[aphil]

txlawchic-
I have PLENTY of insight for you!

The first thing I want to adress is the tummy issue that you mentioned. Just like with any exercise-to lose weight you have to eat right as well as exercise. There are many wonderful belly dancers that are of all shapes and sizes-from way too thin-to very heavy. A lot of this depends on their diet. You can do 30 minutes on the treadmill every single day-but if you eat more than you burn-you will still be overweight. This is with any exercise.

Second-up until the past couple of years-before the "low rise" pants fad-most women's pants/skirts were made to hit at the natural waistline-at around the naval area. This for most women (with exception of apple shapes) is the narrowest part of the waist. Even the most fit abdominals are the flattest from the ribcage area to the naval-and almost all-even tiny tummies-have a slight "pooch" below the naval area. This is the area that holds the uterus...so it will pooch slightly anyhow-and is the hardest part to "get back in" after having a child/children.

Belly dance costumes are not worn at the natural waist. They are traditionally worn lower-close to the hipbone area-so the "pooch" from the uterus is visible. It may seem strange at first-but you will soon get used to the look. Almost everyone who I have seen wearing "belly shirts" and low rise jeans-even 15 year olds-have the little place there where the uterus is.

The toning and sculpting benefits of belly dance are numerous-and it really depends on what you are doing. Doing veilwork, snake arms and shoulder shimmies are great arm and shoulder exercise...there are a zillion things such as Egyptians, hip shimmies, and hip lifts and drops-just tons of things that provide cardio benefits and tone the legs and hips. Ribcage slides, hip figure 8's and such do great oblique/waistline work.

The abdominal work depends on what you are doing. Most movements in belly dance move "through" the belly...rather than focusing on the belly alone. When you do ribcage work-you belly moves in reaction to that...when you do hip circles-your belly moves in reaction to that...there IS some ab only work-but most of it is learned in more advanced belly dance training-such as belly rolls, Turkish Folds (belly dance backbends) and so on.

I do it as one of my exercise forms-but I am truly in love with it. I have completely dove into learning all I can...whether it be about Middle Eastern music and its various regions and rhythms-to the different forms of belly dancing-I am trained in cabaret, American Tribal Style, and now learning Turkish Rom as well. Mauvais started with cabaret and is now learning Turkish as well.
Swords...finger cymbals...candles...veil...double veil...there are just SOOO many things you can learn if you find that you love it enough to do so.

Most professional belly dancers are not doing it for "exercise". It is wonderful exercise-but it is also an ancient art form-with many, many things to study and learn.

One thing I think that it is important to stress-is the attitude that you will find with women in the belly ance community. It embraces the beauty in every woman-women of all shapes and sizes look wonderful belly dancing and are welcomed! It is something that I actually find refreshing-because the women have "real" bodies. Some have spectacular figures...while others have a flaw here and there (like most of us) and it is refreshing to see. You can concentrate on your workout, or what you are learning that day-and forget about your stretch marks or tummy pooch for a little while. Belly dance is an excellent exercise...but those who end up being serious about belly dancing do it because we love it-and sort of forget that it is exercise.

For me personally-I have found that belly dancing shapes your body-but in a more feminine way.
I have lost inches and become shaped differently in the past two years...I have slimmed in some very feminine areas-my ankles have gotten thinner for one...yes, it sounds strange-but they have. They look much prettier in sandals than the tree trunks I used to have.
I have had two children-and still have a touch of "pooch" in my lower abs...but I have lost 7 inches off my waist in the past 2 1/2 years. (I have lost a lot of weight in that time-but my inches lost everywhere else has been 1-5 inches...my waist being slimmed the most by far!) Even though I have a touch of pooch-I have gained massive abdominal strength-and have the definition lines running down my ab area-from my ribcage to below my naval area. My shoulders and neck have slimmed and gotten a lot more shapely...and I have (for the first time ever in my life) achieved a muscle definition line on the sides of my thighs. *Belly dancing is done with the knees bent slightly-so the whole time you are dancing it is like you are doing a slight squat like in strength training.* But-I have a feminine shape-because my butt has lifted and toned, but my buns and thighs have stayed full/rounded...as have my breasts.

Basically-you achieve a more feminine "hourglass" shape over time if you do it enough...you thin out in areas but don't become a "stick". It is a nice sillhouette.

Aphil

[txlawchic]

Aphil,

Thank you so much for your insight! I have had an hourglass figure, plus a little to a lot extra since I was three! I am all about being toned, yet maintaining shapeliness. I am on a mission to do something that adds fluidity to my movement and makes me comfortable in my skin. I definitely feel that dance, especially belly dancing will do this. I am so excited and I look forward to starting. I am doing the WW CORE porgram and as my 10% loss, 20lbs. loss, I have decided that instead of treating myself with material items, which I do anyway ; ), I will begin to do something good for me and my development. This should happen after the holidays, however, as the big researcher that I am, I am on rooting around now. I will be checking in for more insight as my research unearths more questions and I need real people's perspectives. Thank you again!!!

[aphil]

Hi everyone!

I recently aquired the Flex Appeal Bellydance Workout with Kathy Smith-and thought I would tell you all about it here-so you know what you are getting if you decide to buy.

The first thing that I wanted to stress-is that this video was not put out by a belly dancer. It was put out by fitness instructor Kathy Smith-who usually specializes in strength training and step aerobics type of videos. She enlisted the help of dancer Ansuya to teach her belly dance so that she could put out this video.

It is a 53 minute workout. The first 20 minutes is a slow overview of some belly dance moves-led by fitness instructor Kathy Smith. Kathy and the background dancers (including Ansuya in the back) all wear practice scarves and workout attire. There is a 3 minute "dance along" segment that is led by Ansuya. The second 20 minute workout is a faster belly dance segment in which Kathy, Ansuya, and the dancers wear full bedlah costumes. (bra and belt costumes with skirts) The video ends with a 10 minute stretching/yoga cool-down.

*What I Liked*

*The set is gorgeous-fabric draping, Kathy and the background dancers are each dancing on pretty rugs, and their practice attire and costumes are very attractive.

*The cool down is very nice and thorough-and focuses on areas that are traditionally worked in Middle Eastern Dance.

*The three minute dance along segment led by Ansuya was very nice-by far the best part of the video. You get to see a real belly dancer perform...and it is a simple enough routine that you can follow right along.

*What I DIDN'T LIKE*

*The entire concept of Kathy Smith teaching a belly dance video...when she is not a belly dancer. Mauvais and I are both more experienced than Kathy Smith in belly dance-and we are not putting out videos. She is way too inexperienced to "teach" a video. Other than a few moves shown to her by Ansuya-she knows absolutely nothing about it. I feel like she saw the popularity in belly dance and in the popular videos by Veena/Neena and Rania...and jumped on the bandwagon-only forgetting that they are actually dancers.

*Kathy Smith's "performance" in this video. She displays bad form in many of the belly dance moves...when she is teaching the chest circles (up-side-down-side like a clock) and is showing them slowly-she lets her chest collapse back to center between all of the moves-so instead of drawing a circle, she is tracing a "cross" shape. Ansuya and the background dancers do NOT do this. Kathy is also often "off rhythm". All of the background dancers are nice and together-and Kathy is off doing her own rhythm. I finally stopped watching her and started following the ladies in the back. She also performs a slight flaw in doing snake arms...and many other moves. If you are going to teach a belly dance video-you should know how to belly dance.

*The video did not go into proper posture in the beginning of the video-a short 1 minute explanation would have been wonderful.

*I did not like Kathy's persona. She was doing a Middle Eastern dance video with the same "aerobics instructor" persona...yelling out "Lookin' Good!" and "Ooow!" Ummm...we are not doing step aerobics honey.

All in all...I feel that you can't put out a video on something you don't know anything about-and you can't cover up lack of knowledge and technique with pretty sets and costumes.

Two thumbs down...
Aphil

[mauvaisroux]

Oh yeah - totally agree with you about the "Kathy Smith is not a belly dancer". I saw this in the store and just rolled my eyes. I felt like she was just cashing in on a trend but hey, she is out there to make money - but I would never pick this video up!

I think I get enough of exercise out of belly dance that I don't need an aerobics teacher to show me how to do the moves badly and cheer me on.

If you are interested in belly dance I would recommend getting a tape/DVD by someone who is a dancer and will show you how to do the moves properly. I have the Neena and Veena bellydance for fitness tapes and I really enjoy doing them.

Thanks for the breakdown Aphil!

[helene1]

Love your thread. I would like to buy a bellydance DVD. Do you have some recommendations?

[Miaka]

I was looking for some fun cardio. Belly Dance seems like great idea, but does it give enough cardio workout? Or is it mostly tonning and such?

[aphil]

Belly dance can be either a cardio workout, or a toning workout, or BOTH. It really depends on what you are doing exactly. It is an art form, not an aerobics class-so there are many more aspects to the dance than just saying it is cardio or toning.
For instance, when I perform, one piece might be a slow piece using moves that require a lot of physical strength (doing one move for a long time or doing a very difficult move), balance (doing sword or basket balancing), and flexibility (difficult floorwork moves)-and the next piece might be a fast song where I dance fast for the entire piece, which would definitely be cardio.
Since there are so many different moves in belly dance that can be learned, and so many music tempos-it can be either, or both depending on what you are doing.

[Miaka]

Thanks, I guess I am looking for other fun cardio workouts. Can you recommend a beginner belly dancing video for workouts?

Thanks!

[happytx]

I am so excited to have found this thread, I have just started taking belly dancing classes, for the dance not necessarily for the exercise, (however the veil routine is hard on the arms, holding that up for so long) and I am in love! We are learning a serpentine veil routine in this class, for the next 8 weeks. I would love to hear what everyone else thinks about it, and how they are progressing with it.