Able to Stomach Belly Dancing Class

By JULIA HORTON

THE chill of a February night has never seemed to deter girls – whose age equals the number of shots they have downed – from the popular weekend pursuit of midriff-flashing in the Grassmarket.

And call me a wimp if you will, but the wintry weather is not conducive to belly dancing. Thankfully showing off your stomach isn’t a requirement of the beginners class at Dance Base, where there are few Scottish “brave bellies” on show among the group of – very sober – ladies preparing to wiggle their waistlines.

The exotic dance, once more of a hit with men keen to appreciate the female form, is now increasingly capturing the imagination of women who want to have fun getting fit.

Recently a headteacher in Fife went so far as to offer his staff a chance to try belly dancing as part of a relaxation day aimed at “energising” them. His decision has led to some people questioning the use of public cash on such pursuits. It also begs the question, “does it work?”

Just before the lesson begins, teacher Hilary Thacker warns me that the class is taken very seriously. Hilary, 44, has been teaching and performing belly dancing at venues across Edinburgh for about ten years. “It’s growing and growing in popularity. I teach young women, old ladies; I’ve taught people in wheelchairs and other disabled people. It is very good for tackling stress, it is calming and all the movements are natural.

“For a lot of exercise classes like aerobics you feel you have to look the part before you start, but in belly dancing you can be any shape or size, you can have a belly, and it doesn’t take a lot of skill to look good doing it.”

I could take issue with her on that. According to the course information on the Dance Base website, belly dancing for beginners will “melt away tension and stress, gently toning the body through simple, therapeutic movements”. It doesn’t mention that if, like me, you are not blessed with natural wiggle, you may end up looking at best slightly robotic and at worst like a mute version of one of Harry Enfield’s Scousers.

While I watch what the others are doing – the rest of the class is virtually silent, faces set in concentration as they copy Hilary’s moves, watching her and themselves in a giant mirror which forms the front wall of the studio.

I try to gauge how many women are here and how old they are – but get distracted by the intermittent ringing sound caused by the constant jingling of the scarves around their waists (apparently the noise they make is the way to judge whether you’re shaking your tail feather enough). Hilary is the most exotically dressed though, wearing a red and gold cabaret costume displaying just how well her belly can boogie.

The website says you need to bring two scarves – one to put round your hips and one to use as a veil – but gives no other information about what to wear. So I’m barefoot in combats and a halterneck top, while my classmates – mostly in their 20s – are variously in combinations of leggings, T-shirts, vest tops and, I think, even a skirt.

Most have cottoned on to the fact that like so many things in life, hip scarves for belly dancing are much better with bells on.

The movements initially are slow and graceful, with gentle gyrations, Egyptian head bobbing, shimmying and twirling of veils. Then the tempo is upped and the class gets to shake its collective derriere in a very vigorous fashion. It gives all the muscle groups – arms, legs, torso and neck – a good workout.

While I continue, with difficulty, to try and co-ordinate my shimmies, arm waving and hip wiggling, I find I am enjoying myself. While not exactly relaxing, it definitely cleared my mind of whatever I’d been thinking about before I arrived, and while slow at first, it would give you a pretty good workout if you could shake your belly like Hilary.

The other beginners, who are on lesson four of the course, agree. Edinburgh marketing manager Danielle Mathieu, 28, says: “I wanted to do a class and I thought it would be quite different. It’s one of these things you think is going to be easy but actually it isn’t. It’s not as relaxing as I’d hoped because I’m putting a lot of effort into it and you’re surrounded by mirrors. But I’m loving it and I definitely want to do the next course.”

Christine Davis, 54, is a teacher, and though she has not been sent here by her school she firmly believes that belly dancing helps relieve the stresses of the working day.

She says: “I have been doing it for about a year. I’d rather do exercise with music and dance than go to the gym. It’s more interesting and keeps you alert because you have to concentrate. At times you’re thinking really hard but in a way I suppose that does keep your mind off the daytime things, and you do feel quite good after it.”

You do, but not quite good enough to go midriff-flashing in February.

The current Belly Dancing for Women Beginners class (which is sold out) at Dance Base costs GBP 51 (GBP 39 concessions). For information about Hilary Thacker’s other belly dancing classes visit her website at www.hilarysbazaar.com or contact Dance Base on (0131)- 225 5525