Holly's Awesome Blog: Belly Dancing- one of my passions

Belly Dancing, also referred to “Oriental Dance” is one of my passions. One day, I was watching Shakira dance at an awards ceremony, and something just clicked. Soon after I looked “Belly dancing” up on the internet and watched different cultures of belly dancing on Youtube.com. The beautiful clothes, the rhythms, songs, numerous dance moves, and just the overall performance drew me in instantly. Since I already loved to dance I thought “why not” and looked up classes and times. I now take classes when I can at an Arabic company called Flowers of Araby, therefore belly dancing is called “raqs sharqi”. Belly Dancing is so unique and there are many Middle Eastern cultures that practice it. Some other popular cultures are Egyptian, Greek, Persian, and Turkish. I am use to the more Arabic/Spanish belly dancing customs. It is not something you just get down. You have to work at it and accomplish the right techniques. Some people may confuse belly dancing as something provocative, but it isn’t, it is a form of art and tradition.

Even if you are not a professional at the practice, it’s enjoyable to go to practices just because of entertainment and exercise. Belly dancing uses numerous stomach muscles; some you wouldn’t even know you had! For me, I love belly dancing because it is an intense workout but at the same time never gets uninteresting. I am passionate about belly dancing because it not only gives you more self esteem but teaches you many new things and regarding culture.