I would focus more on the history, culture, and science of belly dancing rather than making it a form of item number: Chaitali Kohli

Mumbai: Crew actor Chaitali Kohli is a trained belly dancer and instructor. She credits her dance teacher for teaching her to love her body and embrace body positivity. She thanked her for believing in her inspiring her to take the next step in the dance form, which is to become a teacher herself.
She said, “I have seen girls struggling with basic confidence in them to even consider belly dancing a form that they can learn. When I went to enroll for a class, it was only Payal Gupta, my teacher, who was graceful enough to not just make me dance in class, but she gave me front spots in performances. She made sure I become the dance and I own it.
“A lot of my passion and dedication came from my teacher and her mom. Both of them would push me to not focus on my body or only my size but rather on the talent that I have. That was the biggest inspiration that kept me going even after setbacks,” she added.
After getting trained in belly dancing, she started taking classes herself across different studios in Mumbai. She shared that she started thinking more of how the dance can contribute to a person’s life. She said, “I wondered, ‘How can belly dance enhance your confidence, the way you carry yourself, or think of yourself for that matter.'” When I became a teacher, I learned to be more patient, more giving, and more contributing.”
“I would focus more on the history, culture, and science of belly dancing rather than making it a form of item number dance form. I would focus more on posture correction and core strength, and this showed results like my students telling me that their weight is dropping, their PCOD problems are subsiding, and acne started clearing. This really helped me in becoming a better teacher,” she added. For Chaitali, belly dancing is not just a dance form but her identity. She said, “I honestly started it as a journey to learn something new. The more I got into it, the more I started realizing it’s not just an art form; it’s an entire culture. There is a community of women coming together and celebrating each other.”
“It’s a form that got me to know 8,000 plus students. I found my identity through bellydancing. To me it gave a grounding and a space to express myself,” she added.
Her advice to women who want to explore belly dancing but feel hesitant due to age, body type, or lack of experience is to watch her videos. She said, “A fully grown 6-month-old baby in the tummy and I would teach an entire class. You should see the way my girls would embrace and dance on stage even after being called “oversize.””Bellydance doesn’t ask you anything. It gives back. And trust me, I have not experienced any dance form that is so liberating,” Chaitali ended.