February 1, 2022 7 Min Read
Be Yourself in Bollywood Dancing with Coach Megha Pradhwani
Growing up, Megha Pradhwani danced to the colorful sights, stunning choreography, and enticing music of Bollywood music flashing from her TV—sparking her soon-to-be lifelong passion for dance. TaskHuman Coach Megha Pradhwani talked about her journey thus far with dance and how Bollywood dance can help anyone express themselves with host, and fellow Coach Jamie Carroll in a recent episode of the podcast, TaskHuman Talks.
At just 9 years old, she started with Kathak—one of the traditional Indian dance styles, which comes from the Sanskrit word “Katha,” meaning, “story”. Lesson after lesson, Megha learned how to convey culturally rich stories through the form of Kathak. Using the positions of her hands, feet, and body—gracefully flowing from one pose to the next—she shared visually beautiful stories with her audiences.
From Kathak, which has a stricter style with rules, to Bollywood, which encompasses various styles from different regions of India, Megha continued to honor her cultural roots. In Indian culture, Bollywood is heavily ingrained in festivals, celebrations, and movies. The colors, music, and energy embodied by Bollywood are all-inclusive, inviting everyone to get up and dance.
After Megha’s second pregnancy, her passion for dance and desire to get back in shape led her to pursue additional certifications in Zumba and Pilates.
“Dance has always been my passion,” Megha shares, “and I always learned to love new forms.”
Even with these new certifications, Megha’s primary passion remains in teaching Bollywood dance as it allows more freedom to move the body, and typically enables you to burn more calories (while having fun!).
But burning calories and getting a great aerobic workout are not the only benefits of adding Bollywood dance to your routine—it is also a culturally rich art form, a great stress buster and a way to switch things up. Once the music starts, you leave everything else behind and embrace the moment.
“It’s fun to express yourself!” Megha states.
For beginners who are curious to give Bollywood dance a try, Megha outlines what to expect in your first class with her. Starting with an introduction to a famous and easy song, she guides you through the 8 count measure and basic movements to help you get comfortable with letting yourself go. After all—Bollywood dance is about expressing yourself and having fun!
Megha has taken her passion for dance and experience teaching Bollywood dance to 1:1 coaching sessions through TaskHuman—and wants you to get out of your comfort zone and “be yourself.”
Ready to hear the entire conversation? Tune in here.