Belly Dancing?

[PleaseJustLeaveYourBrotherAlon]

Anyone have any views on bellydancing?

I was thinking it might be an interesting way for me to work on my hideous body consciousness. But I also felt a bit iffy about it. I'm quite pregnant at the moment so it's not for now but in a few months time.

This would be for me, dh would never know about see it.

I remember reading or hearing that belly dancing was a way to prepare your body for pregnancy but I don't know if that's true.

And also that it is supposed to be performed by women for women

but I also have in my head women dancing in restaurants and for entertainment purposes which is where the iffy feeling comes in.

Anyway thoughts welcome and I found this while searching for feminism and belly dancing which made me sometimes men do get it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/18/students-pole-dancing-david-mitchell

There are many different styles of belly dance. Their origins are disputed, and probably lost in the mists of time now. Apparently, at social occasions with music in the Middle East, like weddings, what we call belly dancing is a normal social dance for women.

One of my friends is very into the belly dancing scene, and I've seen various performances. The type of belly dance performed in Middle Eastern restaurants is usually the Turkish style, which isn't danced much outside that sort of situation. There are more "classical" styles from Egypt and North Africa, which are less raunchy, for want of a better word.

There's no denying that it's easy to make Arabic dance look quite sexy, but when my friend performs, she is almost always fully clothed, and there are different kinds of dances, some of which involve more "flirting" with the audience than others. You can also dance just with other women in a group if you want.

I've done a few dance workshops as well - I enjoyed learning the moves and the rhythms. Most of the dance teachers have been very positive about different body shapes, and older women wanting to join in.

However, not all classes and groups are the same - you need to try them first.

Most of the dance teachers have been very positive about different body shapes, and older women wanting to join in.

That's what I had heard TSC (and thank you for your answer), it's one of the things that makes me think it might be fun.

My belly is the thing that upsets me most and I go out of my way to hide. I am quite large and unfortunately shaped like an apple (in other words the way most likely to give you heart disease). So for health reasons I am trying to improve my heart health and lose weight. But I like the idea of combing that with practicing being less ashamed of myself the way I am now and forcing myself to overtly show my stomach or at least not hide it.

I have a friend who teaches belly dancing - she tends to perform for women and, obviously, with women.
You might not want to hold off actually; she used it during labour to help ease the pain and to help the baby engage in the same way bouncing/rocking on a birthing ball would.
Apparently that is part of the origin of it - easing labour/birth.

I thought about wo but I struggle quite a bit with being too active so I know I am probably not up to a class. Probably because I wasn't really fit enough in the first place before getting pregnant. I am already suffering round ligament pains and hip and groin pain.

I did notice when giving birth the first two times that rolling my hips and stomach really relived the labor pains though. So maybe I will try some light stuff at home with a video.