Shimmies of courage: Eshan Hilal is India's male belly dancer

Eshan Hilal

Clad in an aesthetic flowy attire with a bolero and a distinctly Indian belly belt, Eshan Hilal raises his arms elegantly, a touch of kathak mudras evident in his movements. A change in beat, and his torso and hips acquire a life of their own. He shimmies and gyrates effortlessly, the tassels on his belly belt jiggling in sync. But what makes the performance heartwarming is the smile that refuses to leave Hilal's face. Being a male belly dancer in India is rare and to be accepted as one, the 25-year-old has had to fight opposition.

"The joy of being able to finally pursue my passion as my profession is something that will never fade away," shares Hilal, ahead of his first belly-dancing workshop in Mumbai. "For as long as I can remember, I have loved to dance.
As a school kid, I used to save the tuition money I was given for science coaching and joined a kathak class instead. I also learnt various Indian folk dance forms as they use hip movements more than classical forms, which was something I enjoyed. The day I came across belly dancing, it blew my mind," he recalls.

But finding his calling invited his parents' wrath, and Hilal regrets not being able to mend his fences with them. "They found my interests girlish. For the shy, gawky kid that I was, the disapproval impacted my childhood adversely," he says, adding, "The more I delved into the history of belly dancing, the more I realised men have always pursued this beautiful art form. It is all about the body. What does gender have to do with it?"

Hilal's challenges, however, weren't restricted to the personal front. Every belly dancing class he contacted turned him down saying they accepted only female students, and the young boy took up his other interest, fashion designing. "Then one day, I got a call from a belly dance school in Delhi informing me they were open to male students. And there was no looking back," he says.

Performance opportunities started coming Hilal's way and soon, he was travelling with the troupe from his dance school across India and abroad. He also participated in three dance reality shows, and won the second prize at an international belly dancing competition in China last year. Two months ago, BBC Worldwide made a short film on him. "I have been getting messages from cousins and schoolmates apologising for ridiculing me. The people who used to call me girlish now call me an artiste," he shares. "But the greatest change belly dancing has brought to my life is that I have started loving myself more. I am a different Eshan Hilal now."

On: September 18 to 24
At: The Soul Studio, New Link Road, Andheri West.
Call: 9967441915
Cost: Rs 3,500