Uma Kalluparambil, Bollywood Dance Club president and senior

What inspired you to start Bollywood Dance Club?

Since the age of six, I have been dancing. I first did Bharatanatyam and then I started Bollywood dance because I watched a ton of Bollywood movies. I tried it and ended up loving it and making a ton of new friends, so I wanted to start a club where I could share my interests with other people at the high school. 

What is the goal of the club?

It’s just having fun. It doesn’t matter how good you are; the process of learning it and doing it with friends is fun and that’s why people keep coming back. It doesn’t matter if you can’t master the dances. I mean, we’ll do performances and you’ll have to come to practice, but you’ll want to come to practice. It’s an exciting environment to be in.

What does a typical practice look like?

Our location for meeting practically changes weekly. But we normally start with some announcements and stretches and then we separate into our groups and we practice our routines with the designated choreographers, then end with some cool-down stretches. 

How do you come up with dances?

I’ve been listening to Bollywood music since I was in the womb. (I listen to) whatever’s trending or is popular within our Indian community at the school. I normally close my eyes and visualize something. I guess it just comes to me. Some people use reference videos to come up with certain moves. 

What is your favorite part of the club?

I really enjoy the practices themselves because it’s nice to see your friends every time and practice. The performances are super exciting because everyone’s nervous and there’s adrenaline running crazy. 

What have you planned for the second semester?

We’re planning on doing a Bollywood night at the school with dancing, music and time to learn more about Bollywood culture. 

Natalie Bellotti, Bollywood Dance Club sponsor

Why did you decide to sponsor Bollywood Dance Club?

Uma came up with the idea and the vision last fall and she approached me because I have danced my whole life. All the other teachers know me as “Natalie the dancer,” because I teach jazzercise outside of school, so dance is a really big part of my life. I obviously said yes and back then we only had eight students, but now we have grown significantly and have around 24. 

What is the purpose of the club?

The main purpose of this club is fun and friendship. It’s an art form to share joy and happiness and to take away stress. It’s also a cultural experience for many of us, including me. I wasn’t exposed to the world of Bollywood outfits, dances and music before I chose to sponsor, but now I am really immersed and I hope others can be too. 

How can you join the club?

We had a callout (meeting) at the beginning of the year, but as the year progresses more people join, so anyone can stop by my classroom and I can add them to the roster. It’s crazy during meetings, but the best part is that not everyone here dances and that’s okay; we allow anyone to participate.

What are you currently focused on?

Our next performance is Nov. 17 at the Carmel Cultural Festival where we will promote the club, perform our two dances and talk to people who come. 

What’s your favorite experience with the club? This semester?

Definitely the inaugural A5 festival last year. It was a huge turnout and we really enjoyed performing in front of a crowd. This year is special because we are an official club featured on the website, we have a roster and we get our photos in the yearbook.