Interview with Belly dancer Meher Malik

Belly dancer Meher Malik, who scorched the small screen with her sexy moves in a dance reality show, speaks about how belly dancing is no longer considered risque, and why she doesn���t want to work in Tollywood.
Belly Dance is said to be the 'sister of Mujra'
I���m not going to disagree with the fact that belly dancing was considered similar to mujra...The story of belly dancing is very similar to that of Kathak,which began as a story-telling dance form initially.Somewhere along the way, it came to be known as a courtesan���s dance and then again, today, it���s called a classical dance form. Same is the case with belly dancing.
Originally, belly dancing was an art form passed on from a mother to her daughter to prepare the womb to give birth ��� it���s a spiritual dance form, and has nothing to do with enticing men. When Western influences began to appear, they got all excited and termed it ���harem���s dance��� and called it ���exotic���. But the perception has now changed, thankfully.
Finding acceptance in India
Indians are slowly warming up to this dance form. When the trend of belly dancing first started, some seven years back, people had several reservations. They thought ���How can I allow my wife or daughter to learn it?��� But today, the same people are encouraging them to learn the dance. It���s no longer termed ���vulgar��� if you perform belly dancing at a college fest. If anything, it���s termed ���cool���! In fact, even men have started to take a liking towards it. You judge something when you don���t know about it.
Roots in Rajasthan
Though no one has been able to prove it yet, there is a strong belief that belly dancing has its roots in Rajasthan. There is a big possibility that it���s true, because when they discovered vidence of belly dancing as an art form in Egypt, researchers found that those dancers had darker skin, more khol in their eyes and sported colourful clothes.
They bore a strong resemblance to Indians. Because of the Silk Route (that links Europe with China), both Egypt and India were pitstops, and hence, the connection. Some of the moves of the Rajasthani gypsies (the Kalbeliyas, the snake charming community) can be seen in belly dancing. I feel belly dancing has a strong India connection.
Nothing conservative about South
I don���t believe that South Indians are more conservative than the North. And if people up North have warmly welcomed this dance form, South is easy. India is changing as a society and there is a crowd which doesn���t want to restrict itself to traditional dance forms. The reason belly dancing is still rare in South India is because people don���t know about it.
No Tollywood item numbers for me
Right after my stint in television and Aga Bai choreography, I got a number of choreography offers from the South. But I didn���t take up any because belly dancing is not for item numbers yaar! Recently, I was even offered a Tollywood item number and a small role in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. I declined both. The common perception in the entertainment industry is ���Oh! Belly dancing? Let���s use it in an item number.��� As an artiste, I feel insulted when someone says that. It���s an art form; give it the respect it deserves.