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Belly Dancing That Embraced Body Diversity

by Eszter Boda
October 27 2009

To get in the mood for this blog post, listen to this song:

A little excerpt from Mary J. Blige’s “I’m the One”:
Let me break it down if you don’t get it
Quality I’m custom-fitted
I’m-a say it again
They ain’t got nothin’ on me, nothin’ on me
Way I walk, way I talk, my swagga*

*And in case you (just like me) didn’t know what “swagga” means, one definition is: appearance, style, or the way one presents him/herself.

Shake Yo’ Booty

I have always loved dancing. I’m no prima ballerina, but I always enjoy moving to music. Last weekend my friend Anna and I went to a belly dancing class. I’d never done belly dancing before, so I was pretty excited. The only thing I really knew about real belly dancers was that they are supposed to have a real belly to shake.

We arrived at the dance studio, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity in the classroom. There were black people, white people, exhibitionists, more shy folks, thin people and fat people - many fat people! And everyone was just dancing around, shaking their booties to the music and absolutely loving it.

I know a lot of people who think they’re too fat to attend gyms or dance classes; their weight makes them feel uncomfortable. While I wish this was not the case, I know what “feeling fat” is like and would never dismiss these friends’ concerns as silly. But there is something I can do! I can let them know that the belly dance classes I have attended so far have been full of curvy, bodacious women. The two thin people in class (with much less booty to shake) were the minority!

There were several people who just watched the class, taking in the energy and leaving with a class schedule, some of them to (I hope) return later. Go them! There were people with tie-on belly dancing skirts, a woman with a cane, and ladies with the funkiest outfits I have seen in a while.

Class Evaluation

In many belly dancing classes you stand in your own little area and move at your own pace as the instructor shows everyone some new moves. I was happy to be in an encouraging environment where people felt free to move around to the music.

Overall, I found my first belly dancing class to be an amazing experience. It was a very inclusive, supportive environment that embraced the body size of everyone in the room. People expressed their individuality through movement, through funky clothes and more. Everyone was extremely friendly, and I can’t wait to return for more belly dancing adventures.

Comments

• Birdyluv | posted October 27, 2009

  Belly dancing rocks! I took a class at an adult school 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Now, I belong to a troupe of women (who are much thinner) who perform regularly and I wear the same type of outfits they do, usually a beaded bra and belt (skirt or pants) that reveals a fair amount of skin…and I’m a girl with a big belly.

  Learning to belly dance was one of the best things I’ve ever done; the BD community is very accepting of all ages, shapes and sizes and the movements are so womanly - round and curvy! I’ve gained tons of confidence and always feel great after a class.

  Go on eBay and get yourself an inexpensive hip scarf; besides giving you a visual when learning hip movements, being able to make the coins jingle means you’re doing it right. Besides, who doesn’t need a little exotic glamour while dancing, too!

  Best of shimmies to you!

• Eszter Boda | posted October 28, 2009

  Wow, Birdyluv, thanks so much for the advice. I am super excited for the next class on Saturday. I will try to find a shimmy skirt before then.
  It is so great to hear how much you love belly dancing and that our experiences are so similar!
  Thanks again for sharing :-)

• Nicole | posted October 28, 2009

  I actually really love bellydancing and I think it is a fascinating experience for people to heal from body loathing.  As I’ve delved more into bellydance, I’ve learned the anatomy of my torso area (an area most large people are taught to hate).  I have to use my thinking mind sometimes to learn to do the moves.  So I have to attach the conscious cerebral cortexey part of my mind to these body parts, but I get to do it in a new way!  No mean fat talk.

  For example:  Contract your upper abs.  But leave your lower abs relaxed.  Pull your sternum towards your tailbone.  Now it’s time for a chest circle…  contract your left oblique… no no no!  not your psoas!  Your left oblique.  Pull your shoulder blades together and down, now your right oblique.  Back to contracting lower abs.  By the time one gets all these isolations body-mind-self integrated, and doing these dances…  brain and boobs/belly/butt have a whole new language to speak besides fat hatred.  And there is a whole new framework for your body being built in your conscious language thinking center.

  Bellydance talk is way cooler than fat talk.  :-)

  Some cool bellydance outfits are at:
  http://www.moondancebellydance.com/goddess.htm (up to 3X)
  http://creationsbyangelia.com (up to 10X)
  http://www.shimmysista.com (up to 3X)
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigbeautifulbellydancers
  All these sites are on the Plus Size Yellow Pages.  Click to these sites through us and support the work of the size community.

  Oh and just so we don’t leave our Big Awesome Guys (of all sizes) out… yes there are male middle eastern dancers too!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiqSAG6SbQ8

  Big Smiles,
  Nicole

• öregborgi | posted October 30, 2009

  Drága Esztikém !

  Hát olyan ügyes vagy és olyan jól nézel ki itt a képen, pont olyan vagy mint egy amerikai :-) .
  Gratulálok az ötlethez és a megvalósításához is, tetszik az üzletetek.
  Puszi András bácsi !