CELEBRATE TRUE BEAUTY THROUGH BELLY DANCING!
Belly dance can help you discover & appreciate the strength, grace, & beauty of your body no matter your age, shape, or size suitable for all ages & fitness levels! Get a great workout while learning the ancient art of belly dance! Belly dance has many benefits for your mind, body, & emotional state. It can help relieve back & joint pain, increase bone density, and help you lose weight. The benefits are endless!
CLASS DESCRIPTION: This class offers a chance to stretch tone and strengthen your body and spirit while learning the ancient art a powerful form of artistic expression; it’s a great way to enjoy a low impact cardio workout, increase strength and flexibility as well as self confidence. Class will cover basic techniques, posture, a combination of drills & isolations simple combinations at a moderate pace.
CLASS ATTIRE: Students should dress in exercise wear so they are comfortable and have full range of movement. Clothing should be tighter rather than looser to make it easy for your teacher to see your body doing the movements. You do not have to bare your belly if you do not want to. Please do not wear jeans or other street clothes. We normally dance in bare feet, but dance slippers or other soft sole shoes may be worn if preferred. Though the studio is heated/air conditioned, the studio tends to be warmer during the summer months and cooler during the winter months... please dress accordingly. Hip Scarves and Veils will be available for students to use in class.
Known by many names, `belly dance` is one of the oldest celebrations of the female form and spirit. With roots in the Near, Middle and Far East, the dance has been used for secular and religious celebrations.
In ancient times it was tied to the honoring of `Mother Earth` and the eternal Goddess, surviving by becoming the dance of traveling Gypsies adding the cultural dimensions of each place visited and also remaining as to become national dances of various countries, Egypt possessing the most traditional and classical form of the dance.
In 17th century Europe, Orientalist painters used the dance as the subject for their masterpieces.
Then in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair the dance became a product of American ingenuity. A young woman calling herself “Little Egypt”, commercialized the dances of Algerian folk dancers and the phenomenon of the `belly dance ` was born.
Today, women of all ages, shapes and sizes and walks of life practice this sensuous art form for exercise, stress reduction and just for the fun of it. Some belong to troupes and perform the dance at cultural and community functions while some advance to a professional status dancing at parties, restaurants and night clubs.
The natural movements of belly dance promote balance, flexibility and grace in movement and help to develop spontaneity and creative expression.