You won’t find brass poles or stiletto heels in a belly dance class. Belly dancers and strippers are NOT one and the same! Belly dancers are sensual. Strippers are sexual. Big difference.

Belly dancers are like the slinky long-sleeve, high-necked long, from-fitting black gown while strippers are like hot pants, revealing halter-top and heels.  Belly dancers tease but don’t give it away. A legitimate belly dancer is not a stripper. We do not remove our clothing and bare all. Actually, belly dancers are attired in more chiffon and beading than participants on “Dancing with the Stars.” Definitely more than seen on a public beach.

An authentic belly dancer doesn’t wear her costume in public but covers up with a long robe. She doesn’t flirt with her audience or touch members of her audience. She keeps her hands away from her body and face as a rule and doesn’t touch herself provocatively. There are no pelvic thrusts and her crotch is always away from her audience when executing backbends or floorwork.  She doesn’t touch her breasts or thrust them into an audience member’s face. If veiling an audience member she uses a friend as  “plant” or gets permission first. She doesn’t allow members of the audience to put money on her person, in her bra or hip belt. Actually, she doesn’t retrieve her tips from the floor but has management or a friend collect after her dance. A dancer isn’t seen in the bar after her dance drinking or smoking with audience members. She dons street clothes before any socializing.

I believe a dancer should be “family-friendly.” If you wouldn’t dance it in front of your children or grandmother, don’t dance it. What you do in the privacy of your home with your husband or significant other, on the other hand, is your business.  I personally will not dance at bachelor parties or male-only events. I won’t pop out of a cake. To me, that’s stripper territory.

Costumes should be appropriate to the venue. If dancing at a children’s party, harem pants with a modest blouse or a beladi dress would be appropriate. At a public festival, keep the slits closed and the bust contained. Ask the person hiring you what they expect and dress accordingly. I, for instance, do not accept dance gigs when asked my breast size. Get a stripper! Dress to body type as well (more on this topic later). No “cups runneth over” and, please, no thongs.

Some dancers would beg to differ, but I dance for joy and not for money. My goal is to educate and preserve the integrity of this ancient dance form. The dance embraces the feminine, sensual side but does not exploit it. There will always be detractors who will trash the dance. After all, the famous Hula was banned by missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even now, dancing in public in Islamic culture is considered shameful and dancers not respected.

Belly dancing, though, as an art form has been passed on through the generations in Arabic culture as a way of teaching daughters about their sensuality. Dancing at weddings, rituals and festivals is allowed as long as men and women do not dance together or for each other, Women dance for one another, the only way to express themselves in repressive societies and critique each other.

Belly dance is a sensual dance of empowerment. Stripping is blatantly sexual. I, for one, draw a distinction between the two but will not condemn strippers or stripping. After all, belly dance is often not accepted in “polite society” either. Both dance forms involve athleticism and creativity. Both are studied by middle-aged housewives seeking an alternative exercise routine. Pole dancing as a form of physical fitness is quite popular, like belly dancing.

My goal is to draw the distinction because so many people don’t know the difference. Belly dancers are trying to educate, one shimmy at a time.

I was recently interviewed by a reporter from a local newspaper. As with most people unfamiliar with Middle Eastern belly dance, he had a few questions about the benefits of this dance, particularly since it was offered in a fitness center.  I decided to write an abbreviated version of the benefits that I have experienced and witnessed. 

Belly dance is more than an art form, it’s a type of exercise that more recreation centers and fitness centers are adopting.  It offers cardio and isometric benefits, yet unlike jazz, aerobic and step classes, students are learning an authentic dance. In addition, the movements are all natural and low-impact. Students burn calories and lose pounds and inches with regular classes and practice. As an instructor, I have gone from a size 10-12 to a 6-8.  I have had students who have done the same. Hips and thighs firm up, arms get taut and abdominal muscles are strengthened. Strong abdominal muscles help support and strengthen the back (the ever-important core). The dance and its isolations makes the body more limber. Flexibility increases as muscles so often unused get stimulated. Yet, the body maintains its feminine curves. The dance also helps with balance, very important as one ages.

Women are incorporating belly dance into their wellness routines. Many alternative health and holistic health practices incorporate belly dance into their therapies. The isometric and contraction movements of belly dance soothe the internal organs. Digestion is aided, a natural method of regularity. Women have experienced shorter periods, less cramping and swelling and decreased breast tenderness. Though not proven in scientific study, I can attest to the positive changes. Dancing also brings joy that creates more energy. Let’s not forget that belly dance is a reproduction and birth dance. Many of the movements are incorporated during labor and delivery, aiding in the birth process. Some belly dance classes are held just for pregnant women to help ease labor, delivery and recovery.

The benefits of the dance go beyond the physical, though. Women’s attitudes, self-esteem and confidence increase. Women begin to accept their bodies and take more interest in its function and well-being.  The feminine emerges. Sensuality is embraced.  Time and time again I have witnessed the transformation of students. So many students enter class shy and self-conscious. By class four, they are baring their midriffs and by the last class have become confident and even extroverted. Letters from past students express how the dance has literally changed their lives by changing their attitude and level of confidence. These are students of all ages, sizes, races and personalities. Though I use the word “women” frequently, many men have studied belly dance. In Arabic culture, most men dance. For an example, look up “Tito” of Egypt on You-Tube.

There is also a spiritual side to belly dance. The dance plays homage to the goddess in all of us. After all, in ancient times (and even in modern times with the popularity of liturgical praise dance), dance was used as a part of religious ritual. Dancing frees the soul and the mind. The heartbeat of the music and undulations are soothing. The dance is calming and stress reducing and can put a dancer into a meditative state, almost a spiritual trance. I consider it my drug of choice.

Embrace belly dance for the body and the soul!