Booking      Performances      Classes & Private Lessons     Links     Home

Modern Goddesses- The Benefits of Belly Dance For Today's Woman

All across America, women are donning hip scarves, putting on zills, and dancing to the beat of a different drum.  Belly dance is gaining popularity as an exercise, as can be seen by the various videos that one can buy.  There is more than just a physical benefit to belly dance, however.

Physically, belly dance provides a workout that tones the muscles, as well as being aerobic.  The moves, whether done quickly or slowly, are designed to be done by the female body, so it's natural and flowing.  Belly dance works muscles from head to toe in an enjoyable and not overly strenuous manner.  Adding zills, or finger cymbals, veils, a cane, or a sword to the dance adds even more of a workout for the arms.  Belly dance also can improve balance and coordination.  For Faith*, a housewife who was formerly in the Navy, belly dance has been the only thing that has been able to motivate her to lose the weight.  She says, "You see all the pretty costumes, and you think, 'I need to lose weight so I can fit in to that one.'.  The costumes and the performing paid off, as it made the births of her two children far easier than for the average woman.

Beyond the physical, belly dance increases self-confidence.  Melissa, a nurse, says,  "I went from being covered from head to toe to being able to bear my belly."  It's not merely physical self-confidence.  That confidence leaks into other areas of life as well.  Angela, a professional dancer, has found that she handles people and situations better.  When asked about some of the questions people ask, she says "The worst thing people ask is 'What does your husband think about this?'  Sometimes he's even sitting at the next table.  But I just tell them, 'He thinks I'm working out at a gym.  He doesn't know!'  When they get a shocked look on their face, I wink and say 'Gotcha!"

With pressures abounding to have the "perfect body", many woman of all ages fight to feel comfortable with what they have.  Belly dance promotes body confidence by showing women that they, too, can be graceful, no matter what size they are.  Angela started dancing after the birth of her first child.  She had gained eighty pounds, and though she had lost the weight, she still didn't feel that she was attractive.  She tried on a costume at a friend's house one day and looking  in the mirror, she finally could feel good about herself again.  To be able to dance in a full length mirror may at first bring shame and comparisons to other people in the room, but when a woman can focus more on how her moves flow and how graceful her movements are, greater peace about how she looks can be brought about.

Freedom of self expression is another bonus that belly dance adds to life.  Compiling selections from a wide variety of flowing moves allows the artist inside to be put on display.  One does not need to have the gift of paint or words to express emotions.  Combinations of hip circles, omis, snake arms, or other countless moves flow together to bring out a vision of self.  Melissa was surprised to find that she was able to show her true self while she danced.  To watch others create a dance out of thin air, we learn something of the other person.  We see their strengths, their weaknesses, and we stand in awe at the talent of a gifted few who become our heroes, our mentors, whether they are older or younger, simply because they enjoy the beauty of the dance.

Belly dance calls out to the imagination, bringing images of hidden places and life behind walls.  Costumes play a large part in drawing in many women.  Melissa got started in belly dance after buying a costume at a Renaissance fair.  "I had the costume, I figured I should find a class so I could use it," she said.  For Angela, it was finding her lost sense of self after trying on a costume.  For Faith, the costumes keep her coming back for more.  All three love the glitz, glitter and shine that the costumes provide, a chance to step out of reality and be something more.  Costumes bring out the girlish love of dress-up. As for myself, I originally thought of belly dance as nothing more than a way to lose weight.  I quickly found that I came back for more than the exercise.  It offered me a challenge, yes, but it also provided friendship, camaraderie, a sense of self respect, and a better body image.  It is my friends who cheer me, my cohorts as we laugh and tease while we await instructions.  The women in my class keep me there, keep me coming back, if not because they are my friends, then because I am thrilled to watch them dance.  It is my escape from the mundane, a retreat from reality, and as one lady said, "It's a from of therapy."

As we gather in a circle to watch each other improvise, we applaud, we smile, and we come together as a group to form not merely many women dancing together, but something akin to family.  As Faith put it, "Family you can choose."  Some dancers are in their teens, many dancers are mothers, and some are even grandmothers, but that doesn't stop them from being able to hold their heads up with pride, and showing the world that they can dance.

*names have been changed

written by Heather Lake 

article reprinted with permission from the author

For women who are expecting, check out http://pregnancytoday.com/reference/articles/bellydancing.htm