When she started Bollywood dancing, Vismita Varghese stole the spotlight from her older brother, Visak.
At 3 years old, she began tagging along with him to dance practice, even though she wasn’t registered for the class. When it came time for Visak’s big performance, Vismita realized she wasn’t going to get to dance alongside him.
She threw a fit, screaming and hollering. The judge eventually gave in and said, “It’s OK, just let her dance.”
Vismita, now 19, said she was the smallest dancer on stage. The moment still stands out to her because it sparked what became a lifelong passion for Bollywood dance.
The enthusiastic dancer, along with her brother and mother, has now opened her own studio dedicated to Bollywood dancing in Missouri City. The small fitness studio called Bollycurves, which opened in November, offers a Bollywood cardio class, yoga and a version of Bollywood dancing for children called Bollykids. The Vargheses hope the Fort Bend studio can provide a comfortable spot for community members to learn a part of Indian culture they may not be familiar with while also meeting their fitness goals.
“A lot of our current clients, they come in and are very shy. They’re very worried about their size, or they feel like they can’t dance,” Vismita said. “Having an accepting environment regardless of who you are and where you come from is really important to us.”
Before opening the studio, the Varghese family was just trying to become healthy again. Because of a shoulder injury, Vismita’s mother, Shiela Varghese, was unable to work out regularly and began gaining weight. She tried gyms and different workouts but had trouble finding workouts modified to accommodate her injury.
In 2014, Vismita’s father, Parapuzha Varghese, had a heart attack. Vismita said some were surprised to see her dad become sick because he was relatively thin.
“There’s a misconception on fitness that if you’re skinny, you’re healthy,” Vismita said.
The family started doing workouts together at home. Then, Vismita began hosting pop-up Bollywood classes at parks in Fort Bend County. Even though many who participated had never tried Bollywood dancing before, the feedback was positive. Vismita noticed those attending her pop-up classes were people who usually were uncomfortable at the gym because they felt out of shape.
It was time to open a studio.
During a Bollywood cardio class on a Friday night in February, Vismita buoyantly throws her hands up in the air and shakes her hips back and forth with a bright smile.
She refers to the high-energy, 50-minute cardio class as “Indian Zumba.” Throughout the class, Vismita passionately leads participants through different dance steps, her voice blaring over the music.
Bollywood dancing can be seen in many Indian films. It incorporates other forms of dance including jazz, belly dancing, Indian folk and Western erotic dancing.
Since the studio held its first class Dec. 9, the Vargheses have seen a diverse variety of customers come through the doors. They’ve taught small children, millennials and octogenarians alike.
“Our focus is long term,” Visak said, adding that there are no quick fixes for fitness. “It’s just coming every time, being consistent.”
The Varghese family has also gotten healthier. Shiela’s shoulder healed, and she dropped more than 20 pounds. She now teaches yoga classes at the studio. Parapuzha’s cardiovascular health also improved, and he built up his endurance after family workouts at home.
Now Vismita, a sophomore at the University of Houston, is pursuing a business degree, so she can continue to learn how to properly run her own studio.
brooke.lewis@chron.com
Brooke Lewis is a native Houstonian who covers a wide range of stories in Fort Bend County for the city desk. She started out in 2016 as a summer intern at the Chronicle and then went on to work as the night breaking news reporter. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University and an English Writing & Rhetoric degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin.
