Indian show sparks new interest in 1970s dance style in America’s gay clubs

A woman dances in the spotlight, the glittering tassels on her dress shaking and swaying in step with her movements.

But it’s her arms that catch the light; They wave, spin and whip through the air at breathtaking speeds, almost like the blades of a fan.

These are the opening images of a web series recently released on Amazon Prime Video called Waack Girls, a drama about six women who learn a new dance form to become their city’s first all-female waacking crew.

Not many people know the dance and so the women have to fight hard – against society and their families – to be taken seriously. But in the end, Waacking is the gift that keeps on giving.

Directed by Sooni Taraporevala, the series was released at a time when many Indian cities, big and small, are witnessing renewed interest in waacking.

“I was fascinated by the dance style and the importance it gives to self-expression,” says Taraporevala about why she did the series.

Workshops and underground Waacking jams – events where dancers compete with each other’s moves – are mushrooming in several cities, and international Waacking legends are visiting the country to teach the dance.

Recently, Archie Burnett, who was a club dancer in New York in the 1970s and 80s and is a respected figure in the Waacking community, visited India for a jam.

The dancers hope that the web series will give Waacking more visibility in the country and show people that there is more to dancing than classical forms, hip-hop and Bollywood.

Waacking has a history marked by the LGBTQ+ liberation movement and the freedom championed through disco music.

The dance style originated in the gay clubs of Los Angeles in the 1970s, when homosexuality was heavily stigmatized. Gay men used Waacking to express themselves on the dance floor and to defend themselves against the hatred and discrimination they experienced.

Consequently, the dance style developed fast, sharp and powerful movements – similar to how action heroes in comics beat up their villains, accompanied by sound effects such as “ka-pow” and “bam”.

“Waacking comes from the onomatopoeic word ‘whack’ and is reminiscent of (the effects) found in comics,” says Tejasvi Patil, a Mumbai-based dancer who has been waacking for more than a decade.

The dance style also drew inspiration from Hollywood drama and its glamorous leading ladies. Dramatic poses, rapid footwork and distinctive arm movements are characteristic of Waacking, but dancers have continued to add new movements to the repertoire of steps as the celebration of individuality and self-expression is at the heart of the form.

And because of its core ethos, Waacking continues to be a tool for empowerment and self-expression for the Indian LGBTQ+ community.

“In fact, many people explore their sexual identity through the dance style because it provides space for introspection and expression,” says Ayushi Amrute, who has been waacking since 2012 and is a frequent host of Red Bull’s “Your House Is Waack” – a waack jam for dancers across the country.

“Another important factor is that the Waacking community always strives to be a safe place so that people feel comfortable expressing themselves,” she adds.

When Amrute was introduced to waacking by her dance teacher, the style was virtually unknown in India. Her teacher encouraged her to watch videos and contact dancers abroad to learn more about the style.

“We (the handful of Indian dancers who started Waacking over a decade ago) learned Waacking the hard way by doing our own research, learning about the history of the dance and connecting with dancers in countries are where waacking was popular,” says Amrute.

Patil remembers learning waacking the same way. But things are remarkably different today. Over the last five years or so, the dance style has grown in popularity, with more and more young people flocking to classes to learn it.

Patil, who teaches dance, says she encourages her students to stay true to the ethos of the style – unabashed self-expression.

When it comes to music, India is still in the process of finding its own soundscape for the style, she adds. Songs by disco queen Donna Summer and American pop legend Diana Ross remain very popular, as do tracks from the 1983 film “Staying Alive.”

Bollywood also had its own disco era, with songs like “Koi Yahan Nache Nache” and “Aap Jaisa Koi” becoming chart-toppers in the 1980s, but they don’t often find a place in today’s hit songs.

For Waack Girls, Taraporevala enlisted indie artists to create an album of original soundtracks, which Patil says has created a brand new and promising soundscape for Waackers in India.

“I think it’s time for people to fully embrace themselves,” says Patil, “and Waacking is the perfect platform to show what you find.”