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My Bellydance Journey
Apr. 13th, 2014 10:46 amIt's been on my mind a lot lately, especially as the anniversary approaches. Even as I spent the last two months whining about how much I don't like 3/4 shimmies, as much as I beat myself up about not practicing, I still went to classes and every week I left feeling amazing about how my body can move once I gave it the tools, and about how wonderful the ladies I dance with are. Everyone is so different, and all of us can shake it like no one's business.
I'd been interested in belly dance on the scale of 10 years or so, I had just never done it. It involved picking up a phone. "OH I'll do it tomorrow." But of course tomorrow never comes. The timing never seemed right. I just couldn't quite afford/jusitify the fee right now. A whole host of reasons that seem silly now, but were of paramount importance at the time. I remember when Joe started dancing (early 2010), and from the pictures, Michelle too (though I'm not sure on that, or when Andy started). Gosh, I thought, I really should look into this. But of course I didn't. Phones, money... etc.
Fastforward approximately 2 years, to 2012. After injuring my back yet again, in April, my chiropractor gave me some exercises and told me to start building and strengthening my core. I saw a commercial on TV about how belly dance helps build a strong core, and I thought again "hey, this is a thing I should look into!" I must have mentioned it somewhere, because at Michelle's funeral in late June 2012, Andy introduced me to her dance teacher. "There, now you have an introduction," she said. "Nice to meet you, under the circumstances," we said to each other. Three days later (I checked), life is too short to let things like picking up phones and micro-managed budgets get in the way of something that now seemed of paramount importance. This was the year to start belly dancing. It started with a short four-week introduction to see if it was something I (and the others) wanted to continue with, though I was pretty set even before that that I would want to take a full run of classes for.
Now it's been almost 2 years. UGH 3/4 shimmies! But last year, vibration and choo-choo shimmies seemed impossible. The year before that, I couldn't even do a regular shimmy. I hate that the final event that finally got me into a dance studio had to be a funeral. But I am happy I did it. Like many other things in my life, I waffle over what I want out of dance. I'm not a performer, so it can't be that I want to be on stages or in front of audiences, even though I do the recitals. (I am also glad I pushed myself to do that, it is a lot of fun.) I am not opposed to the idea of performing on a street corner, like I saw Andy & friends do at the farmer's market a week or two before the classes started. Regardless of what I want out of it, I don't want to stop. Maybe all I want, all I need to want, is making my body move. I am really proud of what I learned, that I am sticking with it, that I can do these things even if I haven't figured 3/4 shimmies out yet, of what I can do.
And every time I head out the door to a class or recital, every time I turn on my music and start dancing, I feel like I'm carrying that spirit with me. Life is short. Have fun. And by the stars, look at what I can do.
I'd been interested in belly dance on the scale of 10 years or so, I had just never done it. It involved picking up a phone. "OH I'll do it tomorrow." But of course tomorrow never comes. The timing never seemed right. I just couldn't quite afford/jusitify the fee right now. A whole host of reasons that seem silly now, but were of paramount importance at the time. I remember when Joe started dancing (early 2010), and from the pictures, Michelle too (though I'm not sure on that, or when Andy started). Gosh, I thought, I really should look into this. But of course I didn't. Phones, money... etc.
Fastforward approximately 2 years, to 2012. After injuring my back yet again, in April, my chiropractor gave me some exercises and told me to start building and strengthening my core. I saw a commercial on TV about how belly dance helps build a strong core, and I thought again "hey, this is a thing I should look into!" I must have mentioned it somewhere, because at Michelle's funeral in late June 2012, Andy introduced me to her dance teacher. "There, now you have an introduction," she said. "Nice to meet you, under the circumstances," we said to each other. Three days later (I checked), life is too short to let things like picking up phones and micro-managed budgets get in the way of something that now seemed of paramount importance. This was the year to start belly dancing. It started with a short four-week introduction to see if it was something I (and the others) wanted to continue with, though I was pretty set even before that that I would want to take a full run of classes for.
Now it's been almost 2 years. UGH 3/4 shimmies! But last year, vibration and choo-choo shimmies seemed impossible. The year before that, I couldn't even do a regular shimmy. I hate that the final event that finally got me into a dance studio had to be a funeral. But I am happy I did it. Like many other things in my life, I waffle over what I want out of dance. I'm not a performer, so it can't be that I want to be on stages or in front of audiences, even though I do the recitals. (I am also glad I pushed myself to do that, it is a lot of fun.) I am not opposed to the idea of performing on a street corner, like I saw Andy & friends do at the farmer's market a week or two before the classes started. Regardless of what I want out of it, I don't want to stop. Maybe all I want, all I need to want, is making my body move. I am really proud of what I learned, that I am sticking with it, that I can do these things even if I haven't figured 3/4 shimmies out yet, of what I can do.
And every time I head out the door to a class or recital, every time I turn on my music and start dancing, I feel like I'm carrying that spirit with me. Life is short. Have fun. And by the stars, look at what I can do.
