HW11 Essay on movement/Bellydancing

I belong to a Middle Eastern Tribal fusion bellydancing troupe, named WhipLash.  Belly dancing is a large part of my life in many different ways.  I have learned the history of this ancient dance while learning the graceful moves that mesmerize the world.  My self esteem has always been low and through dance I have learned to compliment myself as well as take compliments from others.  The fear of performing for others was overwhelming in the beginning but with the help of my sister dancers I have also overcome this fear.  As you can see dance does affect your life in more ways then just the physical movement of the dance itself.

     Bellydancing is one of the oldest forms of dance there is, tracing back over six thousand years and has its own set of values and morals.  This form of dance was performed by women for women during family and social gatherings, during child birth and a girl’s first dance was her passageway into womanhood.  Women would gather in a circle showing off their grace, beauty and skill by dancing solo or in a group.  This dance was taught to every woman from a very young age and would become second nature to them.  The costuming we see dancers today was influenced by Hollywood, where history tells the story of women remaining covered in colorful clothing, scarves and belts.

     Bellydance is a beautiful art form that is displayed with many different movements such as, the shimmy, hip bumps, Turkish walk, belly rolls, camel and the horse to name a few.  I had no dance experience prior to taking this class with my sister at age 42.  We both thought it would be a great way to exercise and have fun while socializing with other women.  We both became hooked the very first class learning the basic move, the shimmy.  One must be committed to this dance to learn the movements with practice and determination. 

     As a child and adult I have always found myself having a low self esteem and feeling embarrassed when a compliment was given to me.  I was always and still am the first dancer to admit that I was incorrectly performing a move or step.  I flushed when a fellow dancer paid me a compliment.  With the collection of dancers (nurses, accountants, social worker, students) and their support I quickly overcome this, somewhat.

     Performing in front of an audience is and will always make me nervous but with the help of my dancing sisters, I have overcome this fear.  Our dance troupe embraces the fact that Bellydancing is performed by women for women.  We support each other in every aspect of our lives, be it good or bad.  Our former name was Alachwat, which means sisters but was changed due to having been announced by some pretty obscene names.  We are a lost tribe of dancing sisters being the happiest dancing in a circle laughing, talking and smiling with each other.

     As you can see Bellydancing has affected my life in many different aspects for the better.  I have the support of my loving family and my loving lost tribe.  With this support I am ready to try any new adventure that comes my way.  I am a very lucky person to have found such a wonderful group of dancing women.