Published Oct 25, 2023 | 3:57 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 25, 2023 | 3:57 PM
Debapriya Das curates socially, culturally, and politically relevant shows that combine storytelling with oriental dance. (Supplied)
It always takes me by surprise when people who are successful in their field of work suddenly find their calling and reroute their career path. While one might call them lucky to have found their passion, it takes extreme courage and determination to dip their toes in new waters.
Case in point is Debapriya Das, Bengaluru-based economist-turned belly dancer. For five years, she worked as a research economist at one of the think tanks in Bengaluru. Her projects themed around topics related to development economics and climate change adaptation. Cut to now, she is the artistic director at Nrityakosh, an oriental and fusion belly dance school in the city.
Trained in Bharatanatyam from the age of 8 to 18, Das’s dance journey came to a standstill when she started college. But she remained relentless.
Debapriya Das during one of her performances. (Supplied)
“I kept participating in college fests, regional and national level competitions. Once I finished my studies and came back to Bengaluru, I resumed my training. But this time, I wanted to dabble in a lot of different things,” shares Das, who signed up for contemporary dance, kathak, ballet, flamingo and belly dance.
It was belly dancing that stayed with her. She took more classes attended workshops around the country and intensives abroad — all to follow her heart.
After a few years of training, Das decided to take the plunge and invest her life in belly dancing. “I love the art form,” she enthuses.
Das realised early on that there was a lot more to the form than its physicality. Training in it also gave her a window to understand the history, culture and tradition surrounding this dance form.
There is a lot more to belly dance than what you see in Bollywood. (Supplied)
“There are people who look at belly dancing as a form of exercise, a weight loss regimen or just as a hobby. This dance is popular because of the fusion numbers that you see in Bollywood. But there is a lot more to belly dance as an art form,” Das informs.
Belly dance, she urges, is an umbrella term for several traditional and classical routines which are spread across the North African and Middle Eastern countries. “So essentially, it’s a traditional dance type. But because of its popularity, we often forget that,” she adds.
Das curates socially, culturally, and politically relevant shows that combine storytelling with Oriental dance.
“Any dance form is essentially a language. An artist can use it as a medium to tell the story that they want. When I was working towards becoming a professional belly dancer, the kind of shows that were happening in Bengaluru were not motivating enough for me. I also realised the need for the community to grow beyond the students, their friends and families,” shares Das, who did her first show with just 10 of her students.
Nrityakosh’s productions look at traditional stories through the lens of a woman. (Supplied)
She wanted experiment by telling the Ramayana from the perspective of five women in it.
She shares, “I wanted to tell the story of Mandodari, another one from the point of view of Surpanakha and such. And I wanted to use pure Oriental dance vocabulary to see how it works out. What I figured out from that small show was that it doesn’t matter what language you are using. If you are able to tell a story effectively from your heart, it will work out.”
That idea stuck. All the productions she has done since follow this unique format. Even Das’s most recent production, Arabian Nights is a re-telling with a focus on the women in the stories.
“Being a woman, I have always felt that all stories change when told from the point of view of a woman. Even the most popular stories will have a different narrative. So we take a character out of these popular tales, mostly a woman and tell the story from their perspective.”
She explains, “In Arabian Nights, we are focussing on Scheherazade who is supposed to be a feminist icon of the folk tales. From Aladdin, we are telling the story of Jasmine. From Alibaba and the 40 thieves, we are exploring the journey of Morgiana, who has done so many interesting things in the story.”
After quitting her full-time job in 2018, Das started Nrityakosh, a dance school that shapes belly dancing into a viable professional career. She wanted aspirants to view belly dancing as a potential career path rather than just a hobby.
Debapriya wants to learn about the Arabic culture to deepen her understanding of the art form. (Supplied)
Das recollects, “When I wanted to take up belly dancing as my profession, it took me over two years to plan. What I needed was guidance about what I could do, and how to structure my career path around it, and a community that supports me. But I couldn’t find any of these because that’s the nature of the field.”
The initial stages of her career were uncertain. And so she doesn’t want aspiring artists to go through what she did.
She shares, “Back then I didn’t have a structured plan. But during the pandemic, I was doing a lot of online classes. I got a lot of enthusiastic students from different parts of the country. That’s when I realised that if there’s enough talent that I can train, it could lead to something.”
While Nrityakosh is a dance school with over 200 students, it’s a ten-member professional dance troupe as well. She and her team have successfully curated more than 80 big and small shows.
Since the establishment of Nrityakosh, Debapriya has trained close to 5,000 students all over India and abroad. But she isn’t any less of a student herself.
“I travel every summer to meet my teachers across Europe and the United States. I study with them to understand the culture behind the art form and to get an immersive experience,” she says.
Her plan is to explore Arabic culture further.
Debapriya and her team have successfully curated more than 80 big and small shows. (Supplied)
“My short-term goal is to learn Arabic. If you know the language, a lot of the barriers can be bridged,” shares Das, who plans to get a degree in Middle Eastern studies and their art forms.
As for the future of her company, there is only one thing she wants – for the young talents to have access to the dance styles so they can have enough understanding and opportunities to take it up professionally.
Creating a community is another goal. She adds, “It’s very important to build a community to fall back on. We have done it to some extent. It’s important to work on taking yourself as well as the art forward.”
Amidst all this, does she miss being an economist?
“Occasionally I do get my hands on a journal and talk to my friends in the field. I loved that job and the field still interests me. But looking back now, it feels like that was another lifetime,” she quips.
