[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Groff sooner I’m Shiva and we’re the
London School of Bollywood where we
dance for inclusion thank you for having
us here and I’d like to also thank our
team’s choreographer and director brass
for getting us shows like this platforms
like this where we can share our message
it isn’t easy to be a queer person of
color we just wants to dance
irrespective of whether they choose to
dance to the theme Ian’s lyrics or if
they choose to Parana skirt and dance to
male choreography the gender binary
states that there are two definite
genders male and female but of course
there are more ways than just these two
rigid ones to express your gender
identity I’m sure you’ve all grown up
watching movies and understand how these
movies inform culture is the same for me
just with Bollywood despite all the
color the vibrancy this something much
more darker movies centered on
paternalism violence inequality as an
aspiring dancer
I was already put into a box of male
choreography female choreography it’s
terrifying I suppose it would be one
thing if it was left on screen but it
became part of my surrounding culture
while hyper masculinity thrived
Bollywood made it kind of clear of the
place non-binary folks survived
stereotyped as comics villains
caricatures hyper sexual mentally or
physically challenged and sinful not
only is it part of culture but the price
to pay for being non-binary is pretty
expensive disowned by family abandoned
by friends ridiculed on social media
it’s not easy when queer people like me
look into Bollywood and the few people
that we possibly resonate with our jokes
are made fun of enforcing gender so
strictly and creating barriers to
positive representation of non-binary
persons is harmful but doesn’t need to
be like this we believe that the
solution is threefold
first those involved in the Bollywood
industry need to be held accountable
they need to understand that they have a
responsibility to show queer persons as
people having valid identities
considering its massive impact and reach
these movies in Bollywood and any other
film industry in many ways tend to be
the primary source of knowledge for
queer identities let queer people tell
queer stories secondly corporations and
communities need to actively promote a
safe space for those who do not conform
to the binary a safe space that does not
release one’s gender expression and this
is precisely the sort of space race the
sort of environment that London school
of Bollywood tries to work so hard to
create and I’m very very very grateful
to it thirdly and lastly as individuals
I think it’s important for us to take a
moment to reflect from time to time
about how we perpetuate gender
stereotypes and perhaps even reflect
on how gender stereotypes have affected
us and those around us no one deserves
to be afraid of who they are and no one
should have to feel that their identity
is a joke
gender affects us all so my wish is that
we don’t be scared or afraid to question
that stereotype and lastly there is no
one fixed way to be you and we cannot
let anyone tell us otherwise thank you
so much for having us here [Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Groff sooner I’m Shiva and we’re the
London School of Bollywood where we
dance for inclusion thank you for having
us here and I’d like to also thank our
team’s choreographer and director brass
for getting us shows like this platforms
like this where we can share our message
it isn’t easy to be a queer person of
color we just wants to dance
irrespective of whether they choose to
dance to the theme Ian’s lyrics or if
they choose to Parana skirt and dance to
male choreography the gender binary
states that there are two definite
genders male and female but of course
there are more ways than just these two
rigid ones to express your gender
identity I’m sure you’ve all grown up
watching movies and understand how these
movies inform culture is the same for me
just with Bollywood despite all the
color the vibrancy this something much
more darker movies centered on
paternalism violence inequality as an
aspiring dancer
I was already put into a box of male
choreography female choreography it’s
terrifying I suppose it would be one
thing if it was left on screen but it
became part of my surrounding culture
while hyper masculinity thrived
Bollywood made it kind of clear of the
place non-binary folks survived
stereotyped as comics villains
caricatures hyper sexual mentally or
physically challenged and sinful not
only is it part of culture but the price
to pay for being non-binary is pretty
expensive disowned by family abandoned
by friends ridiculed on social media
it’s not easy when queer people like me
look into Bollywood and the few people
that we possibly resonate with our jokes
are made fun of enforcing gender so
strictly and creating barriers to
positive representation of non-binary
persons is harmful but doesn’t need to
be like this we believe that the
solution is threefold
first those involved in the Bollywood
industry need to be held accountable
they need to understand that they have a
responsibility to show queer persons as
people having valid identities
considering its massive impact and reach
these movies in Bollywood and any other
film industry in many ways tend to be
the primary source of knowledge for
queer identities let queer people tell
queer stories secondly corporations and
communities need to actively promote a
safe space for those who do not conform
to the binary a safe space that does not
release one’s gender expression and this
is precisely the sort of space race the
sort of environment that London school
of Bollywood tries to work so hard to
create and I’m very very very grateful
to it thirdly and lastly as individuals
I think it’s important for us to take a
moment to reflect from time to time
about how we perpetuate gender
stereotypes and perhaps even reflect
on how gender stereotypes have affected
us and those around us no one deserves
to be afraid of who they are and no one
should have to feel that their identity
is a joke
gender affects us all so my wish is that
we don’t be scared or afraid to question
that stereotype and lastly there is no
one fixed way to be you and we cannot
let anyone tell us otherwise thank you
so much for having us here [Applause]
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