MANILA, Philippines - Liven up your Wednesday nights and be enthralled by pretty women gyrating to the accompaniment of exotic music as Bollywood Bistro Bar brings back its Belly Dancing Nights starting at 8:30 p.m. every other Wednesday.

Belly dancing, known to be one of the oldest dances in the world, is native to North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. But behind those colorful costumes, veils, makeup and noisy hip belts of the ancient Middle Eastern art form is a great full-body workout.

Yes, for women of all ages, it?s now a unique way to get in perfect shape. Those who take hour-long classes don?t just move parts of their body, but the entire caboodle. The neck and shoulders move, the chest and diaphragm lift. The pelvis goes up and down. The dance is soft on the joints, and yet it?s very energetic and very aerobic.

So, unleash the inner dancer in you as Lala Ilao-Dinglasan and her ?snake charmers? from Movement perform this art form while you enjoy dinner at Bollywood. They will showcase a variety of belly dancing styles, including tribal fusion and Hindi-Hop.

For their stint at Bollywood, the Movement dancers will also teach guests basic instructions to belly dancing, such as swaying hips in a circular motion, thrusting the pelvis forward and backward and gyrating with belly twists and twirls.

?We will also feature a belly dancing hip-hop ala Shakira and Beyonce. It?s a modern movement to attract the young ones,? says Dinglasan, who runs Movement, a dance, fitness and martial arts school.

Belly dancing shows at Bollywood are scheduled as follows: June 4 and 18; July 2, 16 and 30; Aug. 13 and 27; and Sept. 10 and 24.

Specialty offerings

To complete the experience, the restaurant also introduces New Stars of Bollywood, a new array of specialty drinks and food.

For vegetarians, there?s two-egg curry, a delectable dish of hard-boiled chicken and quail eggs braised in a light curry sauce. Those who are looking for a savory starter should try mixed tandoori sampler, a platter of chicken and fish tikka, lamb sheesh kebab, and paneer (cheese) tikka served on a sizzling plate.

Spicy crab fry and crab coconut curry are for extremely spicy eaters. The highly spiced crab fry is a fresh crab in a special blend of Indian herbs and spices, while the crab coconut curry serves the cooked crab in coconut curry sauce.

For adventurous eaters, sample Muglai chicken, chicken curry made rich with a sauce of yoghurt and almonds; and lamb cutlets vindaloo, lamb simmered with Indian spices and a touch of vinegar.

The sweet tooths can have Shahi Tokra, a bread pudding soaked in a rich creamy sauce with raisins, almonds and rosewater.

There?s also a selection of authentic Indian drinks on the menu. Choose from rosewater and milk, rosewater in ice, Vimto, sandalwood and pomegranate.

Bollywood will serve a complimentary glass of Vimto, a fruity brew made with blackcurrants, grapes and raspberries, to all guests availing of the dinner buffet (priced at P450 plus tax). Diners with a minimum P500 purchase from the à la carte menu will get free dessert.

Bollywood, a Larry J. Cruz restaurant, is at the third floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City. For reservations, call 7573536.