Blue Miranda

I was curious to what your motiavations were to start bellydancing and what inspired you at first?

I am just learning but when I actually considered trying it myself would be listening to Loreena McKennit's music. Which to me sounded like something a belly dancer would dance to. I just slowly progressed from there by searching the web for more information. That is how I found this forum, which lead me to getting my first hip scarf lol. I am actually a real shy person so I won't try classes for awhile but I started renting Dvds as a start.

So what was your start?

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(¯`·._.·[.::~*Miranda*~::.]·._.·´¯)

Mariesaffron

So what was your start? I started in the South ( America ) need to help with feeding my brothers and sisters, family was too poor I was going to school so at nights I started dancing in a Burlesque Club, I was only 17 Y.O. I have not idea of how to dance, so one of the gentlemans that use to go see me dance, came to me and said: come to see my wife tomorrow she will teach you how to dance, they were from Lebannon, so I did and she teaches me belly dance.

Mouse

originally I was looking for a low impact gentle way to get back some sort of stomach control and fitness after 2 quick cesarians & I was wading my way through all the assorted DVD's etc when I came across Neena & Veena basic bellydance for fitness. I did that for a few months and somehow over that time it became more about the dance than the exercise so I started looking for more information and a teacher.

I am really shy too and the first night I went to class I agonized over actually going in, but I did and I'm so glad I did! I learnt so much more and much more quickly with a teacher than I ever did from DVD's. I still like to learn from DVD's as a little added extra, but honestly nothing compares to having a really good teacher.

Amulya

I saw a belly dancer when I was at school and really liked her dancing, so I wanted to learn it. Funny thing is that my grandparents wrote quite a lot of articles on belly dance, but I never knew about that. They also had a lot of pictures of Egyptian dancers, and I never knew as well, but they are in my possession now .

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Hadassah

I have been fascinated with Egypt since I was a little girl, and the pictures of the Egyptian queens and Goddesses were so astounding. I got interested in ME dance about five years ago, and started with Dolphina's DVD (HA!). Which was more confusing than informative, and no offense, but hokey.

I advanced to Veena and Neena and dabbled around with Jillina, until a year and a half ago, when I found my teacher, Yasmine. That woke up my world. Now, it is as inseparable from who I am to be a dancer. It's my passion, and has done wonders for my self-esteem. There's something so empowering about this Dance. It's transcendent.

gwinity

I'm still very new to the dance, but it's quickly become an obsession!!

I always wanted to dance, but wasn't exactly blessed with co-ordination, so never really entertained the idea of joining a dance class. I first became interested in bellydance after seeing a Shakira videoclip about 5 years ago. I knew absolutely nothing about the dance itself, and thought "I can do that - it doesn't look too hard". I immediately signed up for a term at a community hall.

Since then I've been well and truly hooked! While I never went back to that first teacher (I moved house), I sustained my interest with books and DVDs and the Internet until I found another class close to home.

And like Hadassah, I've found it's done amazing things for my self-esteem, my confidence, and my co-ordination.

Alaya

I saw a program in TV that was a relation from Bellydance revia. first one in Poland. It was perform by Jasmin Mozulum, she is one of the best dancers in Poland. I fought she is briliant and I wanted to dance like that, it took me 4 years to actualy enrole for clases, and you know whot I just had workshops with Jasmin, she came to have a week workshops last month. It was so wonderfull. I can wait till next one in september.
Love, Alaya

Moon

I've been in Tunisia for a week when I was 16 years old. One evening, I saw bellydancers perform and thought it would be wonderful to be able to move your body like that. I didn't know it was possible to learn bellydance in the Netherlands.
At the moment I was having music lessons and I found out my school of music also provided lots of different dance courses, including oriental dance. But I didn't want to ask my parents about it, as they were already paying for my music lessons.
When I was 20 years old, living in a student's flat and not taking music lessons anymore, I decided I wanted to do something creative again. I remembered the bellydance course of the school of music. Fortunately, I live in the city where that school is right now, so I immediately signed up for the beginners course, to find out that I love bellydance!

Leyla

I have been fascinated with bellydance since I was a little girl...I saw a dancer when I was 12 and I fall in love with this dance! But I thought I was too awkward and fat to dance and there were furthermore no schools in my town ...so I 've been only dreaming for years.
Four years ago I saw the advertising of a bellydance course and I told myself "Why don't you try?" ... and I tried !

Louise

Well actually it was when my step-mum was pregant- my dad said how he noticed several adverts for belly dancing for maternity people.
I searched out some local classes near us (though only found 1 at first) but she, obviously, taught to everyone and not only pregant women (which she didn't actually do in the end). But I popped down to one of the classes and haven't had a break since :p
I was so nervous on my first class becuase I have never danced before and I usually hate dancing in front of others; but my teacher was amazing and I loved her style and the way she performed (she showed us the class dance in onw and she was truely amazing). ^_^