Intro to Kalbeliya Dance With Meena Sapera

This time, we’re diving into an Indian folk style called Kalbeliya, and I’m thrilled to share something special: a live in-person class filmed with Meena Sapera, a leading dancer from Jaipur, India. While it may feel distant from belly dance, there’s a lot of value in exploring different styles.

There are fascinating historical theories linking Romani cultures—and even Egyptian Ghawazee—to roots in India. Whether those links are real or not, exploring the idea through movement is powerful.

Kalbeliya’s strong hip work and deep grounding can offer a new body experience. Even though we don’t use the exact same movements in belly dance, the sensations—fluid hips, connection to the floor—can enhance your technique in Saidi, Baladi, Oriental, and beyond.

And finally, Kalbeliya dance radiates joy and freedom. When we as belly dancers are constantly striving to improve our belly dance technique, we can sometimes lose that spark. Trying something unfamiliar, without pressure to be perfect, helps us reconnect to why we started dancing in the first place.

So, even if this feels “unrelated,” it may surprise you with how much it can nourish your belly dance journey.

Difficulty: All Levels.

Workload: Light.

Suggested duration: 3 weeks.

If you follow our suggested duration of three weeks, get ready to invest about 1,5 hour per week in your training. But remember, you can always go through this intensive on your own paste. Three weeks is just a suggested structure.

As a part of this 3-week intensive you will receive:

• Video class with Meena Sapera

• Two tutorials with Iana breaking down and drilling Meena’s steps

• A behind-the-scenes lecture on Iana’s learning experience in India

• A lecture on Kalbeliya costume

• Podcast + article recommendations

• Q&A session to explore further thoughts & questions

Join us for this short but powerful journey! 

Check Meena Sapera's Instagram here: @meenasapera