Why do you like to bellydance?

Didem Fan · 01-05-2008, 12:29 AM

What did inspired you to bellydance?

Babylonia · 01-05-2008, 12:47 AM

It always seemed interesting and exotic. I took classes here and there. And then after having my 2nd dd I started taking it seriously and it just sort of took over my life. It's my exercise, my creative outlet, my meditation, my religion. It keeps me centered and sane and I can forget that I'm a wife and mother and remember that I'm a woman.

Kashmir · 01-05-2008, 01:48 AM

I've always danced. Belly dance is ideal as a solo, improvised form - but with lots to learn and work on. I also love Egyptian music - the beledi, the big orchestrated numbers, the folkloric (yes, even the mizmar), and shaabi.

adiemus · 01-05-2008, 05:03 AM

Watching other women dance and wanting an exercise form that I would enjoy - now I love the music (I had never heard it much before, although I had listened to North African and Indian music), love the movement, love the costumes (oh shallow me!), and most of all, the chance to get fit without having to go to a gym.

Moon · 01-05-2008, 03:56 PM

I always thought it looked so cool how bellydancers can move their hips so fast without moving their upper bodies, I liked the music, the drums etc. and I was so impressed when I saw bellydancers in Tunesia.
I later saw an advert for bellydance classes at the school for music and dance, but I was already taking music lessons there and I was 16, which meant my parents would have to pay for it and drive me to the dance school etc. so I didn't even ask because I was sure they would say no. Besides that I thought I was bad at dancing in general.
I forgot all about it and when I was 20 I was studying in the same town as where that particular dance school is. I quit music lessons so didn't really have any hobbies atm. I'm bad at sports and not really interested in them, so I decided to take a look at the website of the dance and music school to see what kind of creative lessons I could take there. Then I came accross the bellydance classes again and thought it was great because it's both creative and good for the body just like sports, plus I already found out I'm not as bad at dancing as I thought.
So I signed up and am still doing it now (2.5 years later) and now I like bellydancing because I like the movements, the music, the way it comes together and how it makes me feel to improvise on a song I really like, and the things that came along with bellydancing (like joining this forum, LOL).

Didem Fan · 01-05-2008, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babylonia

It always seemed interesting and exotic. I took classes here and there. And then after having my 2nd dd I started taking it seriously and it just sort of took over my life. It's my exercise, my creative outlet, my meditation, my religion. It keeps me centered and sane and I can forget that I'm a wife and mother and remember that I'm a woman.

If you are a mother or not I think you have to do something you like to
keep your mind in peace , I 'm not a mother but I think that I will never stop dancing because it makes me feel good .

I always liked music and dance but I didn't dance untill one guy sended me a video of a Libanese bellydancer on you tube and so I kept searching for bellydancing and than I began to dance

and I love it!

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.

Zorba · 01-06-2008, 04:42 AM

The short version:

I was teaching another dance form - one of the students was (is) a Belly Dancer. She wanted my opinion on a new routine she was putting together, despite my protestations of ignorance about Belly Dance. So I watched - in awe. I loved the beauty. I loved the connectedness with the music. I started classes...

That was 7 years ago. I'm still here!

What do I love about it now? I love the beauty - and I love feeling beautiful. I love the connection with the music. I love the spirituality. I love the difficulty - I'll never reach the end of this road! I love my dance sisters, I've met some *VERY* cool people. I love the sheer power of the dance - and the gentleness.

And as Shira would tell you:

Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!

teela · 01-06-2008, 04:58 AM

for me, I started because my best friend wanted to take lessons but needed to find 8 people to start a new class because the teacher's other classes were full. I got dragged along and fell in love with it. I discovered I didn't need to twist my body into weird shapes, have a specific build and it felt good. 7 years later I am still dancing and fully addicted to it.

teela · 01-06-2008, 05:03 AM

for me, I started because my best friend wanted to take lessons but needed to find 8 people to start a new class because the teacher's other classes were full. I got dragged along and fell in love with it. I discovered I didn't need to twist my body into weird shapes, have a specific build and it felt good. 7 years later I am still dancing and fully addicted to it.

01-05-2008, 12:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
Didem Fan Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Holland Posts: 14	Why do you like to bellydance? What did inspired you to bellydance? __________________ Music is Life

01-05-2008, 05:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
adiemus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Posts: 977	Watching other women dance and wanting an exercise form that I would enjoy - now I love the music (I had never heard it much before, although I had listened to North African and Indian music), love the movement, love the costumes (oh shallow me!), and most of all, the chance to get fit without having to go to a gym. __________________ He wahine, he taonga- Every woman is a treasure(Maori proverb)

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)

01-06-2008, 04:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
Zorba Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 857	The short version: I was teaching another dance form - one of the students was (is) a Belly Dancer. She wanted my opinion on a new routine she was putting together, despite my protestations of ignorance about Belly Dance. So I watched - in awe. I loved the beauty. I loved the connectedness with the music. I started classes... That was 7 years ago. I'm still here! What do I love about it now? I love the beauty - and I love feeling beautiful. I love the connection with the music. I love the spirituality. I love the difficulty - I'll never reach the end of this road! I love my dance sisters, I've met some VERY cool people. I love the sheer power of the dance - and the gentleness. And as Shira would tell you: Costumes! Costumes! Costumes! __________________ -Zorba "The Veiled Male" http://www.doubleveil.net "There is nothing sadder than a veil, that is for sale." Last edited by Zorba; 01-06-2008 at 04:45 AM.

01-05-2008, 12:47 AM	#2 (permalink)
Babylonia Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: South Florida Posts: 402	It always seemed interesting and exotic. I took classes here and there. And then after having my 2nd dd I started taking it seriously and it just sort of took over my life. It's my exercise, my creative outlet, my meditation, my religion. It keeps me centered and sane and I can forget that I'm a wife and mother and remember that I'm a woman.

01-05-2008, 01:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
Kashmir Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Posts: 246	I've always danced. Belly dance is ideal as a solo, improvised form - but with lots to learn and work on. I also love Egyptian music - the beledi, the big orchestrated numbers, the folkloric (yes, even the mizmar), and shaabi.

01-05-2008, 03:56 PM	#5 (permalink)
Moon V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 3,627	I always thought it looked so cool how bellydancers can move their hips so fast without moving their upper bodies, I liked the music, the drums etc. and I was so impressed when I saw bellydancers in Tunesia. I later saw an advert for bellydance classes at the school for music and dance, but I was already taking music lessons there and I was 16, which meant my parents would have to pay for it and drive me to the dance school etc. so I didn't even ask because I was sure they would say no. Besides that I thought I was bad at dancing in general. I forgot all about it and when I was 20 I was studying in the same town as where that particular dance school is. I quit music lessons so didn't really have any hobbies atm. I'm bad at sports and not really interested in them, so I decided to take a look at the website of the dance and music school to see what kind of creative lessons I could take there. Then I came accross the bellydance classes again and thought it was great because it's both creative and good for the body just like sports, plus I already found out I'm not as bad at dancing as I thought. So I signed up and am still doing it now (2.5 years later) and now I like bellydancing because I like the movements, the music, the way it comes together and how it makes me feel to improvise on a song I really like, and the things that came along with bellydancing (like joining this forum, LOL).

01-06-2008, 04:58 AM	#9 (permalink)
teela Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Alaska Posts: 292	for me, I started because my best friend wanted to take lessons but needed to find 8 people to start a new class because the teacher's other classes were full. I got dragged along and fell in love with it. I discovered I didn't need to twist my body into weird shapes, have a specific build and it felt good. 7 years later I am still dancing and fully addicted to it.

01-06-2008, 05:03 AM	#10 (permalink)
teela Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Alaska Posts: 292	for me, I started because my best friend wanted to take lessons but needed to find 8 people to start a new class because the teacher's other classes were full. I got dragged along and fell in love with it. I discovered I didn't need to twist my body into weird shapes, have a specific build and it felt good. 7 years later I am still dancing and fully addicted to it.