An instructor in MTSU’s popular language-learning program is presenting a dynamic way to alleviate stress, gain greater flexibility and have fun doing it.

The Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition, also known as CALA, will present six lessons in Bollywood dance, a fusion style used in films from the nation of India, via access to videos.

CALA is the official language training operation of MTSU’s University Honors College. Its dance webpage states that the dance form “emerged as Western hip-hop and Eastern folk dances began to influence Indian traditional dance and music.”

Instructor Nanthana “Tanamayi” Vaiyapuri performs her Bollywood “Rain Dance” outdoors in a gentle rain in this screen shot from the first in a series of six instructional videos offered by the Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition at MTSU. (image courtesy of Tanamayi Vaiyapuri)

“Bollywood” is a combination of “Bombay,” referring to the city now called Mumbai, and “Hollywood.” The portmanteau was first coined in the 1970s to refer to the Hindi cinema industry, which saw the creation of India’s first feature film in 1913 and has grown into one of the world’s largest centers of film production. It’s now a full-blown entertainment industry drawing from the language and traditions of many different states in India.

In this CALA course, instructor Nanthana Vaiyapuri, whose performance name is Tanamayi, will lead students through the movements and steps and the ancient cultures and traditions that make the dances unique.

The course is designed for students of any age, ability and gender. This particular sequence of lessons will focus on the “Rain Dance” using the song “Baruso Re Megha” from the Bollywood film “Guru.”

Course fees are $95 for the public, $85 for MTSU faculty, staff and alumni and $75 for MTSU students and K-12 students and teachers.

“This telecourse is about learning to embrace the rain through dance movements,” Tanamayi wrote to accompany a brief YouTube video about her work.

“Choreography is more oriented towards Bollywood Folk style. I choreographed this dance sequence of steps I learnt from Bollywood films, YouTube videos and my own imagination.”

A preview of the course is available below.

Each lesson will last 35 to 40 minutes, and two additional practice videos are included. Students will have access to the videos for up to six weeks after purchase so they can continue to learn and practice at their own pace.

“It’s through this body and mind that we experience life,” Tanamayi said, “so let us use them to be fit, vibrant and joyful!”

Tanamayi also conducts workshops in her native Tamil language through CALA. She earned her bachelor’s degree in visual communication at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, India.

To contact her, send an email to nvaiyapuri@mtsu.edu.

For more information and to register, visit www.mtsu.edu/cala/dance.php.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)