The Pakistani Shakira with a fire in her belly

Lucky Ali announces the launch of her belly dancing academy in the cultural hub of Pakistan

LAHORE: Gaining fame in the country as the Pakistani Shakira, renowned belly dancer Lucky Ali has announced the launch of her academy in Lahore. Stirred up to launch an awareness programme across academic institutions in the city, Lucky’s aim is to encourage the youth of the country to pursue belly dancing as a career. Based in Dubai and on a visit to Pakistan for this project, Lucky tells The Express Tribune about how she plans on bringing her plans to fruition.

“We aim at training belly dancers, who will be the cultural ambassadors of the country,” said Lucky. “I’m also seeking government support for the promotion on this dance form,” she added. She’s also in talks with an Arab friend to join her in Lahore for the promotion of the academy. Lucky lamented that the term vulgarity being associated with belly dancing is what has discouraged many talented girls from emerging as top-class performance artists. Now, Lucky is on a mission to encourage belly dance-lovers to embrace the art, as it continues to gain popularity across the world.

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She shared how many people in India have requested her to settle there, arguing that there’s “no future of belly dancing in Pakistan.” But Lucky feels it’s her love for her home country that has pushed her to give her time to and share her talent with the girls in Pakistan. “Pakistanis love to dance. It’s just that no one’s willing to take it seriously and the academy is simply a step in that direction.”

Of her passion for belly dancing, she shared, “I was enthusiastic to learn the dance form after watching it in movies and films, and also learnt by watching some videos of Shakira.” She added, “I followed her as there was no one in Lahore to teach the dance form to me.” Lucky shared she has been getting offers for different films but refused to take them up so that she can devote her time to the academy. But she hopes to work in a film when the next opportunity comes along.

Lucky stays with her parents whenever she visits Pakistan and said she owes to them everything she has achieved so far. “My family has been very supportive and it’s because of their trust in me that I was able to chase my dream of becoming a belly dancer. Aspiring dancers should realise that there’s nothing better than a supportive family and if you have one, then nothing else will be a hindrance.”

Apart from belly dancing, Lucky also performs hip-hop and Bollywood dance styles, which is why she believes that her talent is not just restricted to Arab countries. “I’ve performed around the world and people are spellbound when I tell them that I’m a Pakistani because they think that girls in our country are conservative.”

The dancer shares her personal experience by defining her priorities to be ‘fame’ and ‘respect’ in the field of dance. Criticising Pakistani cinema and theatre, Lucky said that the harsh reality is that the vulgarity in Pakistani songs and films is why dance has earned a bad reputation in the country. Her advice to all the young girls is to not hesitate and learn belly dancing. She has decided to charge minimal fee from students because the academy’s aim is just to further the art in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th,  2015.

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