Any belly dancers here? If so what style do u dance? Asked my Dr. how soon I could go back to my dance class after surgery ( although I didn't mention what kind of dance). He said 2 weeks. I am wondering if that is too soon. Most of belly dance is either glut or abs driven.

Khy

i waited 4 weeks to start dancing again

and 6 weeks for belly dancing

( i did cheat a little for few mins )

but since your are using your abs,, you would be better waiting for 6 weeks till everything heal well

cheers

6 weeks. I just didn't want to risk the abs! i was so happy to get back to class. We do drills, a little yoga, and mostly Egyptian with a little tribal thrown in some days. I have to tell you, that all that dancing for 2 years before surgery really payed off. I couldn't see how until I lost some fat and wow! muscles underneath!

I totally agree with above.

I dance mostly ATS. I have some training in cabaret. As fat as i am I can almost see a waistline... can't wait until the fat comes off so i can see if it is really there. I am hoping I have muscles underneath like you. If I don't it wouldn't be for lack of trying of exercising them. I will hate missing class. 6 weeks... gonna hate that. I intend to go and sit on the sidelines and take notes. Oh well since arms and hands are important to the style... guess it will be a good time to practice that.

khy

Hi, I would love to take up belly dancing but there are no classes in my area. Can anyone recommend a good beginner video or warning of which to avoid?

Hi, I would love to take up belly dancing but there are no classes in my area. Can anyone recommend a good beginner video or warning of which to avoid?

There are tons of Bellydance how tos on Youtube.. check some out, and see whos style you like... I have found bellydance dvds at Ross and you may be able to find them on ebay or amazon for cheep... see whats available and then check them out on youtube. There are a number of styles, so it depends on what you like! The best tribal style for me is Rachel brice or Fat Chance Bellydance out of the Bay Area, Egyptian style there are so many, a little research will be good, and you will enjoy seeing all the dancers! Let us know what you decide.

here is a preview of one of Rachels DVDs

and fat chance

fat chance belly dance tribal basics

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fat+chance+belly+dance+tribal+basics&aq=5&oq=Fat+chance

There are many styles of bellydance. Each have their own look. Cabaret or Egyptian are what you think of as the tradtional bellydance. American Tribal Style was invented by Carolena Nericcio and her troop is called Fat Chance Belly Dance ( in reference to all the idiots that were asking for a private or table dance). A style that sprung from that is called Tribal Fusion. Even though its roots are ATS, it looks very different. Turkish bellydance looks somewhat different than cabaret. For getting an idea of what cabaret looks like ... look on youtube for Sadie & Kaya or just Sadie. To see what ATS looks like ... of course look at Fat cChance Belly Dance. For Tribal Fusion, look at Zoe Jakes or Rachael Brice. Bellydance provides good workout for your abs.

Khy

Wow, this is a really interesting topic. Thank you ladies for sharing you knowledge on the subject. I can say I have always been intimidated by belly dancing, but it looks like so much fun. I think I might take the plunge!

Wow, this is a really interesting topic. Thank you ladies for sharing you knowledge on the subject. I can say I have always been intimidated by belly dancing, but it looks like so much fun. I think I might take the plunge!

Its just one of those things, you start out feeling like a klutz, but if you stick with it, you get better and better until your not a klutz any more! If you are really interested, just don't give up! I have been taking classes for 3 years, and I can truly say I am much better than when I started. I really enjoy it and now that the fat is melting off, the belly dancer muscles are starting to show!

Thanksso much for the info ladies, guess I'll be doing some research this weekend.