Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul

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TITLE: Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul
AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift
CONTACT: sandra@schrift.com
COPYRIGHT: ©2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved
Format: 60 Characters per line
Article URL:
http://www.schrift.com/article_36_belly_dancing.html
Article Autoresponder: article-036@schrift.com
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Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul

I have been a student and performer of the Middle Eastern
belly dance for 12 years. I began this dance form at age 52
when a friend of mine told me she was taking an Adult
Education class in Middle Eastern belly dancing. Here was
an opportunity right in my own community. I was going to
live out my adult fantasy - to be a belly dancer! And so I
joined the class and have been a student ever since. I am
now 64 and have no signs of slowing down.

In 1999, I started to teach a belly dance class to women
over the age of 55. New classes begin on Thursday, May 10
from 10:15-11:30am at Oasis Continuing Education for Mature
Adults at the Robinson/May company in Mission Valley.

And why do I teach this class? Because I love helping the
women re-discover the magic and mystery of true feminine
energy. Something miraculous happens to these women when
they belly dance; they begin to emerge like an earth
mother, a little girl, a prom queen and a seductress all in
one. I help them to realize what I learned 12 years ago -
that when we belly dance we get in touch with the profound
wisdom and beauty of who we really are - no matter what our
age or size of our belly.

I always tell them to love their belly...besides it is the
only one they have! Eventually the women move towards
greater self- acceptance and confidence. They learn to be
empathic in response to the energetic music. They learn to
lead, to follow and to let go.

Belly Dance is improvisational. There are basic moves to
the dance, but once learned the dance becomes a personal
expression of the dancer. Characteristic of today's dance
are movements of the pelvis and undulations of the body.
These movements are not socially taught in our culture.
Instead, there are restrictions placed on the movement of
certain body parts and how much they may be moved. Belly
dance breaks through those barriers, freeing up the body so
women can fully express their feminine self.

Dance is a metaphor for life. In dance, we move through
time and space, just as we do while we live out the passage
of our lives. The belly dance is truly a unification of
body, heart and mind. It's also fun to get dressed up in a
"costume", exercise our hips and our belly, and do this in
a non-threatening atmosphere of acceptance of our female
sensuality.

And finally, the belly dance helps women to return to where
life begins, our primordial womb. What a wonderful way to
find the connection between our heart and soul and the
expression of our body.

For more information and to enroll in the class, contact:
Sandra Schrift (teacher) 619-688-9467
www.schrift.com/belly_dancing.htm