Got an itch to twitch your body a la bollywood? So did Carla Oates, who almost turned up with bells on.

If you've ever watched Monsoon Wedding, The Guru, or the latest Bollywood inspired flick, Bride And Prejudice, you may understand my burning desire to do a Bollywood dance class. Colourful, dynamic and elaborate dance sequences, to upbeat, contemporary Indian music.

So off I went to Dance Central in Sydney's Chippendale, dressed in my sequinned, and very colourful ra-ra-style skirt, only to find a class of 15 people clad in tights and T-shirts (thankfully I left the bells at home).

Not a great start, but I comfort myself with the warm smiles from female punters, all of varying ages and backgrounds (the teacher later says that there are often males in the class too).

"We are going to be doing a cheesy routine today," says our teacher Farah Shah. Excellent. Shah doesn't waste any time and before you know it we're all sashaying down the room. As I watch the teacher move through the routine, I decide that this dance form is even more enticing than I had originally imagined. It blends the sensuality of belly-dancing with the cool of hip hop, the joie de vivre of salsa, and the drama of jazz ballet (and who doesn't love a well-executed body roll?).

Shah later describes Bollywood dance as modern Indian dance - a mix of classical Indian dance, layered with jazz, funk, hip hop, Arabic, Latin and Spanish. She says, "it's a fusion of all those styles".

Bollywood films (a term coined by the western world to describe the flourishing Indian film industry) are traditionally musicals with song and dance interwoven into the plot. They tell stories of love - which is exactly where our routine is heading.

Shah asks us to grab a partner. "Those on the left, play the girls and those on the right, play the boys." Great, I'm the boy - skirt and all. Our dance routine evolves into a courting dance - my partner dances around me and I have a tantrum and look away, then I try to lure her back and she turns away, we shimmy, we salsa, we swirl and twirl - it's The Bold And The Beautiful of dance. High drama - bring it on.

I'm having lots of fun and the only setback is the huge mirror in front of me. It doesn't seem to reflect the fluidity of motion that I'm feeling. But as I look around I don't feel so disheartened - it seems that everyone is struggling with the moves.

So what is it that's so hard about these movements? It's the classical Punjabi moves - the key is to isolate each body part, and bounce them separately while simultaneously doing intricate hand movements. Like rubbing your tummy while patting your head, only more complicated.

But Shah is extremely patient, and the class has a good sense of humour. It's lots of fun. She goes over the routine again and again, so it slowly becomes etched in the brain. Like a lot of the class, I stumble my way through.

strike a pose
The time passes quickly and I haven't even noticed that I'm completely puffed. A great workout. I want to come again tomorrow and the next day, but it's Shah's last class.

Why? Because she is opening up her own Bollywood dance school in North Sydney. It will hold classes for children, adult beginners, intermediates and advanced dancers. This way, she says, you can learn whole routines and move up levels if you want to.

The other reason for opening the school says Shah, is to be able to provide the Bollywood film industry with dancers here in Australia.

"More and more Bollywood films will be made here, and it will save them from having to bring dancers over from India. We will also be giving classes on Bollywood camera techniques - because there are typical facial expressions and ways to look at the camera when dancing in a Bollywood film".

Bollywood here I come!

Mango Dance Studio is located at 121 Walker Street, North Sydney. Call (02) 9922 1100.
For class times and more information visit: www.mangodance.com.au

The Sunday Telegraph