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Andrea Deagon · 01-05-2008, 10:34 PM

I was seriously into ballet when I was in my mid teens, but at a certain point realized that I wasn't going to go anywhere with it -- I was never going to get to the point where I could really express my soul with it. I was intrigued by the book, The Compleat Belly Dancer, and eventually took a belly dance class. I really enjoyed it, picked up the moves quickly, got pulled into it.

Belly dance ushered me into womanhood. I got to know adult women and found the kind of age-range in my friends that is kind of uncommon in our society, where we all tend to hang out with people rougly our own age, at least in our teens and 20's. That gave me insight into a range of life-experiences I had no idea about before, and I learned it through knowing women who were expressing their life-journeys in dance.

I also found performing to be a total thrill -- I took to it right away, oddly enough, since I was (and am) pretty reticent around strangers normally.

I quit for a while in graduate school, but couldn't stay away. When video came into widespread use and it became possible to see dancers on video, especially dancers from "over there," it was mind-blowing. I had had so few opportunities to see really good belly dancing, or even real belly dancing. (For those who weren't there, the '70's were full of "creative" interpretations created because the creators didn't know any better.) (Of course, the 2000's are too, but without such good reasons for it.)

It's so much a part of my essence now that even though I am taking a break from teaching and performing, I find that when I dance it just alerts me to the presence of the divine in all aspects of the world. I am too jumpy to meditate, but dancing allows the physical and spiritual to blend.

I have also made so many good friends through dancing ... some of my best and oldest. Women who do this dance tend to be really cool (despite the occasional uber-witch).

I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't found belly dance. I feel very lucky that I did.

01-05-2008, 10:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
Andrea Deagon Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 123	I was seriously into ballet when I was in my mid teens, but at a certain point realized that I wasn't going to go anywhere with it -- I was never going to get to the point where I could really express my soul with it. I was intrigued by the book, The Compleat Belly Dancer, and eventually took a belly dance class. I really enjoyed it, picked up the moves quickly, got pulled into it. Belly dance ushered me into womanhood. I got to know adult women and found the kind of age-range in my friends that is kind of uncommon in our society, where we all tend to hang out with people rougly our own age, at least in our teens and 20's. That gave me insight into a range of life-experiences I had no idea about before, and I learned it through knowing women who were expressing their life-journeys in dance. I also found performing to be a total thrill -- I took to it right away, oddly enough, since I was (and am) pretty reticent around strangers normally. I quit for a while in graduate school, but couldn't stay away. When video came into widespread use and it became possible to see dancers on video, especially dancers from "over there," it was mind-blowing. I had had so few opportunities to see really good belly dancing, or even real belly dancing. (For those who weren't there, the '70's were full of "creative" interpretations created because the creators didn't know any better.) (Of course, the 2000's are too, but without such good reasons for it.) It's so much a part of my essence now that even though I am taking a break from teaching and performing, I find that when I dance it just alerts me to the presence of the divine in all aspects of the world. I am too jumpy to meditate, but dancing allows the physical and spiritual to blend. I have also made so many good friends through dancing ... some of my best and oldest. Women who do this dance tend to be really cool (despite the occasional uber-witch). I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't found belly dance. I feel very lucky that I did. __________________ "I am not contradictory, I am dispersed." (Roland Barthes)