"Good, but this time cheesier"

Who is that?? A Bollywood dance star? No! It's me and Angel in our new film role. Oh ok, no it's not... but it could just as well be.

Went today to a Bollywood dance workshop at a city dance venue, thanks to the suggestion of an angelic friend. Got there late thanks to trackwork but so glad I didn't chicken out, and instead slunk in late up the back and caught up quickly.

Firstly, let me just say its been a long time since I've been to a dance class. The ole partner dancing thing was now several years back, and belly dancing in uni, well that is like aeons ago. BUT...all of that seems like yesterady compared to the last time I was in a 'dance studio' with the wall-o-mirror. yes wall-o-mirror. All very ballet school I must say, or at least a little bit 'Fame'.

You'll be pleased to know that I didn't pull a Flashdance and start running backwards and fowards lunging across large wharehouse spaces with off the shoulder sweater and leg warmers. No,I did not.I did however embark upon myriad wonderful unnamed moves which included, for the sake of illustration lets call, the 'elbow the bitch at the crowded bus stop then quickly sidestep away so as not to be caught', the 'jazzhands whilst crumpled then slowly rising like the sun', the 'hunched and walking like an elephant, now reaching for the sun, now an elephant, now for the sun', the 'hello, here is my groin - it can go backwards and forwards and also in various circular directions' wiggle, and possibly my all time favourite, the 'wound up arms like a windmill and now pose like Rodin's the Thinker doing an ab work out - to the left then to the right'(this move also known as the 'should I shouldn't I? Don't know. Feeling rather torn'). Brilliant.

The teacher was great, a very buff, camp latin American accented hunk of a guy, who was very comfortable in wall-o-mirror, very upbeat, very understanding when his choreography needed slight dumbing down to accomodate our collective skill level, and possesed a great sense of fun. I especially loved being told that we needed to try again but this time cheesier. And then 'yep, you got it - that's cheesy!'. High cheesy drama with jazz hands.

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More info:
Bollywood dancing is, so I read, 'a fusion of Indian classical and folk dancing with hip hop, salsa, latino and rap. Bollywood dancing is popular in Indian films (also known as Bollywood films). These films feature very energetic, colourful, fast-paced song and dance routines. Bollywood film dancing is based on light classical Indian dance -- modified to suit the energetic pace of modern day Indian films.'

Where? Dance Central.

If you don't live in Sydneytown, a very quick lazy oggle reveals that there is Bollywood dancing at the Gold Coast, in Melbourne and Brisvegas.