I wrote this for a magazine, but I liked it so much I thought I would share. Why I love to Belly Dance…..

I walked into Belly Dance class expecting to learn a few moves and hopefully shed my winter pounds, but by the end of the first six week course I was hooked. My first day I was dressed in baggy sweats from head to toe; feeling like I was too uncoordinated to even think of taking a dance class. It was really hard and my hips did not want to cooperate and forget the snake arms. I looked more like I was a spastic break dancer reliving the 80’s. I felt really dumb that first week and almost gave up, but the instructor kept telling us to keep trying and that our bodies were an expression of our passion and personality. With each session I learned how to move my arms, hips, and stomach in ways I never thought possible. I began dropping pounds and gained some killer abdominal muscles. I watched myself in the mirror and started to like the reflection and eventually dropped the sweats in a drawer and went out and bought myself a Belly Dance outfit along with a veil of my own, all in bright red. I have taken several Belly Dance courses now and I actually will wear my outfit into the gas station if I need to pick up a bottle of water. I have my veil wrapped around m y neck, my coins jingling as I walk, sun glasses on, and my head held high. Getting back into exercising was the goal in the beginning, but belly dancing has also given me a confidence in myself, my sensuality, and my sexuality. I feel healthier and more beautiful now than I did when I was in my twenties.