Oh honey...go on and sign up!!!! I have women in my classes from 200+ pounds down to 95. All shapes and sizes. Ages from 17 years old to 60's. It is VERY self accepting...and a heck of a workout! I have been dancing for a couple years now...and I am loving every minute of it! I have done 5 performances this past month...and have more lined up for later this summer!

Yes...it also teaches you amazing control of your own body over time. Belly dancers can move individual body parts like most people can only imagine! :wink:

I have always been very interested in belly dancing. I checked out one of the Neena and Veena tapes a couple of years ago and didn't like it (I guess I picked out the exercise one and not the dance one). I'm going to go back to the library today and find some tapes that will teach me moves. I can't wait!! I really want to join a class too, but I'm leaving for college in a month. Who knows, maybe they will have classes at school?

Check out www.shira.net and look at her instructor directory-there may be a teacher near you. Out of the Veena and Neena "Fitness For Beginners" series-the SlimDown one is probably the quickest paced with the most variety. The Discover Bellydance Series (basic dance, beyond basic dance, mystic dance) are a little more structured like a dance class than the fitness series.

As mentioned earlier-Atea's Magical Motion is great if you can ignore the outdated hair and costume styles. She teaches posture and form well.

Whatever you do-do not pick up "Belly Dancing For Fun & Fitness" with Janine Rabbitt. It is AWFUL. She is a very nice woman, obviously loves to belly dance-and was produced nicely with great lighting and traditional music-but she just can't dance. Bad posture, bad execution of moves...you don't want to learn from her and pick up those habits.

Those are usually the ones found in local libraries.

We had rehearsal for the upcoming show last night, and tonight as well. Kicking my butt. I am excited because we are doing the group sword balancing act-and so far the troupe enters...I enter and do a short solo part with knee balancing and Indian type dancing moves-and then re-enter the group. Then my instructor comes out and does a short solo part. She re-enters the group and we all partner up-and I am partnered with my instructor! Yay! (crosses fingers and hopes we get to do something really cool together in this dance)

I went to that website and found an instructor in my area. I am planning (?) to take the class maybe in September, if I can get up enough nerve.

Good for you!!!

Hi again, Aphil and alla the resta yall. I noticed this thread and had to chime in.

I took maybe a total of 2 years worth of lessons, on and off, ad been practcing it for 6 years. That's not including my instructional tapes. I have the gawdawful Janine Rabbitt tape (that was the first one i ever got, keeping it for nostalgia), three of Atea's magical motion tapes, one choreography tape by Suhaila Salimpour, and two of the Belly Twins tapes for exercise. When I used to live in Alabama I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who had a good bit of tapes to share. I dance in my living room about twice a week, and a couple times a month I get together with a friend who took lessons with me, and we work up short choreographies and practice. I guess I'd call myself a lower intermediate student of the dance.

I did one actual performance, at a senior care facility. We did a "Gypsy" dance, and a veil number. I'm not too much for dancing around other folks, but maybe if I could get to my fitness goals, I'd change that. My hubby said that when I reach my goals, he'd buy me a real costume- he'll take me to New Orleans to get it where there is a real bellydance supply store.

I have been working on a costume for years. My sewing skills are horrid. I did manage to get good at harem pants but have yet to create a functional top. However, i do have a goodly selection of hip scarves, coin belts, and veils. I wear nude color danskin slippers. I have a cheap balanced sword, full-size and mini-zills. But it took years to accumulate all this.

Aphil, what is your favorite music to dance to? Mine is the old skool Cabaret stuff like Eddie the Sheik Kochek, George Abdo, The Sultans, etc. For modern stuff I like Light Rain, and Hossam Ramzy.

I ordered a book from Turkey with lots of cheesy-looking costumes in it. But it also had several photos of Victorian era "belly dancers". I put together a costume in this fashion and had my hubby fix up a pic of me in it. I am going to try and attach it, hope it works!
FerretNose

Cool pic!

Very folkloric! Love it!

My favorites to dance to...hmm...so many! I do cabaret, American Tribal Style, as well as tribal fusion...so I have a large selection of likes. I love Eddie The Sheik Kochek for traditional...I also really love Solace all around, Oojami for fusion stuff as well...Natacha Atlas...so many!

My sword is a Saroyan steel scimitar-the kind that have been around forever. Saroyan recently discontinued them and now have a newer lighter and cheaper aluminum one. I am not a fan of it. They are cheaper-but they do not have the beautiful etchings and handle of the original. They are lighter and easier to balance-but they look too "cheap" to me. They still have a few left at Saroyan of their original steel ones-so hopefully I can afford to get a second one soon to match the one I already have for double sword balancing.

I have some pretty good instructional and performance videos-Delilah, Awalim, Dalia Carella, and the like. Dalia Carella is the guest dancer at the Best Of The Midwest show I am dancing in next month. She is a big gypsy dancer-I am excited to be taking a workshop with her earlier in the day before the show.

We have rehearsal tonight for our performance in that show!

I also have the Janine Rabbitt-and it is awful. I, too, keep it for nostalgia. I actually have been meaning to invite the other dancers over for a "movie night" to watch it with popcorn-and laugh our rear ends off. It is sad that she can't dance-because you can tell that she really enjoys belly dancing-and would totally be a dedicated teacher. Everything else about the video was nice-she explained well, she had a nice set,nice music, she was informed of the history of the dance, she had the choreography up on the screen-if she could dance it would have been great. I would be up for her putting out a new video if her dance skills have improved.

I wound up disliking the videos I got out on bellydancing. The one with the twins was boring, and I couldn't handle Shamira (the one telling me to imagine I am an ancient Egyptian priestess and to open up my chakras). BUT, alas, I tried the last video I got, which was "hip hop hip drop" with rania. It is really fun!! She actually teaches you a dance, instead of just moves.

If you don't like Shamira-you won't like Dolphina. lol They are both very "earthy". If you don't want to keep the other ones-they have a great exchange forum over at www.videofitness.com where you can exchange videos/dvd (dance and exercise) that you don't want for ones that you do. I trade there all the time-your trash is someone else's treasure!

I am off to a dance workshop in a couple hours-vending there-hopefully I make some $$-because I need it!

Thanks for the tip aphil, I do have some videos I would like to exchange. Luckily I just rented these from the library. I think I'm going to buy the Rania DVD though. I love it!!

Hi,

If you like Rania, she has three new dvds and a book coming out this Demcember.

Oh, and I found a fiction book about bellydance-the main character begins taking classes after breaking up with her boyfriend. It was an excellent read. Here is a link to it on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

Surprisingly, my library had it.

Aphil, I'm on vf too-great place!

Take care,
sherry

Yeah...Snake Hips is sort of a belly dance "classic" fiction.

Hi from a 3FC newbie

I do bellydancing too, and I love it. I go to a class (tribal style) once a week, and also have a video made by our teacher to practice with at home. Nice to meet lots of other dancers

My classes start up again in a few weeks - I am really looking forward to getting back to it! We also have a bazaar coming up in November and a show in October