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Have You Ever Wondered What It's Like To Try... Belly Dancing?! ♥
in I Want... Life!, I Want... Fun!5 Sep 2011 | 17 Comments
Hands up if you've ever gawked at the astoundingly alluring art of belly dancing and thought ''ooh, how exotic and captivating! Must try!''?
Gosh, what a coincidence. ME TOO, which is precisely why I skipped along to a 'Beginner's Guide To Belly Dancing' class last Friday night!
Wearing a Tool band t-shirt (which was pretty apt, because that's exactly what I felt like!) and a maxi skirt (the website advises that participants wear a long skirt or comfortable pants for the lesson), I headed off to Sydney's Dance Central to discover how difficult it could be, and boy, did I ever. Belly dancing is tricky! Much, much more complicated than it looks! Luckily, it's also much more entertaining than it seems, and it's a surprisingly good work-out.
Pardon my cruddy phone photography (my actual camera had inconveniently ran out of batteries), and the absence of a full class. I would've LOVED to have taken a snapshot of everyone in motion, but, you know. Respecting people's privacy and all!
So, what's involved? Shimmying (swinging your hips from side to side rapidly without actually physically swinging your hips. See? Hard, huh?!), elegantly striding forwards on one foot and then stepping back while throwing your arms out, thrusting your pelvis out and then backwards, and many, many arm movements. Challenging and interesting!
The empty studio. The instructor looked at me as though I had several heads when I asked if I could take a photo of it (fair enough!) and told me that I'd have to ask the academy's management, but when I explained what I was trying to do, they kindly obliged!
♥
At $17, it was a relatively inexpensive experience, and it was definitely an enjoyable one! I'd recommend attending a class and wearing something sliiightly sexy (for the first fifteen minutes I couldn't stop giggling at myself in the mirror. I think donning something a little more... I don't know... seductive?!... would've helped me to take everything more seriously!), and opting for a class on an afternoon or Friday evening if you're feeling nervous. I picked a 5.30PM session and there were only five other girls in the class!
Have YOU ever tried belly dancing? Would you ever try belly dancing?
xoxo
Comments (17)
Eee! I want to try belly dancing! In fact, my sister FB'd me asking if when I get back from NZ i'd like to do some sort of class with her! I said yes, belly dancing!
8 Sep 2011, Natalie, http://extralargeaslife.com
Oh shoot!
Sometimes I have troubles commenting on your blog... don't worry though, I'm gonna try untill I do post something!
Anyway, this year I'm going to go back to belly dance (tribal style mostly), it's so so fun!
I'm looking forward for your experiences, please do share them! And I'll tell you about mines, deal? :D
7 Sep 2011, Euforilla, http://www.euforilla.com/
I belly danced for 9 years and loved it. However I was a bit embarrassed to be in the costumes.
7 Sep 2011, Samantha, reinventedsamantha.blogspot.com
Oh I've always wanted to try belly dancing! It looks really fun.
6 Sep 2011, Katie
Yes! I definitely would love to try belly dancing. But I would only dare to go after I get rid of my huge food baby....
6 Sep 2011, Celeste @ Becoming Beautiful, http://www.becoming-beautiful.com
I have a voucher for a five-week intensive bellydancing series, but I still have yet to take it! I'm kind of scared to take the classes, but it seems like so much fun! And an awesome workout, as you said!
6 Sep 2011, Sheena, http://clandestinechic.com
I've tried it with friends years ago - so much fun! Great workout as well and the outfits are gorgeous! Bright colors, flashing medallions - everything my ADD loves.
Thanks for the awesome travel tip - totally agree!
6 Sep 2011, Halley, www.lifeofsomethingnew.com
I've been bellydancing for four years now and I LOVE it. I do American Tribal Style rather than Egyptian, which is a lot more earthy and flowy. It always makes me feel so womanly and in control of my body. Everybody should try it.
6 Sep 2011, Davinia, http://www.daviniahamilton.com
you make me want to try!! another dance style I would like to try is african dance!
5 Sep 2011, soapymermaid, www.soapyinherthirties.blogspot.com
It sounds like so much fun :)
I've always wanted to try belly dancing, but there aren't any classes anywhere near me :( Ah well, someday!
5 Sep 2011, Rosie, http://thisisrosie.ca
My old flat mate and I went along to a few belly dancing classes quite a few years ago now.
You're right..it's HARD! I couldn't really master it, but it was definitely fun trying. And the instructor was a nutcase - in a good way. Very, very entertaining!
5 Sep 2011, Cathy, www.cathytopping.com
It does sound like a really awesome work out for the mid section!
I probably wouldn't instigate the attempting of belly dancing, but I would definitely think, "What the hell? It's fun trying new things" if a friend asked me to accompany her.
I get this hilarious mental image of me belly dancing at 7 months preggers - that would be interesting hahaha. BELLY dancing!! (I'm an idiot).
5 Sep 2011, Kez, http://awesomelyunprepared.wordpress.com
Carrie - Actually, I think alcohol would help! ;) One of the biggest tricks to belly dancing is (apparently) being able to relax your body enough to coerce it to move naturally... AND I CAN'T DO THAT! Maybe a drink would've helped! ;)
Karen - Hahahaha! Yes, with guys added to the mix, it WOULD be fun and weird and embarrassing all at the same time! :)
5 Sep 2011, Corrine/Frock & Roll, www.frockandrollonline.com/blog
I have tried it but it was a workshop in highschool. I remember four of the guys in my class being there. It was fun and weird and embarassing all at the same time. A lot of laughs though... Hehe.
5 Sep 2011, Karen, http://simplecupoftea.wordpress.com
My friend had a belly dancing night for her hen's night and it was so much fun! Definitely harder than it looks, but when you're drunk you don't really care anyway lol x
5 Sep 2011, Carrie, http://carrieloves.wordpress.com/
Julie - Wow, Polynesian dance?! That sounds like a HEAP of fun! That's awesome about your friend, sheesh, after 10 years, she must be an incredible belly dancer. I'm so unco-ordinated that I don't know if I'll ever be able to master the moves, but I'd really, really like to! (And actually, the idea of a recital would kind of excite me, because it'd FORCE me to become competent! :D )
5 Sep 2011, Corrine/Frock & Roll, www.frockandrollonline.com/blog
I've never tried belly dance but I've tried polynesian dance. I went with some friends of mine and most of the girls in the class were beginners (we were 40 girls in total) so we ended up being silly together when we didn't get the steps or something.
It was fun until they mentioned a recital and I panicked and never went back to class >_< I don't like dancing on a stage x_X.
One of my friends has belly danced for like 10 years (at least), she's excellent and has a lot of fun doing it. She says that it is the only activity she wouldn't quit at all (the woman does ninjutsu, ballet, belly dancing, does something that has to do with search and rescue during natural disasters, paints, writes, plays the organ, goes to two different colleges and works).
5 Sep 2011, Julie, http://juliettemaxwell.com
