Belly dancing is a dance form that makes anyone who dances look sexy, exotic, powerful and unattainable. Most women and some men(who Belly dance) would agree with that fact. The dance form has its folkloric origin in the Middle East although it is difficult to trace its exact roots.The traditional belly dance is divided into two. The first, Raqs Baladi, is a social dance performed during festive occasions and the second form, which is quite popular in the around the world is called Raqs Sharqi.

The Raqs Sharqi form of Belly dance is a relatively very new in India and is catching up fast. Belly dance in India has been surrounded by glamor, misconception and at times bore the brunt of the morally imperfect moral police. Here is the extraordinary story of Meher Malik, a bold, passionate young woman, who has over come all the odds to set up her own dancing establishment in Delhi which concentrates mostly on Belly dance. Her dance school is called as Banjara. The word Banjara translates to gypsy – a word given to travellers who lead a nomadic lifestlye. She says somewhere within every artist is a gypsy – always searching for more, an inspiration, a story. Let’s hear her speak.

1. Why Belly dancing?

   Ans: Well, I didn’t choose Belly dance, it chose me. Having already lived in the Middle East for 17 years, the exposure was huge. I’ve watched Belly dance performances at parties, weddings and on various other occasions. I thought it was a beautiful dance form and I remember telling myself that when I grow up I would learn this dance form. I was always interested in dancing, belly dance happened by chance. I was learning by seeing videos, when I was 14. I went on a school trip to Egypt at 15 and that was when I started getting serious about it. And finally at 17, I attended my first class by an Israeli teacher.

2. Where did you learn and who did you train under?

   Ans: I have learnt in Paris, London and India. I started with Michal from Israel and then went to study with Madame Leila Haddad in Paris and then I traveled to various dance festivals and workshops across the world.                                                                                                                    

3. Usually, I ask this question in end but here it would make more sense. What were the difficulties and challenges that you faced in India? There are a lot of misconceptions about Belly dance, could you throw some light into this?

   Ans: Yes, of course. There were many horrible experiences with men asking you unethical questions like “What more can you give us?” “Does this package include everything?” I have let go of many corporate deals because I refused to work on unethical terms. Money doesn’t come first to me but my morale and self esteem does. I maintain strict work ethics. I have also had experiences with parents accusing me of teaching this vulgar dance to girls. I have been patient and repeatedly told my story and the history of belly dance over and over again. Due to this attitude of people, I only perform artistic stage shows and very selected corporate shows. I do only 1 event in 2 months as I think that the Indian audience is not yet ready to accept Belly dance only as a dance form. They need to understand it first and then they will appreciate it.

4. What is Banjara all about?

   Ans: Banjara is an art project. It is a place where people can express ideas even the ones that they are ashamed of. Banjara is all about overcoming insecurities and becoming one with the body, gaining spiritual satisfaction through wholesome understanding of the body and mind.We started by promoting a lot of different dance forms but now we are only going to promote activities that have still maintained their beauty and serenity and are extremely rare. We are presently focusing on Belly dance and other classical and Indian folk dance forms.                       
   

5. You were very young and with no prior business expertise, how did you set up Banjara?                           Ans: I had my dad’s support, who has an experience of working with some very big MNC’s .I mostly handle the creative aspect of it but my dad guides me through the whole administrative and financial aspect. He always has great ideas.

6. What is your business model and who is your target segment?

   Ans: Well our business model is mostly set up on a franchise model and we work with different brand names to run our classes and pay them a cut of our classes. Our goal is to have a centre in every nook and corner of the NCR and eventually branch out to Mumbai and Calcutta. We also have our Banjara main studio and thats where all the creative choreographies happen. We currently have classes running in all four zones of Delhi. After 3 years of being in the market, we know that our target segment upper middle class and the affluent section of society. But we are trying our best to mainstream it into the middle class society and also for men and children.

7. Where do you see yourself and Banjara in the next 5 years?

   Ans: I see Banjara spreading across at least three states and becoming India’s biggest name in Belly dance. I see myself traveling to teach at various festivals, to teach a style that i have been working on myself. I don’t have a name for it as yet but hopefully by then I would have created a new style.

   

8. Tell us about your stint with India’s Got Talent. Was there a message that you wanted to tell to the general masses?

   Ans: I was on the show but it not because I like being on TV. Honestly I hate it, the attention is suffocating. I participated in the show because I think that in a country like India, people do what they see on TV. They just do or learn what they think is in fashion. So I thought, if i could spread a good image of Belly dance through television and get more people to believe in it. I think, it has made a difference to people who were first skeptical of taking Belly dance classes but now they have stepped out to learn.

9. What is it that you would like to tell to anyone who wants to learn Belly dance?

   Ans: I would tell them to be patient with their bodies, respect their bodies and not crib about how they have an extra inch of fat. The body is as a temple. The body has to be feed well, rested well, exercised well. And one also has to be very hardworking and open to ideas and criticism.

10. Finally, what is your dance philosophy?

    Ans: My philosophy is to learn a beautiful lifestyle through dance. Religion is one way of attaining god, dance is another way.

Contact Details: 

Phone : + 91 989 985 1475

Email :

mehermalik@hotmail.com

meher@bellydancingindia.comAddress: Banjara studio,

A-62, Shivalik, New Delhi

Website : http://www.bellydancingindia.com/