I want to see you Bellydance

I few years ago My college buddy Genie and his wife Adeela dragged me to a regional meet up of Tribal bellydance in South Florida. Bored and with nothing else to do on my weekend we arrived at High School in North Miami. To my amazement, the dance contained various acts and different skill levels headed by different instructors. I was aghast I was under the impression as many of you may also believe, that belly-dance was some form of striptease or even a type of Burlesque. Boy was I wrong, I could not wait to see another show and be completely enthralled by the varied moves, styles and even costumes that went along with the different acts.

I then became a greater fan and tried to attend most of the meetups and shows independant studios hold. I recently visited family and got in touch with my old friends and they are now taping the shows and performing at some. What a joy because I was nearly dying for a live performance of some kind and not nescesarily a play. I also saw for the first time a sword balancing act wich was truly impressive.

• Egyptian Raqs Sharqi & Raqs baladi
• Cabaret (not burlesque)
• Gypsy Caravan
• Tribaret
• Personalised styles
• Belly Dance Fusion

What makes it so appealing for most people is that there is no age or body size restriction in order to take a class. There many skill levels and it caters to women of all walks of life and ethnicity. Some do it for fun and might end up performing for a live audience if they choose to. Some become instructors and start their own studio and coordinate festivals or shows.