Humm,

I'm starting a new belly dancing class on Monday and i'm super excited!! Just wondering if any of you lovly ladies have done belly dancing before - if so did you enjoy it?!

Also i'm a bit suck on what to wear? Dont want to turn up all inappropriate!

x x x

...most wigglers wear whatever they feel comfy in and can move freely in in class.. but some will glam up a fair bit more and be hitting the sequins... tho you won't see many in full on cabaret bedlah (bra n belt) - cossies aren't easy to clean so practicality is key! and depending on your teacher (and the dance style) you may well work up a sweat. typically to start out most wear a long flowing gypsyish skirt. take a nice long scarf to tie around your hips - as that is where your attention will be focussed - if you haven't got a coin belt (heaps cheap on ebay). if you don't like dancing barefoot, or get sore feet easily, take ballet pumps. it's helpful also to take a few props - a large old floaty sarong to use as a veil, and maybe a garden cane for stickdance.
you'll find many core moves are similar to those in burly (altho many bellyers will disagree and distance themselves a tad snootily from burly.. it's a bit of an ongoing thing i'm afraid for bellyers who think burly is seedy - but some are embracing it- such as 'bellydance and burlesque' in wolverhampton/rugby)- altho more 'contained' and controlled.. so in many ways it's easier to go from bellying to burly than v.v. i'd say.. expect your bumps to become 'taqs' or hits, your grinds to become hip circles or 'umis', your shimmies to become.. well shimmies or shivers, but often with a different point of focus or technique.
a couple of good links are on the 'mosaic' site and orientaldancer.co.uk.
hope this helps

Hey, I've been belly dancing for just over 2 years and absolutely love it. Got a show on the 13th of December and am getting really excited about it, our teacher came up with some an awesome choreography this term, can't wait!
As for clothes, some soft trousers are fine, a lot of girls in my group wear leggings, just something thats easy to move in, and a tight top so the teacher can see what you're doing. Bare foot or ballet shoes are common footwear, socks aren't recommened as you may end up slipping around a bit! I feel weird not having something around my hips when I'm belly dancing, whether it be a coin belt or just a regular scarf, plenty of places sell these cheaply online if you don't have any yet.
I think its so much fun, hope you enjoy it!
xxx

woo, thanks ladies!

Think i will go for leggings and ballet pumps and maybe sneak a wee tasseled scarf in there too Oh im so excited - will let you know how i get on

ive done both trad bellydancing and american tribal bellydancing both of which are the same but different and i really enjoyed them...probably the tribal slightly more so...legging or loose fitting dance trousers, bare feet and a comfy top oh yeah and defo the tasselly scarf too!!!!! hope you enjoy it as much as i did...xxx

Hey,
I do belly dancing as well. I try to go once a week. I love it, really good fun!
Hope you enjoy it.
x

I am sure it wil be lots of fun! I go every week and I do enjoy it. However I didn't understand a lot of what Miss D Meanor said as our teacher works at my level and explains moves very simply, eg, pushy hands up, funky chicken, funny eyeballs, etc - very helpful! But I have learnt something so thank you!!

DO let us know how it goes.
xx

Yey,

i really enjoyed it Its a bit rubbish coz the room we are in has no mirrors so i cant see if it looks right or not. huff puff. Might try a different class.

x

Ack! One of my pet hates - lack of mirror space when I'm trying to get a routine right!

I know that, pending a lottery win, I just have to suck it up to an extent when practicing at home but if you're charging money for a regular dance class the least you should provide are decent mirrors.

I've been bellydancing for seven years now and love it!
There are some great cheap online shops for coin belts etc, Aladdin's Cave used to do a good selection, and check out the JWAAD Fantasia festivals a couple of times a year where you can do workshops in everything from finger cymbals to flamenco fusion at all levels, with teachers from around the world teaching, including the Eqyptian greats sometimes! I learnt how to sword dance at one of them.
I actually taught a class briefly at The Intrepid Fox in London and would love to run a beginner's class again if there's interest, have been looking into venues if anyone has any ideas let me know.
I don't think its that bellydancers are "snobby" about burlesque, its just incredibly different culturally and you have to appreciate that...but the stage presence and how you project yourself is exactly the same, and both are great fun! I actually had a burlesquer turn up to one of my classes and leave because it wasn't what she was expecting (I started off with Egytian music and traditional moves which put her off, but later we danced to everything from Shakira to Rob Zombie...).
xxx