BMM 2020 Presents: BollyHeels TO

Bollywood dancing is traditionally done in bare feet. So what were Anushya Vijayaraghevan and Indiana Mehta, founders of Bollywood fusion dance group BollyHeelsTO, thinking when they decided to throw in a pair of heels? 

Anushya has an extensive background in teaching Bollywood fusion, having fused Bollywood, hip hop and bhangra in performances and performing at events such as National WE Day. Indiana is trained in Indian classical dance and various western forms like jazz, ballet, and contemporary, experience which she found useful in her role as principal actor and dancer in Netflix feature film, Work it. The dance duo created BollyHeelsTO together to create and teach Bollywood fusion in heels while also promoting diversity through their dance group.

At this year’s #StayHome with #BollywoodMonster Mashup, BollyHeelsTO meshed songs such as ‘Move Your Body’ by Punjabi artist Hard Kaur with classic Bollywood song ‘Nimbooda’ from the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam starring Aishwarya Rai. They also combined  ‘Freedom’ by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar, and paired it with ‘Jai Ho’ by A.R Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls feat. Nicole Sherzinger. 

Check out their episode of #MonsterArtist Development (MAD) to hear how they promote diversity by showcasing a range of cultural backgrounds and talents through dance.