A bellyful of dancing

By Aysha Iqbal

After a shaky start, belly dancing classes in Plymouth have really started to take off.
 
When Cara B arrived in Plymouth, bringing along her passion for belly dance, it took a while for the locals to catch on.

At first the women who attended her sessions at the Mayflower Centre were a little reserved, finding its belly shakes and hip wiggles exotic but a little alien.

Many had never experienced this eastern form of raqs sharqi - a dance traditionally performed by women for women in the Middle East.

But with Cara's passion for her art, her students have long since been converted.

"I wasn't sure how Plymouth would take to belly dancing," said Cara. "We started off with a small number and it has just grown from there.

"Everyone seems to enjoy themselves. They have made friends and they enjoy the music and the atmosphere."

Whilst conducting her weekly classes, Cara also hopes that she is helping to break down the stereotypes that have been negatively associated with raqs sharqi.

"I want more women to understand it to learn it and hopefully respect the belly dance.

"I want to get the message across that belly dancing isn't a Hollywood idea of just shaking your thing. It's also a very technical and enjoyable dance that has been developing for centuries across the Middle East."

In Arabic cultures the belly dance is seen as a celebration of life and femininity and is regularly performed for women by women.

For many of Cara's students, as well as becoming an opportunity to reconnect to their womanhood, it is also a way of keeping themselves fit.

One of the students, Shoshanna Ani, said: "I have always wanted to do it and it is so much fun. One of my friends does it and I am hooked.

"The teacher is brilliant. She is so much fun and makes it social as well as us learning something."

Another student, Sarah Khan, said it's a great way to keep fit: "I love these classes and have stopped going to the gym which I used to find so boring. This is fun, exciting, exotic and you learn so much."

If you want to learn more about belly dance and keep fit whilst having fun you can attend Cara's sessions at the Mayflower Leisure Centre, Central Park, Plymouth, on Thursdays at 7pm.