[bopeep]

Originally Posted by Daimere

I emailed the lady this week and the teacher got back to me real quick. She is very encouraging, especially with fitness of different ranges. I will force myself to do it this weekend or next Tuesday. I'm so excited and this is helping me to push myself into it. I'm very shy and new things kill me. If I don't know the ins and outs, I back out of it out of fear.

That's great that the teacher got back to you so quickly. I'll bet she's used to a lot of shy people starting up. In my beginners class last fall, several people were very, very shy, but it was so much fun that most of us kept coming back. This gave me a huge boost to my confidence and has really helped me find a 'me' I like much better. The rec centre my classes were at had an Xmas show, and when I started the class, I was adamant that I would not be in it. *ME* dancing in front of people????? NO WAY!!! I wound up doing two dances, and loved it!

I think if you're a dancer at heart, then you should follow your heart

Let us know when your first class is!

BP

[Talina]

I've been wanting to try belly dancing for a few years. I love the movements have have always found them so hypnotizing. I'm finally getting the courage to go to a local class, but due to other commitments I won't be able to start for about 2 months.
I don't watch tv so I'd never heard of the show Shimmy before. It looks interesting and I want to check out a few episodes. I'll probably get the dvds if I like it. Would it be a good start? Or should I just wait to take the class? I'm concerned that if I don't get started now, I'll just put it off.

[aphil]

Honestly (and this is just my opinion as an instructor) if you are planning on taking a class very soon-you are better off to wait for the actual class.

If you start doing dvds before you go, you could start practicing the movements incorrectly, and it is harder to erase bad habits/form than it is for the instructor to correct you and get you doing it right from the beginning.

Once you have a good grasp of the basic movements in class, dvds can then be a good at home practice companion.

[Talina]

That was my concern as well. That just means that I'll have to make sure I don't keep putting it off which will be hard. I'll have to keep lurking in these forms to stay motivated.

[JazzyNurse]

I just started belly dance class two weeks ago. Love it! It is soooo much harder than I thought it would be. Wow, am I totally out of shape. It's an awesome work out and will hopefully boost my weight loss. I do not feel uncomfortable because it's a small class, only 7 of us and everyone is so diverse. The instructor is awesome. It is so fun and I will be sticking to it, oh probably forever!

[bopeep]

I am so happy! My instructor's troupe is participating in a show and I get to have a (very) small part in one dance. This means I get to have a ton of extra lessons!!! The show is not actually not proper belly dancing, it's more of a theater/fusion thing, but the techniques and movements are the same as what I am learning in class, so it's all good as far as I'm concerned! I'm learning the proper context in class, so learning a bit of adaptation on the outside is also good

Jazzynurse - isn't it addictive!?! And so much fun!

BP