The discreet charm of a striptease class in Bangalore

It is strictly a private lesson. There is no advertising or publicity of any sort and admission is by word-of-mouth. The class is decorously called “Exotic dance workout”.

In Bangalore,arguably India’s hippest and most cosmopolitan city,dirty dancing arrived two years ago. But in keeping with the underlying Bangalore conservatism and fear of right-wing attacks — as in the Mangalore pub — exotic dance has stayed behind closed doors.

In this city of an army of young workers,whose lives are inextricably intertwined with Western customers and companies,a wave of liberalism has swept food,fashion and living. But when it comes to some trends,Bangalore is “Bengaluru” at heart.

“The society does not really get it,and people are edgy about sharing that they are trying out striptease or pole dancing,” says Kapoor,vice president of operations at the Lourd Vijay Dance Studio,one of a handful of such trainers in the country.

Not one of Kapoor’s students was willing to be interviewed for this story. They are women who feared being “outed” within conventional family and social circles,she said.

In the West,pole dancing and lap dancing are seen as a legit form of exercise and a respectable fitness alternative to the treadmill or a gym workout. But feminists have argued that such dancing is degrading to women and branding it “trendy” was merely a ruse to make it mainstream.

Understandably,those associated with exotic dancing are a bit nervous. “I wouldn’t want to take on the culture police and jeopardize my core business,” says Lourd Vijay who runs the dance studio and takes credit for introducing exotic dance to Bangalore.

The studio’s mainstay is Latin dancing,hip hop and Bollywood lessons and performances.

Pockets of Bangalore are very old-fashioned and narrow-minded,says Vijay,who flies his instructors to Delhi and Mumbai for exotic dancing boot camps.

The dance studio charges upwards of Rs 1,200 per hour for the exotic dancing lessons and a couple of hundred women have passed through the classes.

Curling around imaginary poles,perfecting lap-dancing moves around an empty chair or even pretending to shed layers of clothing during the lessons prove a good break from the daily monotony of the women’s lives.

Beginners have awkward moves rather than aesthetic,the instructors say. As lessons progress,learners have to muster up plenty of concentration and upper body strength.

The women who enrol for the lap dancing,pole dancing and striptease lessons report that they feel more confident and at-ease in their skin after a few lessons. “Some confide that say these lessons translate into great bedroom moves and have helped re-kindle the sparks in their marriage,” says Vijay. Some could view these exotic dances as treading the precariously narrow line between sensual and shady. But the instructors vouch that for most of these women,it’s just about chilling out — and shedding inhibitions.