Leyla O Leyla...

Rajmata (mom), her obsession for novelty on the 'Idiot Box' (T.V.) introduced Financial Guru(dad) and I to Zindagi channel. The channel is known for showcasing programs from Turkey, Ukraine, South Korea and more (the aforesaid are dubbed in Hindi). Currently the flavor of the season is 'Kuzey-Guney' a Turkish serial based on the life of two borthers. A naive confession, i have a teenage crush on KUZEY....

In the midst of the sand dunes (Dubai) and my new found love 'Belly Dance' i met this beautiful dance artist Leyla. The one thing that i love about her apart form her dance art is : She's Turkish (wink).

Belly Dance also known as 'Raqs Sharqi' is a folk dance from the Middle East. As the name suggests it is a dance form that lays emphasis on the strong movements of the hips and torso. The interesting fact about Belly Dance is, every body movement is sharp and crisp. The staccatos are inherent.

There is a famous bhojpuri song that goes something like this "Kamariya Hille Lopa Lope" -the belly moves to the tunes (LOLSSS).

Since i was in Dubai i thought of exploring this Dance form a little, that's how i came across Leyla.

Leyla O Leyla: Leyla (Ahu Oazkaran), a beautiful mother of two, is a Turkish Dance artist trained in Ballet, Music (vocal and piano) and folk forms. She holds her Bachelors (BFA- Music) and Masters (MFA- Dance) from the reputed Trinity School and Royal Academy of Dance. She worked extensively with dance companies in Dubai and now is a proud owner/director of Cello Music and Ballet Center and Expressions and Dance and Drama with many locations in UAE.

The Academy

My curiosity got me to understand that Belly Dance has evolved across times and traditions. Hence the folk form encapsulates different regions (Egypt, Turkey, Middle East, etc) and adds flavors accordingly. 

Its Class Time!!!

The Turkish beauty gave me the opportunity to spend time at her dance school and cover her story. 

The belly dance belts

The advantage of belly dance is the accessories (the belly dance attire/belt) also know as Bedlah in Arabic  you get to wear while dancing. If i am suppose to define this dance form, i would phrase it as 'Hotness Personified'.

While dancing i drew a lot of similarities with Samba. Coincidentally both the dance forms have sassy dance movements and most importantly are fun to watch. 

Leyla is not a huge fan of Bollywood music. But, i guess i managed to impress her enough to 'Shake the Booty' on the recent chartbuster 'HUMMA HUMMA' song (subscribe to our you tube channel Taal pe Tanz).

All in all it was great fun to cover a folk form of the Desserts and we will bring you more artists on the same soon...Till then...'Leyla o Leyla, kaisee tu leyla, har koi chahe tujhse milna akela' (an old bollywood song describing a beautiful girl)

Leyla O Leyla