- Dancers of Odyssey
There is a magic to BellyDance that is different for everyone…it embraces you in it’s ancient arms as a wonderful dance for young and (in my case) old whether you have absolutely no dance experience or have danced all your life. Wow! It absolutely has the power to transform your life and each dancer has a different story. Let me share a few…
One of my students was going through a horrible divorce, had put on 60 pounds and was feeling overwhelmed, sad, and ugly. She related to me that literally this one little class I was teaching at a local recreation center was the one bright spot during very depressing, “just get to the next moment” days. I moved to my own studio and she followed as an avid student. She wound up being the absolute best dancer in my troupe, an high energy teacher and was a joy to watch and see with her sparkling smile and silly demeanor on stage.
Another stopped me after class to tell me that she started the class when her children were gone from home to fill a void and curiosity…now she actually has trained well and teaches this class herself.
My story as a dance teacher of Ballet, Modern and Jazz is probably typical…Ballet can wear out a body in two decades and the strain on bones is the hardest…especially when one is teaching 30 hours a week and trying to raise a family. There is a new muscle pain or stress everyday and then you are over 40 knowing that something has to give but you must dance…Belly Dance fills that void with challenges, grace and ease to the body.
Sometimes I see students come into class with a misguided notion that bellydance is some kind of hoochie mama indulgence only to find that it has technique, style and grace that is compared to Ballet (which is a much younger dance style by the way)
When you are fluffy, Belly Dance does not care. It wraps it moves around you with style and grace…When you are thin it can make you look like you have an imposing presence, when you are sad it can bring you joy…when you are young it makes your dance mature…if you are mature, it makes you move youthfully…and the costumes???? Wow! (but that is another article)
I just read an article that wanted to figure out why Belly Dance makes you beautiful. It is what it is…ancient earth mother of dance for us all, nurturing the best in us.
