Bellydancers check in!

[SocratesInSpirit]

Anyone here currently take bellydancing or have ever taken bellydancing?

[Dave Reynolds]

1. Not a bellydancer,

but mine shakes like a bowl full of jelly, just like Santa's.

[SocratesInSpirit]

2. LOL

Can you isolate muscles and do undulations and rolls? :)

[bettyellen]

3. my chiropractor recommended it....

i can undulate and shimmy, do the around the world and the figure eights.
:)
oh yeah, and camel walk.

[SocratesInSpirit]

19. Cool - great way to gain flexibility and get in shape

Figure eights still give me a bit of trouble, been working on them. Learned a pretty cool traveling step in class tonight (do not remember name of move, though).

[Dave Reynolds]

6. There are muscles there?

Get outta here!

:7

[SocratesInSpirit]

12. Yep.

Isolating and flexing them is as good as doing crunches. You can even do some of these exercises when you are sitting down. :)

[flamingyouth]

4. I've taken some classes from Delilah here in Seattle

I love bellydance! :D

www.visionarydance.com

[SocratesInSpirit]

10. Excellent!

I'm taking classes from a woman in the Stamford, CT area...but I will be moving to the Hartford area in a few weeks and will not be able to see her anymore. :-( It's too bad, I really liked my teacher...now I have to find a new one in the Hartford-Manchester area.

[flamingyouth]

23. Do you have any DVDs to work out with at home?

Sometimes that can be fun too. And it might tide you over until you can find a new teacher. Good luck! :hi:

[evlbstrd]

5. My daughter does.

She even did it to Irish music.

[SocratesInSpirit]

9. You can bellydance to pretty much anything...

I was recently practicing to electronica. Good for practicing shimmys.

[Maine Mary]

7. I learned in bar in the West Bank, Israel.

It didn't come as easy as I thought it would. The biggest thing is to learn how to isolate just the midsection/waist for movement. Once I got that, it became easier.

[SocratesInSpirit]

11. You learned in Israel? Awesome!

I found that learning to isolate and move my hips was the hardest - before, when I danced (at parties and whatnot) I looked so dorky because I didn't move my hips at all. Taking bellydancing has improved my overall dancing ability, and I've become much more graceful. :)

I find undulations hardest at present.

[Maine Mary]

14. I only know the basic idea.

But the wife of one of our Palestinian hosts spent a couple of hours teaching me. It was alot of fun when we went to the bar later.

I'd take REAL lessons if I wasn't so far out in the boonies. I bet you're in great shape from doing it on a regular basis. Good luck w/the undulations!
:-)

[SocratesInSpirit]

16. Thanks!

I'm actually a bit out of practice as there were a few months between lessons and I just started again recently. And now since I'm moving it'll probably be a few more months between lessons until I get settled and locate a teacher.

[jeff30997]

8. Oh girls ! You're making me horny !

But HEY! Belly dancing is a terrorist dance !You hate me for my freedom ! Aaaaaargh!

[SocratesInSpirit]

17. Heehee...

Silly. :7

[u4ic]

13. I took bellydancing lessons a few years ago

Was it ever fun...and empowering. :)

[SocratesInSpirit]

15. It is empowering...

Heehee - women understand this more than men. Whenever I've mentioned to a woman I'm taking bellydance, their response is always, "that's awesome! I was thinking of doing that/have done that in the past." Whereas men just give me bemused/surprised looks.

[RevolutionaryActs]

18. I have a tape that teaches you the basics, it's sooooooooo much fun

I haven't done it in forever, but I love it. I would love to take some more professional classes, I just need the time. hehe

[SocratesInSpirit]

20. I hear ya on lack of time...

In all the stuff I have going on, sometimes bellydancing falls to the wayside...I'm hoping not to get too out of practice as I transition from one place to another. A tape would probably be good. Where did you get your tape?

[RevolutionaryActs]

21. I think I got it off of Amazon.

I can't find the one I have, but there are tons of tapes and DVDs:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/103-5769972-9148662?field-keywords=bellydancing&mode=blended&tag=mozilla-20&sourceid=Mozilla-search

[SocratesInSpirit]

22. Thanks, I'll check it out.

I've also ordered zills from them - through a third-party seller.

[southlandshari]

24. Three years of lessons, two years living in the Middle East

:hi:

[JimmyJazz]

25. Your pool of talents is very deep!

:wow:

[southlandshari]

26. LOL!

Don't count on it - I'm a little rusty!

:D

[Trigger Hippie]

27. Yep, I took classes for a year a while back.

I can't wait to get back into it once I can afford it. I lost a lotta weight in my midsection and felt really sensual and sexy. It was great to get together with a group of women and have fun dancing together. :hi:

[myrna minx]

28. I love belly dancing.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005N8AM/qid=1126901925/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-5564686-5219842?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

These are the DVD's I have which are so fun. As an Irish Norwegian woman, it was a bit difficult to realize I had muscles in certain places, but wow, learning how to do the basic moves was one of the best things I have ever done. :-)

[atomic-fly]

29. Dang, no pictures in this whole thread