Payal Gupta is one of India’s most sought-after master teachers of belly dance, celebrated for her structured classes, private lessons, workshops, performances, and intensives. Since 2008, she has trained over 10,000 students from all walks of life, earning recognition as a leading figure in the field. Coming from a culturally rich background where the performing arts hold deep value, Payal has been passionate about dance since the age of seven, exploring a wide range of styles before finding her true calling in belly dance. An Electrical Engineering graduate and lifelong dance enthusiast, she eventually chose to leave her corporate path to pursue dance as a career, sharing her love for belly dance with students across India and beyond.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Overcoming shyness and stage fright, and later guiding her own students through performance anxiety.

• The role geography played in Payal’s early success as one of the leading local teachers in her area.

• The difficulty of leaving behind her 15-year dance “empire” in Bangalore and starting over in Mumbai.

• Lessons that motherhood taught Payal, and the concept of nurturing students instead of just teaching them.

• Comparing dance life and opportunities in Mumbai and Bangalore.