For Shaz Khan, founder and director of Sheffield Bollywood School, dancing is a way of self-expression and connecting with others. 

As a South Asian woman in Sheffield, Shaz felt there was a lack of a Bollywood dancing platform in the area, leading her to start her own Bollywood Dance School in North England.

Coming from a Muslim background, where dancing is not culturally perceived as the norm, this was no easy task- she experienced many struggles during the startup process. 

“Starting this school was very hard for me- people in the community were quite conservative and people had their reservations,” she explained. “But because I stayed consistent with it and I promoted it as a form of expression for females who don’t really get the space to express themselves, now that’s transitioned into something beautiful.” 

One of the primary reasons Shaz built the company and finds it most rewarding is watching women blossom in self-confidence as they progress in their dancing skills and position themselves dancing at the front of the class or even accept being recorded on camera. 

“I wanted women, specifically from ethnic minorities, to feel more empowered and to feel more confident within themselves in a safe space,” she said. 

At the school, people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities come together to dance and celebrate Bollywood Dancing. Shaz says, “It’s just so nice to see all of these cultures come together to create something beautiful. I’m very proud of that.” 

One aspect that Shaz believes enhances her dance class experience is taking things from the culture of her students and creating a wonderful mix of cultures portrayed in the dancing. She emphasised that when you “embrace a new culture, it can create something so beautiful.” 

Shaz explained that many of her performers are from a place in India called Kerala, which has its own culture and dancing styles, and they will often incorporate their moves and freestyle during classes. 

“I’ll notice it and ask what it is, and they’ll tell me it’s from their heritage, and then we try and include it, and so it makes people feel valued,” she said. 

When I asked Shaz about her heritage and what got her into Bollywood dancing, she highlighted the fact that she was not Indian, from where Bollywood dancing originates, but, in fact, from a Bangladeshi and Afghani background. Nevertheless, she grew up watching many movies, including Bollywood dancing, where she started to immerse herself in the culture.

“Whenever I heard the music, my mum would notice that I would be dancing, and she’d encourage me to put on a bit of a show,” she recalled fondly. 

Another aspect of her passion for Bollywood dancing, Shaz says, was also the way it enabled her to connect with others. Most of her friends are British-Asian, particularly from Indian backgrounds, and she admitted she finds it easier to relate to them as they all share childhood memories regarding Bollywood and Asian culture. 

“If I look at it, going back about 10 years ago, when I was at university, we all connected through the Bollywood Dance Society- that’s what brought us all together.” 

She mentioned the joys in the little things, such as learning a dance routine to a song they were all familiar with and then drinking chai afterwards, which created a real sense of community. “This brought us closer together and made us more connected in a way that perhaps someone from a different background maybe wouldn’t have connected with.” 

However, as she says, Bollywood dancing is for everyone, no matter where you are from and most importantly, anyone can learn. Shaz taught herself how to dance at home by watching YouTube tutorials, where she went through a lot of trial and error. She went on to have some professional training, which didn’t last very long over her formative years, but the real training started when she went to university.

During her undergraduate studies in Bradford, she joined Punjabi Roots Academy, where she developed her skills. She then began teaching in 2017 at The Bollywood Dance Society. This did not stop once she pursued her master’s, studying Clinical Drug Development at Queen Mary University in London, where she practised at the renowned London School of Bollywood. 

Shaz is doing a part-time PhD at The University of Leeds and is also the director, account manager and dance teacher at the Sheffield School of Bollywood. Mastering the art of the work-hard play-hard motto, she finds dancing, specifically performing, a great way to decompress from the academic pressure. 

“It can get quite stressful, but when I’m on stage dancing, I feel the most alive that I ever will feel in life,” she said. “Bollywood dancing is one thing, but when you’re performing on stage to such vibrant music, it makes you feel so alive, and it’s so energetic.” 

She truly believes that everyone’s inner spark comes to life when they dance- hence why she decided to name her company’s motto “Ignite The Fire Within.” She encourages people to try Bollywood dancing.

Her number one advice for people wanting to get involved is to figure out which style they like first. She explained that Bollywood dancing is an umbrella term for various dance styles, which include classical dancing such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak, commercial Bollywood or even Bhangra, a more high-energy North Indian folk dance style.

Knowing which style you want to try is the first step; the rest is just practice. As she brilliantly said, “You will get better because practice does make perfect.”