Mumbai: A first-of-its-kind belly dance workshop for acid attack survivors will be organised in Mumbai to provide a safe space for survivors to reconnect with their bodies.
Noida-based Chhanv Foundation, an organisation supporting acid attack survivors, has launched a nation-wide awareness tour for survivors as a part of community building initiative through belly dancing.
Collaboration With Experts
The NGO has collaborated with belly dancer and activist Leena Viie and belly dance teacher Payal Gupta to present a pioneering introductory belly dance workshop exclusively designed for survivors.
The session, which is supposed to be held from 12pm to 2pm in Bandra’s Ubuntu Studio, will mark the culmination of the organisation’s nationwide awareness tour.
Therapeutic and Empowering Approach
According to Chhanv, the initiative blends therapeutic movement, body reclamation and community building to create a safe, celebratory space where survivors can reconnect with their bodies on their own terms. While the workshop is tailored for survivors associated with the NGO, organisers have kept it open to all in the spirit of solidarity and public awareness.
Chhanv Foundation’s initiative blends therapeutic movement, body reclamation, and community building | File Photo
Facilitators Speak
Viie said, “Movement has the power to heal, reclaim and rewrite the relationship we have with our bodies. This workshop is an invitation to survivors to explore expressive freedom through dance and to the wider community to witness resilience beyond stigma.”
Similarly, Gupta added that, “Our approach combines gentle, accessible belly dance techniques with somatic practices that focus on safety, agency and joy. For many survivors, reclaiming movement is a step towards self-trust and collective empowerment.”
According to the organisers, the workshop will include, an accessible introductory belly dance session adapted for diverse bodies and abilities, somatic exercises for breath, posture and grounding, safe partner and group exercises fostered by trauma-aware facilitation, time for sharing, community building and resource signposting.
The foundation emphasised that trauma-informed practices will be followed throughout and its field team will be available for any survivor-specific needs.
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Akriti Das, the communication head for Chhanv Foundation, said, “This program amplifies what survivors have long taught us that healing is both personal and collective. By centering joy, expression and bodily autonomy, we challenge the shame and silence that often follow acid violence.”
