"For Beginners"
(ZAGHAREET! (Mar/Apr 2008)
by Anthea (Kawakib)
Why do we Love this dance? Let us count the
ways...
We all love this dance for many
reasons....recently I sought to learn what my students love about it -
and I’m glad I asked them in class rather than by email because we also
had fun discussing it together.
Many of the usual reasons came up: the camaraderie, the
exercise, stress relief, costumes... What I also heard from my students
was:
- They love
bellydance because it’s a FUN way to exercise
- The teachers of
other subjects like the experience of being a student again
- Some students
like the challenge of enlightening people about bellydance
- The “mystique” -
it’s fun creating a stage persona or bellydancing alter ego
- The circularity
of the
movements, as opposed to the impact of step-aerobics, feels better and
also seems to integrate their body-mind
- Learning about
other cultures is enlightening
- Bellydance has
more of an
internal focus than other dance forms they’ve studied; and it’s
provided them with more dance opportunities as well
- Props like sword
and cane are fun! And, they enjoy the history behind the props
- Bellydance is
more accepting of all body types than other dances (that got a big
response in class!)
- The exotic music
intrigues and soothes them
- Their classmates
are very diverse compared to their usual social circle
- When they dance
everything else disappears and they escape to another world
- The bellydance
community is more supportive than they’ve experienced with other forms
- The flowing
energy of the dance feels therapeutic and builds their body instead of
breaking it down
- They have become
more graceful and feel beautiful
- Bellydancers are
more beautiful than other dancers(!)
- Bellydance
performers all dance in their own unique way instead of looking the
same as other bellydancers
- They enjoy the
feeling of achievement when they reach their goals, and there is always
more to learn
- They like having
their loved ones join them in related activities like drumming (&
costume making!)
- Their social life
outside of
class has been boosted because classmates often get together to
celebrate anniversaries, attend each other’s musical concerts, or see
their art exhibitions.
And this answer
in particular was a new one to me: it seems that bellydance is the only
type of dance their husband will watch with them!
All solid reasons to love this wonderful dance.
Personally, I love seeing my students blossom and grow, and bring more
creative energy into the dance. But the main thing I love is that this
dance has brought me my most cherished friends, and for that I’ll be
eternally grateful.
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