There is girl from my class, who is usually my dancing partner in duet choreos, she is a little large too.
I believe that she is an amazing dancer with lots of talent. One of the top in our class. However, she does not believe me when I tell her that. Her self-confidence is very low because she is very self conscious about her weight. That’s such a shame.
Slightly off topic now but relevant… this girl I am talking about had a wardrobe mishap at our hafla last Friday (bra straps broke and popped off). She held onto her bra with her hand and carried on with the choreography like a real pro. I was her duet and panicked more than her! I also adjusted my hand moves to more or less match hers, and some people in the audience didn’t even notice the accident. All thanks to the way she reacted and carried herself.
I know it sounds like such a cliché, but I really feel that ultimately the audience receives what the dancer communicates. If you feel uncomfortable dancing, that will come through. If you are one with the music and really enjoying yourself, that will be felt by your audience too.
Don’t cut yourself short, and don’t give up on belly dance (give up on your instructor though!). It is not about shape and size, it is all in how you express the music.