Shake it like a Polaroid Picture

I'm one of those nerdy people who enjoy joining organized activities, from bowling leagues to book clubs, and last night I began yet another fabulous class – Belly Dancing! While learning the art of Middle Eastern Dance has never been high on my list of priorities, I just couldn’t say no when Jeanna invited me to join her, Vanessa and Larisa at the YMCA on Monday nights. And since Larisa works at the Y, the classes are conveniently free, so what the hell.

Belly dancing is all about the female body; from building confidence to helping maintain a level of fitness that even improves things like pregnancy and child birth. This became immediately obvious to us when the instruction walked (no, waddled) in, roughly seven months pregnant! Although I can’t imagine trying to belly dance while carrying around that much extra weight, we immediately forgot about her pregnancy as she began the class.

I was pretty nervous about looking like a complete idiot in a room full of people who have been dancing for months or even years, but the instructor started with the basics. She taught us the proper posture, and we did some light warm ups. Then the fun really began, as we walked – toe, heel, toe, heel – in a circle while raising and lowering our arms and presenting our energy to the sky. Seriously. Apparently belly dancing is all about energy, which must enter through your pelvis and then explode out of your chest. This allows your inner goddess to be free (or something).

The class was really fun, but about halfway through I was convinced I was doing something wrong. Although I tried to follow the instructor as closely as possible, I never really felt like I was getting any sort of a workout. The woman in front of me, however, was literally dripping with sweat. Maybe she just took the class more seriously. I mean, she did have a skirt lined with traditional bells, and the front two inches of it could not be seen, due to her belly sagging down. I’ll have to work on that. Perhaps beer will help.

The last 20 minutes of the class were the most fun. We got to listen to some lively Middle Eastern music while we learned the basic steps to a dance. Most importantly, the instructor taught us the importance of breathing, and sound. We were supposed to grunt and moan with the music while presenting our energy to the sun, collapsing back in on ourselves, and shaking our hips. I’m pretty sure any guy who walked in the room would have spontaneously combusted to see all those women wiggling around while grunting and moaning.

After the class we went back to Vanessa’s house to make a healthy South Beach approved dinner, which was actually really good! It’s pretty easy to trick yourself into thinking that pureed cauliflower with imitation butter spray is real mashed potatoes! Overall, I was pretty happy with my first belly dancing experience, and will be coming back next week for sure. My only hope is that this activity will help reduce my belly, and not enhance it…