How dance icon Nahid Siddiqui defied a ban on her artform

Dance wasn't a choice for Nahid Siddiqui — it was simply human nature.

The Pakistani dance icon, best known for a classical dance style called Kathak, rose to fame in the '70s but in 1978, martial law was declared in her country and strict Islamic rules interrupted her dancing career. She left Pakistan and relocated to London but was told she can't dance anywhere in the world unless she got permission from the government of Pakistan. Siddiqui defied these rules though and continued to dance. 

"I forgot where I was, I forgot I was in this world," Siddiqui told guest host Candy Palmater, about how dance became an unintentional escape in these difficult times. "That brought out my blocked energies. It got a channel. Now I realize how important it was to me.

"I wouldn't mingle with my age group. I would be so quiet, so sad inside — only when I was dancing was my soul exercising."   

Her advice to young dancers? "Open up, express yourself, connect and feel the meditative quality."