A couple of you expressed interest in Belly Dance classes, so I thought I’d just publish a note with the relevant info.

I’m currently taking classes with Lilla and Serena. Both of them have been dancing all their life and have been trained in belly dancing for over a decade. They are great teachers and offer a lot of performance opportunities at the advanced stage. (Performances are never required.)

About Lilla’s Classes:

Lilla’s classes: http://www.lilladance.com

Lilla’s classes are typically 6 week sessions. If you have never belly danced before, I recommend taking Lilla’s beginner class at least 3 times before you start at the intermediate stage. At the intermediate stage, she includes props in the class… so you’ll be working with Finger Symbols, Veils, and Canes.

About Serena’s Classes:

Serena’s classes: http://www.prodancecenter.com

Serena’s classes are 8 week sessions. The classes are not as big as Lilla’s, so she has more opportunity to help you get to the next stage (if you express interest). Serena does not introduce props until the advanced stage. Performances are organized by the dance studio.

Classes for UCI Students

Campus Rec Classes: http://www.campusrec.uci.edu/classes

If you’re a UCI student, I recommend taking classes with Miriam Moghaddam. I stated out with her a couple years ago. She adds a touch of hip hop to belly dancing. Her classes can be found under ‘Urban Shimmies’. Classes at UCI tend to be larger, but more affordeable. Miriam is a great teacher, so if you sign up with her class, get there early to make sure you get a good spot in front of the mirror and close to her.

Other Classes

There are MANY, MANY opportunities in Orange County (and LA) to get started with belly dancing. These are the ones I have been involved with. Let me know if you have other recommendations.

Can I skip the gym?

Belly Dancing can be a great workout, if you take classes at least three times a week. It helps to tone your arms and obliques. It’s a lot more fun than sitting on a bike at the gym and staring at a wall.

Weekend Workshops

If you’d like to get an introduction to Belly Dancing, you may be interested in a weekend workshop May 17 - 18. See http://www.raqsla.com. The Belly Dance superstars will be performing (and auditioning) that weekend. That said, I expect the workshops to be more for dancers at the intermediate and advanced stage.

Belly Dance Superstars:

Watch the Belly Dance Superstars on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-_bBiKOi9ak

Happy Dancing!
- Sepi