Welcome
Belly
dancing is for all sizes, shapes and ages of women. Any woman
who has the desire to learn and explore one of the most ancient,
feminine and beautiful forms of dance in the world is welcome
to join a class. We offer Belly Dance Classes for healing,
health and fun in various locations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Classes
PLEASE NOTE: Currently classes are not being offered because of a recent loss of a family member. We will update the site when classes begin again. Thank you for all your support and well wishes.
Our instructors
offer Belly Dancing for fun and healing. Belly dancing is
an ancient dance form that many women are rediscovering today.
This unique dance form's healing qualities sooth the mind,
exercises the body and invigorate the spirit. Women of all
shapes, sizes and ages find the movements involved easy and
fun.
Students
use veils and sticks to enhance their experience and work
different muscle groups. Veil exercises help to exercise the
upper body while allowing the student to feel beautiful and
feminine.
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Belly Dance for Healing
Healing
Belly Dance/ The Lebed Method
While
belly dancing is a great workout, it does not place unnecessary
stress on the body. This allows even women with health problems
to participate. In November of 2001, our instructors Mary Ann
Keller and Judy Travers became a certified healing dance instructor through
Sloan Kettering Hospital, NY. The hospital's Focus On Healing
session taught a therapeutic exercise program designed for
breast cancer survivors and those battling other chronic conditions.
The combination of therapeutic movement and dance is designed
for all ages and all fitness levels. Students participating
in our Healing Belly dance classes with chronic illness, increase
their range of motion, improve their self-image and, most
important, HAVE FUN!!
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Belly
Dance for Exercise & Health
While
we know for certain that belly dancing is fun, it has other
favorable side effects as well.
Belly
dancing is also wonderful exercise. You will discover muscles
you never even knew existed! Few understand the effects it
has on the human body. The graceful hip drops, rolls, and
pivots of this dance form utilize muscle groups in the abdomen,
pelvis, trunk, spine, and neck, working with the body instead
of against it. Unlike ballet, which can potentially alter
and deform the skeleton, or other dance forms that work against
rather than with the body's physical inclinations, Belly Dance
is based on movements that come naturally to the female form.
There is a wealth of health benefits awaiting those who practice
this form of dance.
Many
people are surprised to learn that Middle-Eastern Dance, commonly
known as "belly-dance," involves much more than
the belly! In fact, belly-dance can benefit many parts of the body. Here
are some of the health benefits of Middle-Eastern Dance:
- Exercising
the carrying muscles without impact. A belly-dancer uses
her quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes to hold her steady
as she performs hip movements or travels smoothly across
the floor. However, even though she gets a great lower-body
workout, the amount of impact to her knees and ankles is
minimal. Impact is measured not only by how hard our feet
strike the ground, but by how much stress is placed on our
joints. Using this measure, most of Middle-Eastern dance
is considered non-impact; some tribal and folk dances are
low-impact.
- Building
the back muscles evenly. Belly-dancers use their torsos
a lot-much more than ballet, modern or tap dancers. Only
jazz dancers come close to our use of rib movements and
undulations. These movements, coupled with shoulder movements,
exercise the back muscles, and they exercise the muscles
evenly. Strong back muscles prevent back injuries, and they
promote good posture as well.
- Exercising
the arms. New belly-dance students are always surprised
by much they have to use their arm muscles. Belly-dancers
have to hold their arms up for long periods of time, and
it actually takes quite a lot of strength to perform arm
movements slowly and gracefully.
- Aiding
digestion. It's true! Exercising the abdominal area, not
just by rolling the belly, but also by swaying the torso,
helps food move along the digestive system. Any form of
exercise will have this effect to some degree, but belly-dance
is especially good for this purpose.
- Raks
sharki or Belly Dancing can burn up to 300 calories per
hour. This estimate will vary, of course, depending on the
intensity of your dancing. Combined with a healthy diet
that involves sensible eating, raks sharki can without a
doubt be part of a sound weight loss program
Belly
Dance for Fun & Celebrations
If you
are looking for a way to incorporate something new, different,
and fun into a bridal shower, pre-wedding party, baby shower,
family gathering, birthday party or women's group get-together
consider a belly dance lesson as part of your "girls
night" celebration!
Belly
dance is a truly woman-centered art form and a beautiful way
to express the beauty of being a woman and to honor women.
Belly dance is done in the Middle East by women for other
women. At such parties, everyone dances from little children
to their great-grandmothers! If you have an image of dancers
dancing for sultans, oh how wrong you would be! :)
We supply
veils and hip wraps for each participant. The Bride, Birthday
Girl or Hostess can keep her outfit! Private party lessons
are affordable and start at $100. Lessons are about an hour
long and everyone goes home knowing all the beginning moves.
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Contact
Us
For information on classes and parties call Mary Ann at
570-460-0861
EMAIL
or
call
Judy Travers 610-588-6116
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