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Story of the Founder
Hey! I'm Vinay, the founder of Bollyqueer. I’m a queer and gender non-conforming person from Leicester, currently living in London. I think to explain what Bollyqueer is about, it's important for me to share some of my story, so here goes!
Growing up in a traditional South Asian family meant that queerness was never discussed at home. Straightness was assumed and expected from me. From a young age, I was told what kind of wife I’d need to bring home and what duties I had as the son of the family. It became very clear that the love my family had for me was conditional on me meeting these expectations, and so I conformed. I became everything that they needed me to be, but I needed an escape. For me, this was and always has been dance.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Bollywood. I fell in love with the colour, glamour, drama and sass of it all. I would watch the actresses dance all day on our TV, trying to emulate their femininity. I wanted to be able to celebrate my South Asian identity and explore my queer identity simultaneously, and so I started to take Bollywood dance classes.
What I learnt quickly was that there is a rigid structure within the Bollywood world. More often than not, particularly in Bollywood dance spaces, the gender binary is forced upon us; boys are told to enter from one side of the stage and girls are told to enter from the other, costumes are different and movements are dictated based on gender. And what about those who don’t live within this binary? They aren't acknowledged at all.
In most dance classes, I am usually told to do the ‘boy’ movements, with encouragement to be stronger and more powerful or ‘warrior-like’ with my movements. On the other hand, the girls in class are asked to be graceful, soft and 'sexy' with their movements.
It’s not hard to see that there is a big problem here. In this scenario, the reluctance to deviate from the gender binary harms everybody. Men are taught that their worth comes from being strong and powerful, women are reduced to being sexualised objects of the male gaze and finally, non-binary people are invisible.
And So, I Created Bollyqueer...
Bollyqueer is a dance class which centres Queer and Trans people. When you walk into a Bollyqueer class, you are not assigned any label, your gender is never assumed, and you are encouraged to dance in a way that makes your heart and body feel their happiest. There are variations of choreographies, you get to choose whichever feels most at home to you.
It’s a way to celebrate the magic and beauty of Bollywood dance without having to sacrifice your queerness or identity. It’s a family. I’m so grateful for each and every person who has attended these classes and I’m committed to making sure this remains a space for us all. Seeing so much queer joy in the room is one of the best feelings in the world.