Shovana Narayan

Kathak

“To be fit means not only physical fitness but also fitness of the mind and soul. Thus, for me, Kathak is one of the highest forms of yoga that ensures physical fitness through the vigorous dance movements and breath control, as seen in the ‘padhant’ aspect of the dance form. It also inculcates within a person a sense of restraint, discipline, respect for all beings and control over their senses.”

Isha Sharma

Waacking, Belly dancing

“I am a freestyle dancer. Although my base training has been in Kathak, I’ve been exploring different styles. Dance can do wonders for people’s fitness if they start looking at it as a flowing body movement instead of something that needs structure and precision. Just play some music, dance for 15 to 30 minutes and your workout will be done. You will not only feel confident but also energised. I practise movement meditation,which I have made for myself as it brings a sense of bodily awareness in me. Others can practise it too, to feel more confident.”

Sagar Bora

Hip hop

“Hip hop originated in The Bronx, New York, and gained prominence in the 1970s. It has two categories: one is street- and free-style battles and the other involves performing on stage and participating in championships. I belong to the latter. With hip hop, you burn tonnes of calories, which helps keep you fit, healthy and toned. The warm up and cool down exercises include freehand workouts, pushups, squats, lunges, etc. These stretch your muscles and make you flexible. Hip hop as a dance form also strengthens your core muscles.”

Anusha Swamy

Pole dance

“Pole dancing can 100% help you to stay fit and healthy. To do anything related to the pole after the beginner stage, you not only need to be physically strong but also mentally resilient. It helps immensely with strength building and conditioning. Pole dancing requires full body strength, so the more I work on making it look easy, the stronger I get. My goal is always to make it look easy, which consequentially requires me to work hard.”

Ankit Rajawat

Bhangra

“I do bhangra each day. It is a high-intensity exercise that helps scale back total weight and is especially good for the legs. It helps construct stamina, endurance and is a superb stress buster, because of the peppy Punjabi music! It’s a wonderful exercise for these with a pear-shaped physique, a standard physique kind in India, because it entails a whole lot of knee-lifts that assist burn fats from the involved space. While a typical, one-hour bhangra session may help burn as much as 1,000 energy, a low-intensity session of half-hour may help burn as much as 400 energy. (With inputs from Surbhi Kapila)

Vaishnavi Patil

Lavani

“People can keep themselves fit and healthy with dance. I’ll give my own example. I was just two-years old when I started getting seizures and had to be hospitalised. When I turned three, I would watch my cousin dance, and started following suit. A few days later, my family realised that since the time I had started dancing, I hadn’t had any seizures; so they began encouraging me more. And, as they say, the rest is history. Dance not only recovered me from my illness but it also gave me my identity as a dancer... Although I’m a versatile dancer, I particularly enjoy Indian classical and Maharashtra’s pride — Lavani.”

Shivani Varma

Kathak

“Dance is the most joyful and wholesome route to fitness. It is a ‘happiness workout’. Kathak’s practice includes nuanced expressions, intricate footwork patterns and breathtaking pirouettes. Its stance is the natural standing position and involves the subtle engagement of the spine. Mind, body and soul have to find a unison in its practice. It helps to keep the body toned, the mind agile and if practised with the right intention, it can also be a spiritual experience.”