The Entertainer: Lotus Niraja

By Zahirah

From the moment her sparkly high-heeled foot is placed on the stage and she begins to shower the audience with radiant energy, it is evident that dancing is what Lotus Niraja was born to do.

She is a gorgeous Puerto Rican beauty who brings freedom and self-expression to the dance, and isn't afraid to break the rules. Always a show-stopper with her diva stage presence, her energy and skill make Lotus one of the top dancers in the area.

A lotus is a flower that blooms under the most unlikely of circumstances, in the swampy and murky waters, yet when it opens its petals, it is flawless and breathtaking.

This flower is a perfect symbol of Lotus' life. She was born and raised in the Bronx and with the love and support of her family, and her unyielding commitment to her dreams, rose above the adversity of her living situation to become who she is today.

Lotus began dancing on her mother and grandfather's feet. Her mother was a dancer and brought her backstage when she performed. Lotus became enthralled with the glamour of the costumes and makeup that the ballerinas wore and decided that dance was her passion. Since then, she has studied a wide variety of dances that span the globe, including salsa, merengue, samba, and recently Filmi (Indian bellydance). She infuses her performance with all these elements and isn't afraid to experiment. Her troupe even has a hip hop-inspired choreography.

Nefret was her first bellydance teacher, from whom she learned the basics of Egyptian style. After three years Lotus realized that she wanted more freedom and expression in her dance and felt stifled by the strict "rules" of Egyptian. But after stumbling upon a video of Samara of Lebanon, who is the celebrity equivalent to Celine Dion in Lebanon, she was in awe of Samara's movements and attitude. This dancer broke all the rules of Egyptian style and had the stage presence of a goddess.

At that moment Lotus realized this was the style that spoke to her heart and would allow her the creative freedom that she desired. She immediately converted her style to that of the Lebanese dancers she watched with admiration such as Nabila Mettuali, Hwayda Hashim, Amani, and Nariman.

The main differences between Lebanese style dance and Egyptian or Turkish dance is that in Lebanon, the dance is performed for huge stadiums or concert halls packed with people; therefore the movements are more dramatic and exaggerated. It is also more energetic and theatrical than other styles of dance; however, it is as refined and controlled as Egyptian and often uses gestures taken from classic ballet. A unique characteristic of Lebanese dance is that the dancers often wear dangerously high heels when they dance. This is a tradition that Lotus carries on. She does not feel complete without a glamorous pair of shoes and has a pair to match each costume.

Since her discovery of Lebanese dance, Lotus has studied with many different teachers, citing Samara in New York as one of her biggest influences, both in her teaching method and Egyptian-Lebanese fusion style of dance.

With all of this going for her, it is no wonder Lotus has scores of devoted, admiring students. Lotus makes her classes both fun and challenging, and emphasizes individual expression over anything else. Her motto is "don't dance like me" and she strives to find the personality of each dancer. Lotus enforces the idea that your job as a dancer is to be a great entertainer, above all, and to leave your baggage at the door when you are on stage. In the studio, she takes on the roll of not just the teacher, but a historian, aerobics instructor, and friend as well.

The word overachiever is an understatement when describing Lotus. It seems there is nothing that she can't do. When she isn't performing or teaching, she is a full time employee of a biotechnology company, attends school full time to earn her masters degree, owns her own business and makes sure there's time to spend with her loving husband.

The most important thing that she would like to pass on to her fellow dancers is: "Number one, as a dancer, you are an entertainer, you're also a historian, and you are an artist. This dance is something to be proud of." She should be proud indeed!