What is bellydance?

Belly dance’s low-impact movements are focused in the torso, hips, thighs, and glutes. The most obvious benefit is an incredible core muscle work-out that develops muscles you might not even know you have. Belly dance increases overall flexibility, but especially in the hips and spine, which as we get older tend to be the first things to stiffen up (many of the world's best known belly dancers are in their sixties, and they are still going strong!)... It also increases stamina while strengthening, toning, and sculpting.

Remember the old saying "if you don't feel good, you don't look good?" Belly dance makes you feel good, and it shows. Belly dance is more than just a work-out that you actually have fun while doing, it's an ancient beauty secret that fosters physical awareness, emotional strength, and the wisdom of how to be a powerful woman who is rooted in herself and in the world. Bellydance has a lot to teach, beginning with how to embrace our sensuality (no small thing for the majority of women) and finally bringing us to the awareness that liberation only comes after focused discipline, and that abandon and joy are born from centered composure.

While many popular exersize forms are geared towards the male physique, belly dance is the natural expression of femininity. It makes sense that movement based on the female body will work women's muscles in a way that male-centered exercize forms simply cannot. Men and women have different bodies and have different excercise needs. (That said, men can and do excel at bellydance.)

So, why should I take belly dance classes at Zanzibar?

The classes at Zanzibar are unique in that they are taught by highly trained dancers who have dedicated many years of focused study to Middle Eastern dance. We also have backgrounds in other dance forms and movement practices, such as yoga. We teach in a way that reaches everyone, no matter how much movement experience you have. Your enjoyment and safety are our priorities. Teachers at Zanzibar continue to educate themselves by working with some of today's top Middle Eastern dancers, often traveling far and wide to do so. (To find out more about individual teachers, please read our bios.) Zanzibar Studio itself hosts numerous workshops, making it the only place in the region where students have the opportunity to work with multiple local and international teachers under one roof.

Our studio is especially designed for belly dance and has a warm, magical ambience you won't find anywhere else. Zanzibar is the only full time belly dance school in Chattanooga. This is not somebody's living room or a flourescent lit gym. Zanzibar is a spacious, well-equipped dance studio, with a foot-friendly simulated wood floor and there are plenty of mirrors.

At Zanzibar, students are able to learn in a supportive, non-competitive environment. We make an effort at Zanzibar to dispell the "cattiness" that can sometimes occur when women spend time together. When you walk into Zanzibar, you are to leave all judgements, especially those about yourself, outside. They'll be waiting for you when you leave, but while you are dancing just let anything be possible. You'll probably be surprised with what you can do when you just let yourself!

We will not start off by throwing some sequins at you and teaching you a routine to perform in public immediately. If this is your main interest, we are not the school for you. We believe that belly dance, like any other dance or art form, deserves to be performed publicly by people who have invested some quality time into practicing. The public is less likely to start respecting belly dance as much as they do other art forms if they continue to only see it performed mainly by amateurs. Performance opportunities do exist for Intermediate and Advanced students who have mastered the basic concepts of the dance. We are not trying to hold anyone back, rather we are trying to actually teach you how to belly dance. Everyone moves at her pace; some of us will walk into class on the first day and feel like we're remembering our native language, while for others, simply understanding the movements will take patience and time.

Our curriculum has been developed over years of teaching hundreds of women with different backgrounds and needs. We start from square one and move forward logically from there, ensuring that a strong foundation is built and maintained. We focus on instiling in the student proper dance posture and isolation techniques before teaching them choreogrpahy. Students are always properly warmed-up and cooled-down and in between, they are given clear, thorough explanations of how to perform technique safely and correctly.

We teach classical technique that can be applied to any style of belly dance. In addition, students are introduced to all styles of belly dance, including cabaret, tribal, and folkloric. We are always available for one-on-one feedback and guidance and private lessons are available.

Learning ethnic dance in context. Students at Zanzibar also learn about the dance's historical and cultural context. Understanding Arabic music is key to understanding Middle Eastern dance, an aspect that is often neglected by American teachers. We make sure that the complexities of Arabic rhythm and instrumentation are dymystified for our students.

Registering. Classes are usually taught in 8 week sessions. Since our classes do fill up fast, a deposit is required to reserve your spot in the class. This is applied towards the total cost of the session, which is due on the first day of class. Go to schedule for session dates, class times / descriptions, teacher bios, and registration information.

What to wear to class: No street clothes, please! Part of the fun of belly dance is letting a different part of your personality breath for a minute. Don't be afraid to stick a flower behind your ear or wear jingly earrings, but be prepared to sweat. Yoga pants or loose fitting skirts or dance pants work well. You will want something form fitting on your upper body in order to see your movement. Showing the belly is optional. If your feet are sensitive, ballet slippers or other dance shoes may be worn, as long as they are not also worn outside. Most students dance barefoot.

Zanzibar Boutique specializes in everything the belly dancer needs, from fabulous dance pants, skirts, and tops, to authentic bedouin jewelry collected during our various Middle Eastern journeys. Beginners may decide to consider investing in a coin scarf, as it really does help to "hear" your movement while you are practicing. Belts and scarves are available in all sizes, colors, and price ranges. Gift certificates are available.

The boutique is open before and after classes, and also on Fridays between 3:30 and 5:30pm, or by appointment (423.265.0084).

Am I too ____ to belly dance?

No matter what you fill the blank in with, the answer is NO. If you've always wanted to feel more comfortable in your own skin, then belly dance is for you. While previous movement experience with dance or yoga is very helpful in providing an understanding of proper body alignment (among other things), it is not a necessary prerequisite for bellydance. Anybody can learn how to bellydance, no matter what your age or body type. The students at Zanzibar come in all imaginable shapes and ages. We are mothers, grandmothers, and teenagers, from all walks of life.

Just because anybody can do it doesn't mean that belly dance is easy, though. You will need to have a positive attitude and be present in your body and in the moment. If you can do that and don't mind working hard, you will learn how to belly dance.

As we get older, we are not encouraged to dance, which is a tragedy. Dance is one of the most powerful ways to empower the self, heal emotional and physical wounds, and build self-confidence. Students come to class with all the normal anxieties and burdens most women have, but they leave with heads held high, moving through space with a little bit more grace and purpose.

Pregnancy and other medical conditions: Belly dance is therapuetic for arthritis, scoliosis, hip and knee replacement patients, and spinal fusion patients, as well as being a great form of exercise for pregnant women. Field research has documented how the basic movements of belly dance have been used to prepare women for childbirth in many villages throughout the Middle East for thouisands of years, as a substitute for synthetic painkillers, which are usually not available. I've had mothers dance right up until the day they gave birth, and they loved everything about it. If you are expecting, or have another medical condition, please check with your physician before signing up for this or any new exercise class. When you do register, please let us know about your condition.

History and origins of belly dance in a nutshell . . .

This form of dance is the world's oldest. While it is difficult to trace belly dance to a specific source, some historians suggest that it originating among the Devadassi of Northern India. When the Devadassi left India around 500 BC they took their sacred temple dances with them, moving through Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and up into Spain, where the dance eventually evolved into Flamenco. In Egypt, the dance was refined and taken out of the home and put onto the stage, in front of full live orchestras.

Traditionally, however, belly dance was and is performed in the home, by women for women, when the men are not around. That's when women can finally let their hair down and have fun. It is a way for older generations to teach younger ones about being a woman. Women who perform these dances publicly for money are somewhat shunned by other women, though no wedding is considered a real wedding without a belly dancer, the more well-known of whom can make the equivalent of $10,000 US dollars a night.

In the Middle East, belly dance is called "Raqs Sharqi," which means "dance of the East." The term "belly dance" comes from a French journalist's use of the term "danse de ventre" in the 19th Century, around the time the first belly dancers showed up in the United States. The most widely known display was at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Mark Twain is said to have suffered a minor heart attack when he saw a dancer called Little Egypt perform. The sensation caused by the dancers attracted more publicity than the world's first motion picture camera or telephone, also being exhibited for the first time.

In the Roaring '20s, anything described by the catchall "Oriental" was all the rage. Music, pulp fiction, and movies all exploited exotic eastern themes. The world of dance especially, from Martha Graham to popular dances like the Charleston, and all flapper dances, were heavily influenced by Middle Eastern movement. Fringe-covered dresses, intricate bead work, sequins, and feathers also reflected the flair of the Far East. It's interesting to think about how American women at the turn of the century who found themselves suddenly liberated from their restrictive victorian fashions, owe a little thanks to Middle Eastern women, generally seen as the victims of repressive modes of dress.

Another, more woeful, effect on the culture was seen in the vaudevillian entertainers who began to offer their own inept interpretations of the dance. This is what spawned such terms as "hootchie kootchie." Such representations of the dance bore little or no similarity to actual Middle Eastern dance, with it's subtle complexities.

It recent years belly dance has been embraced by the mainstream, becoming a quickly growing fitness trend that shows no signs of petering out. Today, there are more women belly dancing in the United States than in any other country in the world.