Every belly can dance

Finding a way to blend her twin loves for research and dance into something magical, Debapriya Das enthralls Jisha Krishnan with her delicate moves

It was her “robotic existence” that drew Debapriya Das to belly dance. In 2012, when she first came to Bengaluru for her maiden job as a research economist, the 22-year-old had no idea that the Monday-to-Friday work mania, followed by mindless weekend parties, would be such a futile endeavour.

“Dance was my relief. I joined a belly dance class. I also started learning contemporary dance and resumed my bharatanatyam training,” recalls the founder of Nrityakosh, a performance house and school for belly dancers in Bengaluru.

As a torchbearer of the Egyptian oriental and tribal fusion forms of belly dance in India, Debapriya has been instrumental in exploring the historical and cultural nuances of the dance form to tell engaging stories of courage, character and change. “Dance is a powerful medium for telling stories. And as an independent dancer, I want to say things that are important to me,” says the erstwhile economist who quit her much-loved job last year to fully pursue her passion for belly dance. “I may not make a fortune, but I’m the happiest person in the world,” she quips.

Debapriya Das

Spirited stories

At 7 am on a Saturday morning, Debapriya was busy with rehearsals for her latest production Papusza that revisited the fascinating and tragic life of one of the greatest Romani poets.

At a time when literacy was a taboo for women, the poet questioned cultural norms and paved the way for a brave new world where women could express themselves through art.

Albeit, there was a price to pay – she was exiled by her own people. “I’m not a crusader. I’m just making people aware,” states the stunning performer, when I ask about her penchant for stories about spirited women. Her earlier belly dance production delved into the lives of women in Ramayana, while another charted the evolution of belly dance through gendered perspectives of history, culture, society and people. “It helps to be a trained researcher. Besides, my interest in dance, culture and orientalism complement each other,” she notes.

However, it takes more than a Master’s degree in Economics to crack the funding challenge. “Finances are painful…extremely difficult to manage. So, for Papusza, I decided to just ask for help and reach out to the right people. Internationally, a lot of artistes get crowdfunding. So, I thought why not give it a try,” reasons the danseuse who managed to raise Rs 1,30,000, that is, about 80 per cent of the costs covering light, sound and auditorium expenses, for the
November 2019 production.

Busting myths

Currently, Debapriya trains over 80 students in belly dance across centres in Bengaluru. And she finds it empowering to see women — mostly in their 30s and 40s juggling work and family responsibilities — have fun in her class. “The beauty of belly dance is that it grows into every body type. You don’t need to change. The dance embraces you the way you are. You learn to move in ways that inspire you to stop being critical about your body,” says the teacher who is unequivocal about the fact that belly dance is not a weight-loss exercise.

You get toned, she admits, “but don’t expect to change your body type.” Another popular myth is that belly dance is only for women.

Debapriya informs that many of the renowned Egyptian belly dancers are male. In fact, she often gets enquiries for private belly dance training classes from men. Apart from societal pressures, there’s nothing stopping the menfolk from excelling at belly dance. “The dance form accepts everybody. There is no bias,” she maintains.

For Debapriya, the most essential thing is the responsibility to do it correctly. “It’s like learning a foreign language. Belly dance is from a different culture… Beyond the populist
misconceptions perpetrated by Hollywood and Bollywood, my travels around Italy, Europe and the US have helped me explore the dance language in its true essence,” says the
artiste, who has trained under eminent international teachers such as Rachel Brice, Colleena Shakti, Sadie Marquadt, Tamar Bar Gil, Mira Betz, Jill Parker, Randa Kamel, Hossam
and Serena Ramzy.

Her earliest inspiration came from watching a performance by Israeli artist Tamar Bar Gil, wherein she “floated like a petal on stage”. It was a powerful language of movement, not just a sensual collection of steps.

Secret to happiness

On that quiet Saturday morning, as I watched Debapriya rehearse with over a dozen students for her upcoming show, I felt inspired by her spunk. Leaving behind the security of the shore, she had ventured into unchartered waters. To watch her perform the Egyptian oriental dance style — belly dance in popular parlance — with an interesting mix of tribal fusion, bharatanatyam, kathak, ballet and soulful storytelling, was a stirring experience. And to hear her views on life, love and failures, a refreshing one.

In love with dance

“Bharatanatyam is my first love. I’ve been learning it since I was eight. Currently, I’m also training in kathak, ballet, flamenco and contemporary dance. And I’m forever learning belly dance. I’ve always loved dancing. It has helped me immensely in life. Dance taught me to be present in the moment,” admits the dancer, who discovered only a couple of
years ago that she suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Debapriya’s cross-training in dance has also taught her that it’s okay to have many loves, to try multiple things, to not be good at something and still do it — without stress. “You know,
I started learning ballet very late; I was 24… Every time I think I’m a good dancer, I go for a ballet class. It’s a reality check. And then, there’s hip-hop, which I love, but can’t seem to get the body language right. That doesn’t stop me from trying. Because every attempt unlocks something in my body and mind. It really opens me up and helps me find new inspiration,” she says.

And that’s her antidote to a robotic existence.