Article by YUKI for Nafoura Belly Dance Magazine June 2009 Issue.

Why Belly Dance?

For many women, belly dance is a life-altering experience. We belly dance for a multitude of personal reasons. For many among us, it is much more than a physical workout. It can signify strength, femininity, poise, and rhythm, as well as fitness, positivity, creativity, and self-awareness. It is truly an all encompassing discipline. Not only does it tone your body physically, it impacts your posture, flexibility, and coordination skills, as well as boosting mental and emotional well-being. Few understand the true benefits of belly dance – that is, until they experience these benefits for themselves.

Many years ago, whilst working as a researcher in Japan, I unexpectedly fell upon the world of belly dance. It was the strangely mystical combination of the music and rhythms, and the mesmerising belly dance moves that first drew me in. Over the years, I have made belly dance ‘my own’ and it has truly become an essential component of my life on many levels. Below are some useful thoughts – for belly dance newbies – and reminders - for the rest of us - on the profound benefits of belly dance.

Physical Benefits of Belly Dance

One of the most significant physical benefits of belly dance is the positive effect it has on your posture. The dance focuses on correct posture at all times and works on core muscles through isolation. The emphasis on maintaining this correct posture can bring out incredible poise and confidence in your stature. The low intensity nature of belly dance and its repetitive motions also mean that it is safe and gentle to your joints, working in line with your body, rather than ‘against’ it. With good posture and the pelvis tucked in, movements such as the hip drop and figure eights when done correctly, aid in preventing lower back pain. With practice and repetition, lower and upper body muscles are evenly toned in a safe manner.

As in any cardiovascular activity, belly dance is also beneficial for weight management depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency of the dancing. It is an alternative exercise option that can provide a great low impact workout for women of all ages. Other evident physical benefits include improved flexibility, strengthened muscles, toned arms through upper body repetitions such as the snake arms and shoulder movements, and stronger bones. Such physical improvements to your body can also result in a positive spill-over effect on other important areas of your life that appear lacking or that may need a boost.

Certain belly dance repetitions are also widely recognised to be helpful for pre and post natal women.Practicing smooth upper body movements, circular hip movements, figure eights, and various gentle travelling steps can maintain fitness, ease back pains, strengthen pelvic and abdominal muscles, and effectively de-stress pregnant women. These movements can also help in speeding up recovery after delivery, and promote feelings of wellbeing during such a vulnerable stage in a woman’s life.

Holistic Benefits of Belly Dance

Often not enough focus is placed on the mental and emotional - or holistic – aspects of belly dance. In public, belly dance is often showcased as a physical or sensual dance, and less emphasis is placed on its real emotional benefits.

Belly dance is a significant confidence-building dance. The act alone of attending a belly dance class often produces feelings of happiness and positivity. Over time and through consistent practice, movements start to look graceful, flowing, and effortless, and the dancer learns to develop poise, elegance, and self-esteem. Many dancers then begin to develop a desire to excel further in the dance. It has inspired countless women who are usually timid and introvert to perform with confidence and joy for family and friends, and in public.

Many of the movements in belly dance involve control and awareness of the breath. Even when doing repetitive lower body moves such as the shimmy,the dancer needs to maintain steady breathing. When doing a chest drop, you can break down the movement further by inhaling as you lift the chest and exhaling as the chest comes down. Such movements encourage breath awareness (like in yoga), and develop control of the breath that is vital for stress
relief and emotional stability. By attending belly dance classes, women are
also given opportunities to learn belly dance in a supportive environment and socialise with other like-minded belly dance enthusiasts. This may further encourage them to attend other belly
dance workshops and events, and participate in performances together. Through a mutual appreciation of this art form, women often feel extremely empowered. Many strong and lasting friendships have been developed as a result.

One of the most unique aspects of belly dance is its enchanting sounds and rhythms that are associated with the dance. Arabic music encompasses complex sounds and hypnotic elements that can really draw you in as a listener and dancer. Listening and dancing to these melodies is inspiring and uplifting. It also encourages us to be creative.

Belly Dance is FUN

One of the best aspects of belly dance is that it is constantly evolving and that there are no ‘hardset’ rules. In that sense, we can make it our very own fun, liberating dance. There are also no requirements or preferences in terms
of age, body shape, or nationality. Women are celebrated and accepted as they are. Many women continue their involvement in belly dance through attending weekly belly dance lessons and workshops. There are also those
like myself who have chosen to share their experiences through teaching. Others may focus primarily on performing, selling belly dance
merchandise, or organising belly dance events. Whichever path is taken, what is evident is that women today can hugely benefit both physically
and holistically through belly dance. We
can enjoy, self-improve, maintain our health, be inspired, and express ourselves positively in many ways and for a lifetime, through this beautiful
art form.

London Bellydance: Hub for bellydance in London

There is a story in our dance, a reason we need to dance, a reason we choose specifically, Belly dance.

In our search to find the ancient text within our bodies, might we allow our story to evolve, to also speak of the bold feminine we encompass in our present time? Might we find strength in the opening, the fusion of ancient and modern?

Let us welcome the force of change, cautious of that which rushes us to adhere tradition to our ever-changing expression.

In dance, once we have learned the challenge of the body, our muscle control, and the tradition from where it comes, we have only begun to unfold the precious fabric of our medium. Let's not stop. Let's continue the evolution of our dance. Let us, dancers, each participate in the continuous creation of our language.

Sera

1. Step the rhythm with your feet

Step the rhythm with your feet. Everything comes back to rhythm - it is the pulse, the base, the groundwork for your dance. You primarily feel the rhythm with your feet and lower body - legs and hips. When your feet 'feel' the rhythm and pulse or step on the 'doms' and raise for the 'taks' your body understands the rhythm. Apply this principle whether dancing on the spot or travelling with your steps.

2. Relax your jaw, relax your hands

Relax your jaw, relax your hands. Dancing with a slightly open jaw will relax your whole body. The jaw in yoga is linked with the pelvic area, so by relaxing the jaw, throat and neck will actually help release the flow of energy in the hips! Egyptian dancers always have their mouths slightly open. This is why lip-synching will often make your dancing very relaxed. Also relax your hands, let them feel and flow with the music. To test this, try to shimmy with clenched fists and jaw, then relax them.

3. Be present, be IN tune the music

Be present, be in tune with the music. Totally immerse yourself in the music the way your body dictates. You must understand your body, instinctively knowing its timing and techniques. The analytical mind must take a back seat so the creative mind can take over. The secrets here are a) listening, b) breathing, c) focusing, d) flowing. These are the easiest ways to centre yourself and engage wholly with the music and movement.

4. Simplify

Simplify. In dance, less is more. Keep your moves simple, clear and clean. Follow the beat and accent the beats that asked to be accented. Don't double time or throw in accents where there are none. Let the body respond to the instrument in the way it is being played, held and felt by the musician - arms to flutes, shoulders to violins and req, chest to accordian, belly to oud, lower belly to qanoon, hips to tabla, feet to base tabla.

5. Vary your movements with space, level, timing

Vary your movements with space, level, timing. Soheir Zaki mastered the art of using only several simple moves, but made them look like many. The same move keeps its hypnotic momentum when the level is changed, ie: the knees bend to make it appear lower or the dancer raises herself on the balls of her foot to lift the move. The move can be doubled when the tempo increases or the beats occur in more rapid frequency. It can be halved and slowed down to create accented beats. Lastly, become a master of space when you dance - learn to turn well, step into balanced floor patterns and train yourself to turn sharply so that you face the front and then the back with ease.

6. Use your arms like the conductor of an orchestra

Use your arms like the conductor of an orchestra. When the music is deep and low, let your arms remain low and poised as you dance. When the musical scale rises, lift your arms to follow it. For the crescendo, lift your arms high. When music like the qanoon for example trickles from high to low scale, follow it with your arms and hands as if describing falling rain. Lift the arm with the music as though you were 'lifting' the music itself.

7. See the music, let your eyes light up

See the music, let your eyes light up. Arabic dancers use their eyes in a very relaxed yet powerful way. They see the music. Do the same when you dance. When the melodies get high and light, look upwards, as the Persians did, believing dancing was for the Gods. For dynamic earthy drums, look down at your hips and enjoy the movement. During 'question and answer' sections within the music, be two different personalities engaging in 'conversation' - one is demure, the other robust. Let the changing character of the music fill your body and express it with your eyes - be sultry, triumphant, melancholy, passionate, coy, mischievous.


8. Practice WITHOUT a mirror as much as possible

Practice WITHOUT a mirror as much as possible. Get used to feeling the music, generating a mood, being totally present as you dance. What you see in the mirror is the reverse of what you actually look like. A video is a more accurate image of yourself, that's why we sometimes feel our dancing on video looks 'foreign' to us! When dancing infront of a mirror, you tend to look forward and the head, shoulders and chest don't relax like they should in natural dance.

9. Technical challenges when learnt well, later become creative tools

Technical challenges when learnt well, later become creative tools. Technical steps and 'routines' require total focus as they are being learnt. It even seems to go against the grain of 'organic' dance. But the body has an incredible cellular memory. Practice, practice, practice. Logical dance steps, turns and transitions first engage your analytical mind, like riding a bike or cooking a new recipe. However once mastered, the experience later becomes a creative and enjoyable one. You begin to forget the mechanics and enjoy the senses. Once your body learns the technicalities of bellydance, they become second nature and part of the creative process.

10. Detach and focus at the same time by surrendering to the music

Detach and focus at the same time by surrendering to the music. Dance is a kind of meditation - a very integrated, present-moment experience. With meditation, you must detach from the rambling mind thought process and remain clear and open by focusing on breathing and posture. The same applies for bellydance. By surrendering to the music and letting it 'guide' your body, you release mental blocks that stifle creativity. When you are fully engaged in the flowing, creative process of dance you detach from the judgmental mind that constantly assesses if you are doing well or poorly, right or wrong. Instead, focus on the purity of each move; your merging with the music. In this meditative state, the mind does not interfere with judgement and you produce your most authentic dance expression.