Great Belly Dancing Article

For most of my life I associated belly dancing with "Arab cultures" in the same hazy, xenophobic way I associated parrots with pirates and peace pipes with Indians. Moreover, thanks to the American film industry, I determined that belly dancing was a Middle Eastern variant on the strip tease - something the members of a harem would perform for the sultan. A vulgar, submissive folk art.

The Pawtucket Times - Ethnic dancing unveiled

This is a great article from the Pawtucket Times. After seeing how many people misunderstand belly dancing, this finally puts the record straight. It explains the misconceptions around belly dancing and then explains in layman's terms, exactly what it's all about. I can't see the name of the journalist who wrote the article, but I would love to send them my thanks for the article (shame it isn't in the New York Times or Washington Post ;-)

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydance, belly+dance, Belly+dancing+misconceptions, belly+dancing+origins

Fire and Belly Dancing Combined

Pyro-kinetic artist Molly Block can belly dance while spinning fiery objects around her body. She can dance with a flaming sword and staff. She even does fire breathing.

IDSnews.com

Not one I suggest you try at home but I bet it's great to watch!

Lisa x

technorati tags:fire+dancing, belly+dancing, belly+dance, bellydance, poi, poi+dancing

Best Belly Dancing Videos and DVDs

I am regularly being asked which instructional belly dancing videos and dvds I recommend for beginners, and would love your input. I have already mentioned this in an earlier post and have since bought Jillina's (Bellydance Superstars) instructional dvd (part one) and think it is very good for beginners.

Please post your favorites here as well, so we can get a good catalogue together of the best (or worst) dvds and videos - then I might make a list on Amazon itself to help others.

Thanks,

Lisa

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, belly+dance, belly+dance+dvds, belly+dance+videos, belly+dance+beginners

Famous Egyptian Belly Dancer Samia Gamal

I found this great video on YouTube of the famous Egyptian Belly Dancer Samia Gamal.

If you would like to know more about Samia's history, read the web page below which gives a comprehensive biog (only some of which is shown):

Samia Gamal was born in 1924 in the small Egyptian town of Wana. Months later, her family moved to Cairo and settled near the Khan-El_Khalili bazaar. Samia Gamal then met Badia Masabni, the founder of modern Oriental Dance and accepted an invitation to join Badia Masabni's dance company. Samia Gamal became a soloist and brought forth a newer improvised style. Samia Gamal then incorporated technique from ballet and Latin dance into her solo performances.

Samia Gamal GoBellyDance.com

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, belly+dance, Bellydance, egyptian+belly+dance, egyptian+belly+dancer, samia+gamal, egyptian+nelly+dancing

Sore Belly Dancing Feet

I've been taking belly dancing classes for almost 3 years now and I've never had aching feet before! Yesterday we did alot of fast past traveling moves that require you to be on your tip toes. Yesterday was a pretty intense class, and I was fine afterwards. But today....ouch! My feet are really sore and aching on the balls and arches. How do you get rid of the pain and discomfort or at least prevent it from happening again??

Ouch! my feet... - Heavy Hips Tribal Belly Dance - tribe.net

I'd love to know the answer to this too - not so much for belly dancing, but for when I wear high-heels. The balls of my feet get so sore (I'm used to sneakers or bare feet). I'm sure others have the same problem so head over to the Heavy Hips blog and share your wisdom ;-)

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, belly+dance, bellydance, sore+feet

Utah's Annual Belly Dance Festival

This year marks the 26th year of Utah's Annual Belly Dance Festival at Liberty Park, August 18-20. Six hundred performers from around the world will perform at the fr*ee festival which features a bazaar, mouth-watering exotic food and clinics on dance, make-up, drumming and costuming. Check out the schedule of performers

http://www.kismetdance.com/belly-dance-festival/2006/performance-schedule.htm

I have just received an email about this year's Belly Dance Festival in Utah - now in its 26th year. The event is free to attend, so if you can make it, it looks like it just keeps getting bigger and better.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dance, Belly+dancing, bellydance, belly+dance+festival, utah+festival, utah+belly+dance

The Growing Popularity of Belly Dance

"To me, dance is a lifestyle," Parasson said. "It’s therapeutic. It helps me keep my sanity."For others, including one of the three dancer-instructors who organized the show, it’s something closer to obsession.

The Columbus Dispatch - Local/State

An interesting article not only because it focuses on belly dancers from different walks of life who have turned it into a career, but also because it draws attention to its increasing popularity in mainstream music.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, bellydance, belly+dance, shakira+belly+dancing, belly+dancing+career

Belly Dance Instructors and Performers

I*'m often asked where people can find instructors/classes or performers in their local area. I think the best place online is the directory at Shira.net:

http://www.shira.net/directory.htm

Search for your country and then area, and you should find what you are looking for. There are also links to other useful websites.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, belly+dance, belly+dance+instructors, belly+dance+performers

Bigots Against Belly Dancing

Free speech advocates planned to protest the cancellation of a belly dancing class at a public library, saying it amounted to censorship.

cbs13.com - Free Speech Advocates Protest Public Library

Another sad case of the "powers that be" misunderstanding belly dancing as an art, as well as its popularity.

The Board Chairman Ray Simon, said

"We would have to give equal opportunities for snake charmers and sword swallowers."

which just goes to show the bigotry that surrounds belly dancing just because it originated in the middle east. I hope that sense and open-mindedness win over in the end.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, banning+belly+dancing, bigotry, bellydancing, misunderstanding

Favorite Instructional Belly Dancing DVDs

I'd love to know your favorite instructional belly dancing dvds. I have always felt quite let down by the ones I have bought or rented in the past.

Molly just emailed me and recommended The Goddess Workout with Dolphina (Goddess Life) so I will be checking that one out. I have also just put in an order for a couple of the new dvds from Jillina who is chief choreographer and dancer for the Belly Dance Superstars. I interviewed her recently and not only is she a great dancer she is also an incredibly nice person who chatted with me even though she hadn't eaten yet and was famished!

Post your favorites below by clicking on comments.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, belly+dance, instructional+video, belly+dancing+video, goddess+workout, bellydance+superstars, jillina

Turkish Belly Dancing at Turkish Fest

This year’s Turkish Fest will also include traditional folk dance and belly dance performances. The Turkish market along the riverside will be serving the best Turkish food and drink as well as spices, textiles, arts and crafts, and music to promote Turkey abroad.

English

If you are in London on the 15th and 16th of July, you might want to visit Turkish Fest for some traditional Turkish Belly Dancing.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, belly+dance, bellydancing, turkish+dance, turkish+belly+dancing, turkish+fest, turkish+festival, London

Belly Dancing Tribute to Princess Leia

Sa'id created a special belly dance as a tribute to Leia, which she recently performed in a costume contest where she won first place.

Wired News: The Cult of Leia's Metal Bikini

As a kid I always thought Princess Leia was pretty cool and was happy to be her whenever we played Star Wars (while my brothers argued over who was going to be Luke and who would be Han). It seems I'm not the only one who was and still is a fan...but maybe some people take it a little far. This video is both cool and amusing at the same time!

Enjoy!

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, princess+leia, belly+dance, bellydance, tribute, star+wars

American Belly Dance

"American belly dance is used to describe someone who's taken Oriental dance style and changes it. I'm very different. There are two types of belly dancing -- Oriental and Tribal. I've … used influences from both. My arms are very ballet and flamenco -- because the Oriental style is mostly done below the waist, you would not see any arm movements. "

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/SCENE05/606180315

An interesting interview here with a young belly dancer about her style of dance and why she moved away from performing a traditional style.


Lisa x

My New Website

If you just can't get enough information on belly dancing, check out my new website and sign up for my newsletter at: http://www.bellydancingsecrets.com.

You can find out loads of stuff on Belly Dancing as well as hear interviews and watch free videos.

Look forward to seeing you there,

Lisa

technorati tags:belly+dancing, belly+dance, bellydance, website, interviews, videos

Another Belly Dancing blog

Also, she's a prefect example of an excellent skinny belly-dancer. Another common question that I was always asked is, do I need to have a bit of a belly to belly dance? The answer is totally, no! You don't have to. There is no specific body type to belly dance. You can be skinny, you can be curvy, pear shaped, apple shaped, ruler shaped, whatever.

a passion for belly dancing: Rachel Brice and body issues.

Here is another blog that I like to read from a belly dancer in Malaysia - I love her insights into belly dancing. And she's right - belly dancing is about celebrating being a woman, whatever shape you are.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, bellydancing, malaysia, blog, body+shape

Nelly Furtado Belly Dancing?

There has been some discussion about Nelly Furtado belly dancing in her new video Promiscuous Girl with Timbaland. I have to say that when I saw the video there was a little hip shaking but nothing I would consider recognisable as belly dancing technique.

In this video on Youtube there is a bit more evidence of an attempt to belly dance near the end. Perhaps she's trying to jump on the Shakira bandwagon?

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly+dancing, nelly+furtado, bellydancing, promiscuous+girl, timbaland

More Shakira and Belly Dancing

"I've been belly-dancing since I was four years old," Shakira, 25, was saying from Miami in an exclusive Canadian newspaper interview with The Sun."And nobody taught me how to do it. So it's something that's in my DNA, that I inherited. But I never got the opportunity to show my skills as a belly-dancer because I never did songs with this kind of Arabic element involved before. It seems that people really felt curious about that aspect."

CANOE -- JAM! Music - Artists - Shakira: Road trip ... she's driving

Further to previous posts about Shakira and her belly dancing roots, I found this interview she did. It still doesn't explain all the influences in her dancing but she does suggest that belly dancing just came naturally.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly, dancing, bellydance, belly+dance, belly+dancing, shakira

Belly Dance Finger Cymbals or Zills

Today, many fewer dancers use finger cymbals. Teachers start teaching finger cymbals later in class, or skip them entirely. Finger cymbal work is becoming more and more rare -- and really good finger cymbal work is even more scarce. But finger cymbals are not to be feared!

Want to Learn Something 80 Percent of Today's Belly Dance Teachers Don't Even Teach?

It was the title of the press release that caught my attention, and it's true, very few teachers I have come across teach this aspect of belly dancing.

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly, dancing, bellydance, finger, cymbals, zills, sagat

Belly Dancing and Pregnancy

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the practice of belly dancing may benefit women preparing for childbirth, as the movements strengthen and tone the pelvic floor muscles and the woman becomes more familiar with the way her muscles work. The hip-circling movements used in the dance may relieve some of the common discomforts of labor.

Belly dance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The idea of belly dancing helping in preparation for pregnancy absolutely fascinates me, but not ever having been pregnant I don't know how good it is!

A great blog to read if this interests you too is: Belly of the Goddess at

http://bellyofthegoddess.blogspot.com/2005/03/belly-dance-as-birth-dance.html

Bring out your inner goddess!

Lisa x

technorati tags:belly, dancing, pregnancy, belly, dance, bellydancing

International Belly Dancing Competition - A Different Perspective

More than 1200 contestants from around the globe came to Cairo this week, where they competed for the golden crown in Egypt's International Belly Dancing competition. Because of the event's official rules, not a single participant was Egyptian. However according to 'Dina', a famed Egyptian belly dancer, the rule was decided out of fairness: "Belly dance is our dance," she said, "When we compete with foreigners we win. It's not fair."

KABOBfest: Belly Dancing Gets Competitive (and Commercial)

I love this blog post on the International Belly Dancing Competition taking place in Egypt at the moment. It is a great commentary packed with humour.

Lisa x

technorati tags:Belly, Dancing, International, Competition, Egypt

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