learn to bellydance

I have a DVD with the basics, and I’ve always had an ease with hip circles, rib slides, and muscle contractions. But I really won’t feel like I’m learning until I have a coin-fringed hip belt and I have enrolled in a class. I would love to learn several varieties, especially tribal fusion!

ahh i found a free class on sunday, maybe i’ll go if i don’t have too much work. yaaay

i did a taster session and got hooked so now ive found a lovely class local to me and i now spend my monday nights shimming away lol so i guess my next goal would be to preform hmmm shall think on

On my list of things to do is “Learn to Belly Dance.” I don’t consider myself to have officially “learned it all” after just one year of classes, however… So here is my entry after year one.

I took a beginners bellydancing fusion class with an instructor named Debrajeena. She was so loving and encouraging and wouldn’t let you leave without a hug! :-)

The class made me feel confident and sexy. I caught on rather quickly… I was the first in my class to master the shimmy! Debrajeena said I have the best shoulder shimmy she’s ever seen aswell. :-)

I had trouble with my hip circles feeling and looking smooth and fluid… Until one day Debrajeena told me to imagine that someone was tugging on the side of my pants and pulling me to the side… That put my hips in a different place and changed the whole look and feel of the hip circle.

Debrajeena says I’m ready for her choreography class next year…

I also took a Tribal Belly Dance class with Angelina this year. I loved the pace of instruction and I loved the moves I was learning… I felt confident and sassy. The thing I didn’t like about Tribal, however, was the lack of choreography… And just having to pay attention to whoever was leading you… That raised my anxiety levels some. You really have to pay attention, otherwise you’ll miss the cue and look silly not knowing what move you’re supposed to be doing!!

At the year end there was a big, women only, Hafla to celebrate. Everyone was dressed right up!! I got to see the dancers from all the higher levels in the studio perform… It was amazing!! Seeing how good you can get was definitely an encouragement to not quit here! I was also inspired by the Tribal girls!! They looked amazing for starters, but I also really saw the value in the tribal approach watching them dance together! I think I’ll continue with that as well…

One note I want to say on Angelina… Do you know how every once in a while you meet someone and you just want to write down, “Note to self! Be like that!” That happened to me at the Hafla, watching Angelina. So here it is:

NOTE TO SELF: BE LIKE THAT…

- Angelina is a mom… But she is a sassy beautiful, strong mom who cares about her body. She does yoga and bellyfit and she dances… Note to self: Be like that.

- Seeing Angelina so dressed up, blinged out, ornate, oozing with confidence, beauty and joy was really inspiring. I tried to imagine being her child and watching her there… Looking amazing, loving people and dancing, and being like… Yah, that’s my mom! Note to self: Be like that.

- Some (significantly) older ladies did some dance solos… And I had the same thought again… Imagine that was your grandma. Note to self: Be that kind of grandma.

- Belly dancing is not intended to be a show for men… At all. It is for women, by women… It’s not a competition… It’s loving your bodies and loving each other… Note to self: Be like that.

So I’m coming away from this year’s experience with a decision to invest in the women in my life… And someday my daughters, should I have them! To encourage and delight in each other’s beauty and to do so at every age.

... And to never stop dancing.

Plans for year 2:
- Continue Belly Dance fusion with Debrajeena… Moving onto choreography class…
- Continue Tribal with Angelina (even though it scares me)
- Start beginner class with Nath Keo… (Internationally known Bellydance Guru! He’ll whip a girl into shape in no time!)

i know 1 person that can bellydance and she is really cool, she tried teaching me and it didn’t work. hope i can find a teacher!

dancing dvd? YES I do. Let the fun begin.

I’ve been scouring Expert Village and YouTube for decent belly-dance videos; have found a few with promise. I have chosen a ‘learn @ home’ DVD and it should arrive shortly. For the purists, online or digital instruction may seem blasphemous but . . . I just want a taste of the dance. I want to experiment a bit; I want to get my feet wet, flirt w/the moves and get my isolations going to see if I want to actually do this little gig outside the house. So far, I like what I’ve seen and can hardly wait to get started.

I love this soo much. The first few classes were just so-so, and I felt kind of dumb shaking around in sweatpants, but she brought in costumes for us last week and it made all the difference. I feel strong and sexy and it’s just so much fun! I recommend this to everyone!

Actually learned a little belly-dancing as part of a zumba class. I rreally enjoyed it. I am not yet ready to say that I’ve learned how to bellydance, but I did a little bellydancing!

I’m signed up and have attended one of eight classes so far. The teacher seems to be throwing a lot at us at once, but I’m sure it will all come together. And it’s so much fun!