I find it interesting comparing different people's interpretations of the same music. How we respond to music is very subjective, thus you can tell something about a person by seeing how they translate the music into movement. Sometimes we are influence by how another person expresses a specific song and sometimes we go completely in another direction.
I started looking into the song "Deewani Mastani" from the movie Bajirao Mastani (2015). It is a beautiful tender and emotional song. I found several different dances and started to compare how different choreographers envisage the music.
Here is the original for comparison:
The Mohini Group from Poland do their version of the song. It has the similar feel as the original, but it doesn't have the same lustful expression. It's more innocent.
Next we a solo interpretation by Urvashi Pardeshi. I think it's absolutely beautiful and captures the essence of the song incredibly.
Then we start getting into the fusion pieces.
I must admit I don't find this belly/bolly fusion by Meher Malik to be fantastic, especially after watching Deepika (the original from the movie) and Urvashi's solo, but I still think the fusion is done tastefully.
While I approve of fusion styles and believe that borrowing from various dance forms helps to make belly dancing suitable for everyone, there's a way to do it and a way not to do it. If you are borrowing an element from any culture, you should do so with respect. Learn a bit about the dance and culture. You don't want to offend anyone and it's only polite to know what you are using and whence it came.
So this gets me to the next dance.
I don't find this version appropriate for the music at all. I already know I'm going to get many comments about women's right to dance the way she wants to what she wants etc... But hear me out. If they were dancing to a burlesque song, then fine. Good form ladies. But they aren't. They are dancing to a delicate and emotional song, that's full of love ... and there moves and expression do not match the song. I feel like it does a disservice to the song and dancers.