A Guide To Becoming A Professional Belly Dancer in India

The belly dance landscape in India is small, niche but steadily growing industry. In this ecosystem, the interest in taking up belly dance as a profession, or taking up professional dancing has seen a jump over the last decade. The question we often get asked is: how does one go about becoming a professional belly dancer?

.Still from our production Safar-e-Raqs in 2018. Picture courtesy: Rakesh Ayillath

We have put together a little road map for you for your vision board:

1. Define Your Goals: What Kind of Professional Dancer Do You Want To Become?

   
   

Your goals shape your approach. The number one aspect of striving to be a professional oriental dancer in India is to understand what you want. For example, dance careers can range from being a teacher/instructor to running a dance school, performing commercially and artistically, creating content, or joining a professional dance company as a dancer. 

There are many verticals one can take up because there are many avenues one can pursue for professional dancing. 

Knowing what you want would define your professional growth. Says our founder Debapriya Das, “For example, I have always wanted to have a school because I love teaching and I like company work. I like ensemble work. So I have always wanted to do things in a group, which is why I chose this. However, if I were more keen on getting gigs or if I wanted to have a solo career, then my approach would be different.”

The Nrityakosh Company presenting repertoire work "Parikrama" in April 2025. Picture courtesy: Srinidhi

Of course, over the course of training, sometimes goals change. She says, “You can always change your path, but having the initial clarity is important for the approach you will take.”

And sometimes this clarity comes once you are in the ecosystem of the industry. Basically, there is no one approach to this but it is crucial to have an open mind and give importance what you like and what you don’t!”

2. The Non-Negotiable: Invest in Thoughtful Training

   
   

Training to be a professional oriental dancer is just like training for a profession anywhere. The way you build the foundation of your education with school and university, similarly, you have to invest time in your foundational training. At Nrityakosh, our Beginner certification course runs for 8 months. This certification course is divided into modules - Beginner Level 1 (2 months), Beginner Level 2 (3 months), and Beginner Level 3 (3 months).  The certification course introduces you to basic postures, foundational techniques which are built upon layer by layer,  and gives you a taste of Middle Eastern music, culture & traditions.

Our Intermediate courses offer deep dives into specialised subjects under the vast umbrella of Middle Eastern dance.  The Intermediate training - taken in two batches (Intermediate-Beginner & Intermediate Advance) - lasts 2 to 4 years. “If you want to be an oriental dancer, you need to know what it is that you're doing. You need to be trained in oriental dancing, or you need to be trained in oriental fusion dancing. You need to be knowledgeable,” our director says.

Fusion subjects are introduced in Intermediate-Advance courses, once the foundation of Oriental dance is set in the body. The fusion work is expanded in our Advance courses.

Our Advance courses are for professional and pre-professional dancers. These courses are open to anyone with 5 years of belly dance training - subject to review by our director.  “We have very structured courses that build progressively as you go up. Our Advance training is not only in oriental dancing, but in everything -  you have body awareness, you have strength and flexibility training, you have training in other dances like ballet, kathak, contemporary dance” says our founder. 

The goal is to become versatile and knowledgeable as oriental dancers.  Says our director: “If there are students who are interested in fast-tracking their training, if they show potential, then there are avenues for that.  However, it must be said that you can’t fast-track education. For example, yes, you can complete a course, which is generally to be completed in two years, in let's say one year, but you cannot complete the course in two months -  it doesn't work like that. You have to give time and effort into something that you're doing.”

3.  Engage in Culture Studies

At Nrityakosh, we deeply believe in the importance of historical and cultural studies to empower our students to become thinking dancers.  There are many reasons why we believe this is important - the number one reason being: you should know what dance form you are practising. 

An Awalim and Ghawazee demonstration for our lecture-demonstration presented as part of Nrityakosh Company's research project in September 2023. Picture courtesy: Srinidhi

A dance is not just a collection of steps—it is movement born from a certain context: the culture, political scenario surrounding it, and, in the case of Oriental dance, the lived experience of often marginalised communities. 

Belly dance was historically a dance form that has changed shape through colonial and Orientalist lenses, often leading to exoticised stereotypes of the Middle East.  The conditions under which this dance form travelled to the Western world was rooted in a power imbalance. Learning the dance form's history allows you to engage with it honestly, with more awareness and intention. 

4. Build Your Performance Skills

   
   

Performance is a technique that must be practiced like any other! When you are a beginner or Intermediate-beginner, Nrityakosh offers students the opportunity to take part in student showcases or haflas, or Performance Labs. At this stage, the goal is to have fun and get comfortable onstage.

 

As you grow as an oriental dancer, we would advise you to record your practices and see for yourself  -  what do you think are your strengths? What do you think are things you need to work on? Do you respond to melody or percussion? What are your comfort zones? Is fluidity your forte, or are sharp, isolated movements?

 

Knowing what you offer as an oriental dancer, knowing your personality as a dancer is a long, ever-evolving process. However, knowing the essence of this would help you identify your brand and your artistic vision.

Our Advance dancers present a duet for one of our Haflas. Video courtesy: Thammy Raman

The other important aspect of building your performance skills is getting feedback! Feedback from your teachers is paramount. However, feedback from your support system - friends and family invested in your growth - is also important. Did your intent in the performance reach your audience? What worked and what didn’t - are important questions that only an audience can tell you.

In our Intermediate-Advance and Advance courses, our students and dancers are offered the opportunity to be part of our productions. Our productions are often theatrical, narrative or abstract pieces which tap very quickly into embodied stories in the body.  In the process of making a production, students get insight into dance making: how to design a choreography? How does design look different for an ensemble vs a soloist? How to take ideas and build a longer narrative or recital?

The students are empowered with different tools that not only enhance their performance skills but also help in understanding stagecraft. 

We also started the Triple Bill initiative with an aim to platform professional oriental dancers and offer them mentorship to create their own compositions without worrying about the financial constraints of putting up a show. 

Nrityakosh Company member presents her first long composition as part of the Triple Bill initiative. Video courtesy: Srinidhi

Rituparna, one of our company dancers, presented “Roots and Reflection” in September 2024 as part of The Triple Bill initiative. She says of the mentorship process: “ One of the big takeaways from Triple Bill was to delve into a place of experimental, abstract storytelling. Coming up with a concept, presenting it in front of Deba, answering the questionnaires helped me channelise my thoughts. It helped me to get a direction, and by the end of it, I knew what I wanted to."

5. Invest in the longevity of Your Dancing Career

Belly dance is often marketed as a low-impact exercise - and in some ways, it is compared to more demanding forms of dance. However, repetitive movements can lead to overuse injuries and muscular imbalances.

Strength training and injury prevention exercises are essential to sustain the longevity of your dancing career. (If you don’t know where to start, a good physiotherapist is a great asset!)

The two most important areas to focus on as a professional belly dancer are to strengthen your core and protect your spine.

Cross-training is your friend: yoga is great for understanding alignment and increasing the range of your flexibility.

Similarly, pilates is great for working on those small muscles of your core and for postural correction.

Strength training, especially as you age, is beneficial to protect your joints and for your own endurance. Cardio training is something we recommend during performance season to help you sustain through long performances.

At Nrityakosh, we offer a strength and flexibility module designed for belly dancers: “Stretch and Strength.”

Stretch and Strength helps you build pelvic awareness, control, and strength, which in turn helps your alignment, access power in your technique, and work on your flexibility to create the shapes you want onstage.

We emphasise physical training not only to bring more clarity and strength in your dance, but also to empower you with tools to take care of your physical health.

This, in turn, if you aim to become a teacher, will help you guide your students to access the technique safely. After all, as a teacher, not only are you responsible for their introduction into a new culture and music of this dance form, you are also responsible for their bodies.

Injury prevention is not only about training, it is also about rest and recovery, and eating food that supports your lifestyle as a dancer. “This does not mean to go on a diet,” our founder says. “Get a good balance of carbs, proteins, and fats. Have some super foods - especially on long dance days! Make avocado your best friend. Have food that builds your muscles; if you don’t eat right, you will lose your muscles.”

In short, to become a professional belly dancer in India, invest in technical training, cultural studies, gain performance experience, cross-train in disciplines that help your dancing, and take care of your physical body. 

Have we missed out on anything? Let us know in the comments below!