When I arrived at the Hilton Hotel where the Bellydancers of Color Association was holding its annual wellness conference, I though things looked really calm,… too calm.
Then I took the elevator to the 2nd floor and ah, yes! excitement and color and movement. Things to my left and right to entice me, but thankfully, just a few steps forward carried me to the registration desk. The women were friendly and professional to me, a novice, although there were plenty of experienced dancers waiting to jump into the pool of classes.
I got lost in the brochure, wanting to take things like the Morrocan Jug dance class or the class devoted to finger cymbal techniques. In the end it came down to Beginning Belly Dance versus “BellySculpting” and you know what happened. I couldn’t resist the temptation to see how traditional fitness applied to bellydance.
The class was in a ballroom, with pitchers of water in the back. Our teacher really did a fantastic job. We did a bellydance move, then her exercises, and then the bellydance move again- and yes, you could feel the difference for yourself ( and hear those joints).
After that, I made my way to the Vendors Market- good to see some friends, and then on to one more class. No, not the Morroccan one; something fun and familiar- a waistbead making workshop. It was so encouraging to see the revival of such traditional jewelry arts, that I didn’t want to leave. We sang, we shared, we created original items in a group/ collective setting. It was beautiful.
Thank you to all the organizers, instructors, vendors, and new participant friends who made the evening.
Have you ever tried (or do you practice) bellydance?
Do you wear waistbeads?