned in the other thread, who hadn't completed the choreography by the time we were performing it in front of another dance school.

It was embarassing and confusing as a student. As a teacher, it's not something I would ever subject my students to.

I group bd teachers teaching bollywood in 4 categories:

A. The teacher has studied various Indian dance forms, which all mixes in bollywood dance and has a good cultural understanding and makes his/her own choreographies within the cultural context.

B. Teacher has had some guidance, and have some background knowledge to add to the lesson such as "The is commonly known in bd as a barrel turn, but is used in Rajastani dances and is known as a Rajastani turn in Indian dance."
Depending on level on confidence or concession of lacking knowedge (at least he/she is honest about it)
teacher may make her/his own attempt on making choreographies, or teach you a dance from a film.

C. Teacher has watched a lot of films (If you have good analytical skills, you may easily pick up the moves from films), but have had no guidance and cannot give additional cultural information. He/she may make her/his own choreographies, but doesn't have enough cultural understanding (such as understanding lyrics when present) and what different Indian moves may symbolize, thus putting it all together in a way that doesn't make sense for someone who knows more. A better solution would be to teach a dance from a film.

D. Teacher has only watched a couple of films and like the aestics and the music, but makes up her/his own interpretation based on some inspiring music that sounds Indian (it might as well be Arabic, American or whatever).


I've been asked to make a choreography and teach a bollywood dance, but refused as I would certainly belong to category D. I've seen other bd'ers make up "bollywood" dances, but in my eyes, the Indian feeling was missing. At least most bd teachers around here don't teach what they don't have the knowledge to teach. Then I've been offered classes with a category C teacher, but I wanted more additional knowledge than what this one was able to give me and refused.

For teachers in categories A and B I wouldn't mind taking their classes. I've happily attended workshops with a category B teacher to get a taste of bollywood where we learnt a routine from a film in one of the workshops (to be sure we got the real deal). I'd love taking more classes with category A teachers, but unfortunately not very many of them live and teach where I live.

BUT if I want to learn more bollywood, I will sign up for a bollywood class.
Signing up for a bd class and getting bollywood instead (perhaps from a category C or D teacher) would make me very very disappointed.


ETA: And of course, if we transfer a similar categorisation to teachers teaching bd, I would absolutely stay away from C and D, perhaps try a B if I was new to bd and then go for A (given ME dance instead of Indian).

If said teacher has enough training in Bollywood, yes. But Bollywood isn't something you can just make up after watching a couple of videos. It has influences from so many traditional Indian dances that are so complex, you absolutely need proper training.

Also from my understanding--though I may be confusing it with something else--a lot of the moves/gestures have specific meanings, in which case you need to understand them before you use them.

I think it's an absolute travesty that people with no Bollywood training claim to teach it because they think it's similar enough to belly dance (it's not). I see some belly dancers doing that with Polynesian, too. It's so disrespectful.

A bellydance teacher can teach anything - but doing it well is another matter.

I have had workshops with a bellydance teacher who has had Bollywood training, and found her teaching very good. But I've also been in workshops were all the teacher really knows is the one or two routines that she is teaching us, and I don't feel that that is fair to the dance style, nor is it adding anything to the students' abilities or knowledge.

I have also had workshops with a Kathakali dancer, and with a Bhangra dancer - both of whom were only versed in those particular styles. It was a few years back, but I do feel that they imparted to me far more the idea of how to dance those styles, rather than the more recent classes based on the 'what step comes next' choreography approach.

In a class, I did learn some bhangra, or was it bollywood, I don't know, but I remember at the time it wasn't bd, which I was in the class to learn.

So to me, if one wants to learn Indian styles take Indian style classes, but for those who want to learn BD, only BD should be taught.

Or else there is the danger of con fusion which serves no one except those that want to fuse different styles, usually the more accomplished dancers who are well practised and clued up in those styles as done badly by people that don't know enough, it could even be insulting to the originating cultures whom I believe need to be respected.

I've had some Bollywood classes with a "Category C" Anglo-Australian teacher at a BD school. Enjoyed them as I love the style and the music, but there was definitely something missing. If I wanted to follow Bollywood seriously, I would look for a dedicated Indian dance school.

Originally Posted by khanjar

So to me, if one wants to learn Indian styles take Indian style classes, but for those who want to learn BD, only BD should be taught.

I didn't realize we were talking about BD teachers teaching Indian dance during BD class. Well, of course that's unacceptable. When the students are paying for belly dance, they should get belly dance and not something else. Unless of course the teacher has training in both dance forms and teaches a fusion of both--and bills it as such.

Originally Posted by Yame

I didn't realize we were talking about BD teachers teaching Indian dance during BD class. Well, of course that's unacceptable. When the students are paying for belly dance, they should get belly dance and not something else. Unless of course the teacher has training in both dance forms and teaches a fusion of both--and bills it as such.

Yes. This happened once and I was horrified & never went back. I don't live in that town anymore and really wished I had said something because the students really just didn't know. Belly dance teachers should teach belly dance, "bollywood" dance teachers should teach bollywood. Sometimes teachers are competent enough to teach both, but not at once! They are NOT the same and should not be taught as such! Fusion should be taught as fusion by someone competent in BOTH styles.

*groan* -_-;;;

I just reviewed a video that I took myself last year of the one Bollywood routine we learned at a workshop a couple of years ago. I don't know about the credentials of the teacher who did the workshop, but she teaches three different classes in a neighboring city: bellydance, Bollywood, and pole dancing.

I was very excited at the time to learn the routine, but by the time of our troupe's performance at last year's Ren Faire, I didn't have it polished enough to perform. Looking back at the performance just a few moments ago, I was horrified at the costuming---my troupe didn't even wear their veils like sauris like we usually do when doing this routine! I thought they did, but chances are, by the time this set was performed, it was probably hot, so that might be the reason for them not wearing their veils. Having said that, though, our folkloric costuming isn't fit for Bollywood dance. Watching the video made me cringe. -_-

At least when I performed it with my troupe for my very first time this year at the Ren Faire, I dressed in my Bollywood costume, wedding maang tikka, hand bindis, sauri, and the works. -_-

Looking back, I think the workshop teacher probably belongs in either category B or C, because she asked me to send her a link to a site that teaches about different mudras and their meanings.. Well, I guess to her credit, she's trying to gain some cultural knowledge.

Hokay, be prepared to get your cringe on, here is the video (sorry about the terrible camera angle, I couldn't bring my bigger tripod):



I would appreciate an honest critique. Although I love my troupe, I sometimes (often? oO;; ) question some of the things they do. Cultural knowledge is very important to me, but it's not emphasized enough in our class, at least IMHO.