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Shimmy into Shape Belly Dancing Gains Popularity As Fitness Trend

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 March 2005, 21:00 CST

Somewhere between coed volleyball and spinning, an older art form is not-so-quietly taking its share of gym schedules.

The ancient art of belly dance - jingling coin belts and all - is drawing a growing number of women to its low-impact mix of sass and sweat.

Belly dance's undulating movements tone the arms and abdomen. All those high-energy shimmies melt cellulite. The dance can hone your balance, posture and flexibility.

And let's face it, where else can you work out with a floaty veil?

"I've bought two scarves already," says Kellie Truppa, a mother of two from Palatine. "From the second it started, it hooked me. It's the color and the sound, and the music is so expressive. I'm not a dancer, but this has been easy to do."

Snakes and camels

Belly dance has caused many a sensation in the United States, ever since Middle Eastern dancers were imported to entertain straitlaced Victorian-era Americans in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

The dance saw another surge of popularity in the nightclub scene of the '60s and '70s, when dancers created albums with titles such as "How to Make Your Husband a Sultan."

More recently, belly dance has shed some of its sultry reputation in favor of fitness.

It's not as widespread as Pilates, perhaps, but belly dance's popularity is growing; health clubs such as Bally's Total Fitness and Women's Workout World have added belly dance workouts and park districts throughout the suburbs now offer regular sessions.

The trend has spread nationwide, in part because women want to look good in clothing that bares their belly, says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. As for fitness value, Bryant puts belly dance in the same category as a brisk walk - a walk that includes a few hip circles and shoulder shimmies.

"It's a very sensual, feminine way to get fit," said Jenny Hennek, who teaches belly dance in Palatine and on the North Shore.

Depending on the pace of the class, belly dance can be as gentle as yoga or as fast as aerobics. Gina Theesfield, who teaches in Antioch and Ingleside, wears a heart rate monitor in her classes and estimates she burns 300 to 400 calories in an hour.

"It is low-impact, but I do keep them moving," she said. "It is a total body workout."

Take the shimmy.

The fast, rhythmic shaking of the hips or shoulders delivers a powerful cardio workout, and it revs up circulation - just like expensive spa treatments that claim to "mobilize" fat cells, says Rania Androniki Bossonis, author of the book "Bellydancing for Fitness" as well as a series of belly dance fitness videos.

The sinuous arm movements known as snake arms tone every muscle from shoulder to fingertip. Full-body undulations - or camels - strengthen the front and back torso, increase the flexibility of the spine and firm the abdominal muscles.

People with a history of back problems should be cautious and stop if they feel pain, Bryant says. But in many cases belly dance can actually relieve symptoms.

"People who have sedentary jobs swear by it, because it decompresses the lumbar spine and strengthens those muscles so the spine has better support," Bossonis said. "It's a very gentle way of toning the body. And it's sexy."

Some dancers cringe at the mention of sex appeal. Lisa Parx, who teaches belly dance at Women's Workout World in Arlington Heights, tries not to even use the word "belly." She prefers to call it Middle Eastern dance.

"A lot of times if you say belly dance, people misinterpret and think it's some kind of hootchy-kootchy, which it's not," she said. "It's an art."

That misconception partly originated in Hollywood, where producers often hired actresses rather than trained belly dancers for movie cameos, Bossonis said. Done poorly, belly dance can look jerky and vulgar rather than graceful.

"It should be a very fluid and smooth movement, so it would be hypnotic to look at," Bossonis said. "The movements themselves involve learning to isolate and control every little muscle in the body, and there must be something sensual about that body awareness."

Suburban bellies

The women in belly dance classes don't talk much about sexy. They mostly talk about fun.

Rita Buck of Schaumburg and her friend, Roselle resident Nancy Ciccone, signed up for their first park district class a few months ago. The two, in their 20s, are among the younger members of the class.

"It's a good stress-reliever," Buck said. "You're exercising, but you're having so much fun you don't realize it. And you get to dress up."

Madeleine Gerrish of Arlington Heights first saw a belly dancer when she was 23 and went to a Moroccan restaurant during a flight layover. She remembers being entranced, but reluctant to take it up due to the kitsch factor.

"I was a flight attendant, and it was the '70s, and it was all too much," she says. A few years ago, she thought, "What am I waiting for?"

"Now I'm older and my back hurts, it's harder to learn the steps, and I have absolutely no desire to perform in front of anyone," she said. "But I do it for myself."

Part of belly dance's appeal lies in its ease, even for women with no dance background. The moves are gentle on joints, and women's curves are embraced. It's common to see teenagers dancing next to 60-year-olds.

"I always tell my ladies, broad or small, it doesn't make any difference to be a belly dancer," said Donna Kajtsa, who teaches in the Roselle and Bensenville park districts. "It gives a lot of women who are shy confidence in their own bodies. It's good for the spirit."

In this iteration, belly dance often comes with a hefty dose of female empowerment.

Before Hennek's class in Palatine, women stand in the hallway and compliment each other's sparkly tops and colorful hip scarves.

Stretches are followed by a round of affirmations. Students call on grace, strength, beauty. Even when performing a complex choreography of shimmies and hip circles, the women tend to laugh rather than frown at their mistakes, and the last five minutes is devoted to free-form dancing with colorful veils.

Hennek, 40, hopes to develop a love of creative performance in her students, no matter their age or shape. For the last part of class, Hennek simply sits in the corner and watches.

"I think there are so few places women can be watched and appreciated," she says. "That's so important."

GRAPHIC: Belly dance basics

Belly dance could be your path to toned arms, a whittled waist and a more flexible body. Dancer Jenny Hennek demonstrates some signature moves:

Snake arms

Lift your right shoulder and rotate it forward, which will make your elbow turn to face the ceiling. Next lift your elbow so it's higher than your shoulder, then lift your wrist while your elbow drops. Repeat so the movement appears fluid, and add the other arm in the opposite direction.

- You should feel all the muscles in your arms. This exercise stretches and strengthens muscles from the shoulder to the wrist.

Hip circles

Lean your right hip out to the right. Next lean both hips forward, so the hips are farther out than any other body part. Slide the hips to the left, and finally, to the back. Repeat the steps, smoothing out the movements to make one big circle around the body. Hip circles can also be performed vertically on a single hip.

- This move helps stretch and strengthen the glutes, lower back and hip flexor muscles.

Camel

Push your rib cage forward, lift it up, then push rib cage back into the body, so your shoulder blades begin to separate to accommodate it. Next pull the lower abdominals in to make your hips go back, tucking your pelvis underneath to round out your lower back. As soon as your hips go back, push the chest forward again. Repeat the steps to make an undulating movement.

- The camel strengthens and stretches the entire torso, increases spine flexibility and improves posture.

Veil work

Support the veil with both arms and carve various shapes into the air. Try making circles with arms outstretched, circling the veil around your head or spinning in place with the veil. Move briskly to keep air under the veil so it does not sag.

- These movements work the entire upper body, and work the arms and shoulders in their full range of motion.

Source: "Bellydancing for Fitness" by Rania Androniki Bossonis (Fair Winds Press, 2004)

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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