Random wanderings on belly dancing

Something strange happened to me last night.

I went to my first belly dance class of the semester, its was actually the second class as I missed the one last week for another class. The class was huge! Almost too big for the room, certainly too big to do lots of floor work, which is fine by me, I don't like floor work that much. I always have to do some alternative thing because they choose a position that happens to have us pivoting on one of the bones I have broken or muscle I have ripped.

In my class we warm up for an hour and then do dance stuff for about 1/2 hr. Because the class was so large, it started late. By large I think it was maybe 30 people of various abilities, attitudes. The room was cold, it dropped to freezing last night, so we were warming up by walking in a huge circle, semi Egyptian walking. There were so many people that you had to take baby steps. So we walked to warm up, then did floor, where my feet froze and got all stiff and hard again, then we did standing stuff and my left ankle was not bending well. I didn't warm up my neck enough and ended pulling the muscle that goes from behind my ear to my shoulder, but it was okay, I kept it from spasming. When I got home I stood under a hot shower forever, took orrudis & flexeril and had no problems when I woke up this morning (ie I could move my neck!)

They didn't do zils (finger cymbals) either because there were too many people and we should wear earplugs if that many people are doing zils in a confined space. we did a no zil, just finger, practice. This is also fine with me, I have a very hard time doing zils, hand injuries, the noise, music is one rhythm, body is another, zils yet another, and I get overwhelm and everything stops for me. I get sensory overload.

My belly dancing buddy was there and now her mom is taking class on Saturdays at another studio, same school. She asked if I wanted to going with them. Even though it was a pretty horrid class last night, some I hope will drop out or something, I found myself saying yeah if I don't have to teaching lingerie 2 this Sat, I will. Somehow, something happened last night that changed me from a once a week class to twice a week.

I used to take classes early Saturday morning at the main studio which is your typical dance studio, top floor, hot in the summer, drafty in the winter, no easy parking, etc... I started belly dancing at the suggestion of my ortho to cross train my ankles after a bad break. I was still using a cane to walk when I started, and the hardest thing was the 4 stories of stairs I had to go up and down. I walk perfectly now, without a limp, I can't really run though, I tried to run the other day and it was disastrous, you need more dorsi flexion that I have in my left ankle, but hopefully someday...

For the last year or so I have been taking class on Thurs nights at a new community rec building, ac in the summer, heat in the winter (except last night!), so very nice. The studio I will go to for tomorrow's class is an Arthur Murray one, so I imagine there will be heat. It will be a new teacher, I have had 2 main ones so far, and a few subs. I like different teachers because they give you a variety of ways to tackle something, like snake arms. The movement has to eventually be the same, but the way of thinking, of getting your muscles to do it varies.

I am wondering where this will lead, the teachers at my school, who are all dancers with the company my school is part of, tell me this is what happened to them, first twice a week, then more until they were doing classes almost everyday. I know this summer when I was traveling, I missed it. In May, when I was driving, listening to Al Stewart's "Beach full of shells" repeatedly, from Chicago to St Paul, I found myself practicing shoulder punches (which I hate- they are boring, a bit hard because of injuries ) to "Rain Barrel", and neck moves/slides to "Immelman Turn." Since then I have noticed that I practice rib circles, hip lifts and occasional attempt stomach rolls at stop lights if the music is feels right.

I find it very strange that I don't feel anything but joy when I do this, not self conscious at all, and yet I rarely dance in public or for people I know. Its like dancing in the rain for me, its for me, a private thing I guess, and I want to protect that part of me??? Not sure. I have had so much loss of people and things that have brought me joy, so maybe...

In Vegas when I was trying out this amazing green coined hip scarf, I had to hear it as I moved! I was with a friend, but I was so comfortable with him that I was in my own space, not sure he even noticed. Unfortunately the amazing hip scarf had an amazing price to go with it, but I really liked it.

I like how belly dancing feels, I like using all these muscles I worked so hard to regain control of, I like that I can walk many different ways, I like that I get more and more flexible, I like the positive effect it has on other aspects of my life and I like the music. Someday I want to be able to dance so slow and controlled, my body moving like a snake slithering over shifting sands...

So it looks like tomorrow, I start doing class twice a week...

Laurie made this comment,
Whoa! While I wasn't looking, you were blogging up a storm. Sounds like I need to look into this belly dancing thing. I'm not self conscious about dancing at all so this might be dangerous.

Susan made this comment,
Yep, I am tricky. You go away... Belly dancing has other advantages too.

You learn quickly not to be dangerous, I could tell tales ;-)

Teachers and performers in Texas http://www.shira.net/dir-us-t.htm#Texas