I'm doing 6 things
Belly dancing is absolutely transforming!
Here are some (not even all!) of the things that I’ve gotten from belly dancing: increased strength and flexibility, increased confidence, body-acceptance, great posture, energy, mind-body connection (I recover from illness faster now and can release stress easily), increased coordination, increased ability to focus, increased ability to learn, increase in my overall ability to express myself, an inch of height - I’m actually taller now than when I was 30 years old! (as we age, our vertabrae compress - belly dance reverses this process), the joy of being a part of a community of wonderful women who are healthy and fun! ...and finally: gorgeous silk veils and colorful costumery - much of which came as gifts from my family and friends - who all seem to love the fact that it’s so EASY to shop for me now :)
The big trick to learning to belly dance is to find the right “first” teacher for you. I was blessed with having an amazing teacher who is highly skilled, ever-encouraging, humorous, intelligent and fully committed to her students. Depending upon where you live, you may have a number of teachers to choose from. If this is so, then my advice is to go to at least one class from each teacher in your area and find the one that’s perfect for you. There are various styles of belly dance, and various ways of teaching them! Once you find a great teacher, learn from her extensively, but not exclusively—it’s wise and well worth it to take lessons from as many teachers as possible.
I’ve been teaching belly dance for five years now. I LOVE teaching the dance—it inspires and fulfills me to share the joys of belly dance and to watch my students transform.
Questions and comments are welcome!
