Hello lovelies, today I taught my first belly dance class of 2025—eee! This was an important evolution for my artistry because I deeply missed dancing in communion with other belly dancers. It's a delight to be immersed and praised by likeminded people, who share a similar affection for movement.
I was up until 2am the night before geeking with excitement and preparing for the class. It's essential for me to steward the cultural legacy of belly dance alongside the movement, and I felt called to curate a zine documenting the historical roots of belly dance.
In our first lesson, I reviewed the historical zine created and introduced an an essential soft skill called Shadowing. This is used widely in all styles of belly dance and is a wonderful skill to learn, if you're interested in dancing with others in your community. In shadowing, there is a leader and a follower(s). The role of the leader (or the person in front) is to go at a tempo and use movements that familiar to the group. The role of the follower (or the person(s) behind) is to pay attention to the leader, while expressing a personal flow. You're welcome to "turn the wheel" and change the leader, by rotating to a different direction. The person, who no longer has someone in front of them is now the leader.
If you feel called to play, I encourage you to share this concept when you're out with friends or dancing in the city with your partner. It's a gentle game that opens you to new movements, intimate flow, and joyful spontaneity.
After playing with this concept of Shadowing, students and I closed the class with a Hafla (an arabic word for party or social gathering), where we each took turns entering a circle and praising the dancer in the center. It was magical to witness each student's personal express be on full display. Our laughter echoed throughout the space, and we all felt inspired to tackle the day with this newfound expression. I look forward to continuing this journey of sharing my passion for belly dance and inspiring others to steward a culture that is deeply rooted in women's resilience and strength.
You're welcome to view the class resources shared below, if you're curious to learn more about the origin story of belly dance or simply get your groove on. Until next time! 🌹
History of Belly Dance Zine PDF: https://buymeacoffee.com/jaleria/e/372309
This zine is rooted in history documented in the book, moving history / dance cultures. This is not a comprehensive history of belly dance. This zine is designed to clarify of the nuisance origin of belly dance and honor the African and Middle Eastern women, who founded the art form.
Belly dance is more than a dance. It’s a cultural legacy stewarded by strong and resilient women, who faced persecution for expressing their humanity. We honor our mothers, sisters, and daughters when we dance.
Spotify playlist: African and Middle Eastern musicians across various genres
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