So in addition to doing regular yoga on my own and walking, I signed up for exercise classes! Not just any exercise class but dance exercise class which is much more fun.
My city offers all kinds of programs for the 50+ age group. That's where I joined instructor, Lois Walker's "Move and Groove" classes. She taught us the dance steps going through the decades like rock and roll from the fifties, the Roarin' Twenties' Charleston, the twist in the Sixties, 70's disco moves and also various Latin dances like the salsa and the cha-cha-cha. She also threw in a brief introduction to other classes she taught including boxercise and belly dancing.
It's always more fun to have the clothes which suited - for example flared skirts for rock and roll and some of the Latin dances. What delighted me was when she brought in extra sets of bell and coin charm embellished light scarves which we tied around our waists and around our necks (see my photo at top left).
She is a marvelous instructor who made her classes fun. I soon realized why those tinkly embellishments were helpful. If we didn't really move our hips much, there was little sound which made Lois remind us to "stop dancing like a Canadian"! We were all too self-conscious and stiff so we needed to relax and get into the groove.
The last time I wrote about belly dancing and jewelry was this post about a kumihimo bracelet tutorial made with belly dancing charms. There was one very negative reaction - one reader unsubscribed marking the post as offensive. What a shame that some misunderstand this dance form. But I also understand that misgiving as belly dancing is sometimes highly sexualized in the West with very skimpy outfits.
Traditional belly dance originated in Egypt long ago. It is a social dance where both men and women, young and old perform - although in conservative communities, the sexes are segregated. There are also professional dancers who keep the performance art form alive especially through film.
Belly dance is directly derived from the French term, danse du ventre or dance of the belly since much of the movement is centred around the hips. The term was used after an exhibition of Middle Eastern dancers in Paris in 1889. Raqs sharqi (Eastern Dance, Oriental Dance) is the name Egyptians use for the group of modern belly dances. The Sohag folk dance group demonstrated the Sai'di style with traditional clothes in this video . The dancing actually starts at the 2.08 min mark :
Over time, belly dance spread far and wide with every region developing their own style complete with their own traditional clothes and jewelry like the nomadic desert tribe, the Bedouins, in the video below. Bedouin women are known for their loud ululations (high pitched howls with a trilling component) which they use to honor someone :

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
I love your look, you seem to be having a great time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog. Until old age and other infirmaries came around I loved to dance. I am fortunate to have been able to see a lot of ethnic dances in their natural habitats. I've seen flamingo performed in Madrid, the tango performed in a park in Buenos Aires, Maori Haka in New Zealand, geishas doing their dances in Kyoto, Japan, Thai dancing in Bangkok, Ballet Folklorico in Mexico, the hula in Hawaii, and early American dancing while in the mountains of Arkansas. My wife use to clog and we did square and round dancing for years. Until I read this, I had forgotten all of the joy that comes from dancing. Just so you know, I would look really weird trying to belly dance and never would I wear all of the jingling apparel. You've done it again. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing list! How I envy your journeys.
DeleteHappy New Year my friend! Thanks for this deep dive into all these different dances! At one time I used to go out every weekend to any dance I could find and dance away the night. I had long gowns for ball room dancing and different outfits for whatever the dance was that was happening that weekend. I loved it! Now my husband doesn't dance - at all and I miss getting my feet moving when I hear some particular music. I know I could do it by myself but it often seems more fun with a regular partner. I even tried to convince him to take dance lessons and he agreed but it's never happened. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how the women in the different countries can move their hips with so little effort. Even the men! I doubt I could do that now with my afflictions but I do love to watch. The one thing I noticed about everyone was the smiles on their faces! I get that!!
Hope 2024 gets your feet and body moving even more Pearl. You'll have to keep us informed of your dancing accomplishments!
Dance exercise class is not only fun but no partner is required! I loved dancing as a very young child but never had the chance to take lessons.
Deletefascinating post about all the dance styles! I love to tap dance. And when you get frustrated with how your beadwork is going, stomping on the floor is great to release frustration! (but all these styles! I never knew! )Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think of dancing as a way of getting rid of frustration. I must remember that when I get stuck with a jewelry project!
DeleteThere is nothing better than dance. Such fun! My husband and I loved to dance and he was such an amazing dancer. I miss dancing with him. Thanks for this,Pearl and all the best to you and your loved ones in the new year
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! what an interesting variety there is in dance. I agree, the cossack dancers made my thighs ache! thank you for sharing, and enjoy those classes. I feel that dance as exercise is so much more fun than exercising for the sake of exercise, and I'm more likely to stick with it.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun which is why I keep signing up for these classes!
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