Dancing is more than just a hobby. It is a form of expressing oneself, a source of freeing ourselves and letting loose those inhibitions. All of us dance, as much as on the stage as we do behind closed doors. But the sensation of unshackling one`s reticence and opening up to a world of coordinated abandonment is exhilarating.

With as many dance forms one can learn and pick up to engage themselves in the one form that allows for as much discipline as openness and a free-spirit is Bollywood Dancing.

This art form needs no introduction, for all of us have been privy to the wondrous moves, intoxicating thumkas, engaging facial expressions and the hard to follow foot-works of our beloved heroes and heroines. But its evolution has had influence from varying cultures, interacting with one another to form an enthralling amalgamation.

It grew with choreographers picking up from classical and semi-classical dance forms such as kathak and bharatnatyam, incorporating them while choreographing beauties like Helen and Sandhya. The 70`s saw a shift towards Cabaret and Disco dancing, giving us the steps made famous by Mithun Da during the making of, `I`m a disco dancer!`, which we continue to replicate at every retro party and wedding that we are invited to! It all soon got intermixed with Bollywood celebrities bringing in their own styles into their dance routines, seen famously in the suave filled performance of Govinda and the mechanical moves of the Deol family.
The latest culture to influence the moves celebrating Bollywood music is the western form, mainly hip-hop. Songs like Kala Chashma, Humma-Humma and Saturday reflect this new addition beautifully.

Bollywood dancing is thus a fusion of many a cultures and dance forms but the core of it lies in the spirit of every Indian. Though it borrows from numerous backgrounds, it is native to India in all its glory. It celebrates all our festivities and occasions while enriching our traditions and lives in the most energetic way.

So for all those who want to venture into the land of vivacious, vibrant and vigorous dancing, to the beat of the spirited Bollywood music, the only thing to remember is to allow your body to find the rhythm and lose yourself to the tunes while you find bliss, and maybe a piece of your childhood, swaying and relishing the freedom.

Falak Nagpal

The rhythmic movement of the body, on the beats is Dancing; and soulful movement of the body, that comes straight from the heart, is Bollywood Dancing. It is like a straight dive into the pool of eternity, wherein you tend to forget yourself and get evolved with the beats. Bollywood Dance form, is a three-word phrase that has its own explanation. A form of dance which is a hobby, rather a passion to many. And who does not love Prabhu Deva? His killing and jaw dropping moves, Okay Yes! We are all his fans. Bollywood dance forms cover several other forms of dance, both classical and semi-classical. The sixties, came up with Helen, who jinxed the audience with the steps that belong to her, and only her. Shammi Kapoor with his groovy moves, made everyone admire him. Eighties Bollywood, got famous for its street style dancing with Govinda and his contrast colour attire, ruling the show. In the very nineties, the queen of dancing, Madhuri left a lasting impression with not only her evergreen smile, but also with her all time loved rhythmic moves. With Bollywood ruling the Bollywood dance form, people all over made it a practice to hop at their foot-steps as well. Jiggling on famous item numbers, and hopping over the anytime anywhere beats, the crowd went crazy on not only the amazing songs, but also on their signature moves. Bollywood dance form has created a benchmark, where every new movie comes up with a different move, which is so eye catching that it becomes the identity of the movie. Let us all accept the fact that we tried copying the famous Bollywood steps, and added a spoon full of spice in our mundane lives. I personally am a big Bollywood moves fan and I feel that, if you want to dance, and let the world grab your moves and rhythm, you must feel isolated from the world, and let them go jiggy over your happening movements on those classy Bollywood numbers.