Bring out your inner Goddess with the mystical powers of Belly Dance. Suitable for every woman, allowing you to explore your sensuality while having fun and keeping fit.
Benefits of Belly Dance
Belly Dance is based on the natural, organic movements of the body and is suitable for people of all ages and all body types. Belly Dance does not require any prior dance experience and allows you to build on basic technique so you can start creating your own personal style through self-expression.
Belly Dance is a great way of keeping fit while having fun at the same time. You will burn calories as you dance, your metabolism will increase, your digestive system will be stimulated and at the same time you will be learning the most beautiful, sensual, mystical, enchanting dance there that there ever was.
You will never tire of Belly Dancing. Belly Dancing has many different styles that have evolved from all over the world. There is Traditional Egyptian, Contemporary Egyptian, Greek, Lebanese, Turkish, Moroccan Belly Dance and many more styles to learn. The joy of Belly Dancing is that it is a never-ending dance that will hold your interest forever.
History of Belly Dance (Middle Eastern Dance)
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Belly Dance (Middle Eastern Dance) started as an ancient ritual dance that was danced by women, for women, for fertility and childbirth. It was also used for celebrations such as the ‘coming of age’ when a young woman attained her first menstruation.
‘Belly Dance’ in the Arabic language is known as ‘raqs sharqi’ (eastern dance) or sometimes ‘raqs baladi’ (folk dance).
Belly Dance has many origins and has been traced back to Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece where engravings of dancers have been found dating back to 1000 B.C. In approximately 1890 Belly Dance was introduced to the Western world and the term ‘Belly Dance’ evolved through viewers’ fascination with the movements of the dancers’ hips. The word ‘hips’ could not be used as it was not a word that was thought of as decent in that era, and so the word ‘belly’ was used instead. The dancers were fully clothed in those days and wore only a simple cloth tied around their hips. |
It was only when Hollywood started including dancers in their movies that costumes became more glamorous. Sequined bra-tops and belts were worn, showing off the dancers’ midriffs and enabling the audience to see the dancers’ moves a lot better.
Belly Dance was always a dance of improvisation and didn’t include any choreography. However, eventually Egypt followed Hollywood’s example and started including dancers in their movies. The early Egyptian movies demonstrate the dancers’ awkwardness as they try and dance the same steps together after years of being able to dance their own dance, to their own rhythm.
Belly Dance Teacher & Performer
Helena Edwards
Helena has been dancing since she could walk as her mother, Evelyn Edwards, was also a dance teacher teaching Ballet and Scottish Highland Dancing. Helena did Ballet, Scottish Highland Dancing, Modern, Latin American and Ballroom Dancing until she finally discovered Belly Dancing, which she has been dedicated to since 2000, learning various different styles.
It had always been a dream of Helena’s to go to Egypt and to see how Belly Dance was preformed in the country of its origin. This dream came true when she first went to Egypt in 2002 and not only did she see real Egyptian Belly Dancers, but more importantly she said, she was lucky enough to witness a local wedding which proceeded through the streets of Cairo and into the hotel she was staying at.
“Everyone in the wedding procession was dancing,” she said. “It was the most beautiful event I have ever seen. The dance was completely natural for all the men, women and children in the group. They were all in harmony with their bodies and with the music that was playing. The sound of the drums playing echoed powerfully right to the depth of my soul. I have never been more certain of my love for Belly Dance since then, and never more proud to be a part of it.”
NEW BEGINNERS CLASSES STARTING AT IMARA RIVONIA GYM IN JANUARY!
COMING SOON:
BELLYDANCE AND YOGA FOR PREGNANCY
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