BELLYDANCE CHALLENGES

this is bra I bought at gypsynets' emporium on facebook and headpiece.

When I began taking formal classes in bellydamce a few months back, I had no idea how much fun I would have; I ,also never realized how dance class differs from home studies. I had never stepped foot in a real dance class, and with the dvd/online method, there is all positive feedback,with no constructive criticism. You heat things like, great, that's great,etc. But in live classes, you may not even be aware of how you are positioned,even with the aid of a mirror, unless you have studio type settings in your home, you may only see certain angles of your moves. Then you must be aware of what the arms, face, and hands are doing. I found that I would need to learn a totally different posture than I used in other workouts. I had to learm ,that I need to have my chest over my foot area. That doesn't sound so tough, after all. I have great posture. I found out that your body would be asked to make moves that it would not be asked to do under regular motion. I also discovered how many muscles there are in between my ribcage(intercostal muscles.) Wow, a new meaning to the no pain, no gain phrase. Then there is the differences in each individuals basic anatomy. I have a straight back. Iy has very little arch in the lumbar region. This is great for equine sports, but doing an undulation is a challenge to do , at least in the style that my teacher is teaching at this time. If I don;t use more of a forward chest motion, it is not as obvious how my spine moves, and it can be discouraging when you really are a perfectionist type personality/ I have found that it requires communication between your teacher and you. This can be a challenge if the teacher doesn't hear your questions about a move or how or where you are starting a choreography. Middle eastern dance is hard work and requires a commitment to learn it. I do find that it is a very effective workout aerobically, and will have your body changing very rapidly,downright dangerous curves will develop and you will get that flat tummy, above and below the belt. I am not really a fan of a lot of meat in my diet, but I am craving the protein needed to support building muscles. I suggest taking supplements as required for your age group, as well as a protein supplement to enhance muscle response to the intensity of this workout. I am eating like I did at 14yo;like a large mammal, but making good choices , not just any food. After all, I want my newfound abs to show and have nice definition. I have found this class business very exhilirating, addictive, and often enough humiliating, there goes rhat perfectionism again, and I thought I had that all worked out. I have made some great pals at live classes. I have a very good teacher. I had forgotten how to relate to people, I was shut in for a period of time with my late hubby. But ,it is helping me learn how to interact with others as a non nurse. That was my identity for a long time. Being a nurse makes it easier to relate to folks at the time, but now I am relating on different turf. The people don't know me as the nurse, but just a harley riding newbie with so much to learn. But I know that I am getting better with each class. I have very small place to work out and no full mirrors for large moves, but I use the video for feedback, and the camera shows it like it is. I , also, find it comforting that my muscles have memory and that once I know how a move should feel in order to make that move in the proper manner. I have found that a simple costume is motivating and helps with the theatrical skills one must learn, it makes me feel like a dancer and a goddess. This has proven very helpful for me. I also wear fingerless gloves for dance, to help me be aware of what my arms and hands are doing. Now if I can improve on memory of choreography, I can concentrate more on all of the other stuff. I have decided to write down the steps and what count the step is initiated on. Writing things down is a leftover learning/memory tactic I used while doing my nursing duties.I am started on zills. It is an intermediate class, but it will assist me to coordinate moving, while playing a percussion instrument. I am doing a solo dance at the greek night next month. I have a great respect for the challenges of choreographing a dance. Our teachers out there work hard to make the moves suited to our skill level. The illeopsis muscles are getting limber,( see the previous link on this muscle group that dancers use. So now it is practice and then practice some more. My feet are getting more callous in the areas needed to dance with bare feet and to dance on the balls of my feet. I have ordered a couple of dvds on dance, will let you know how they are soon. I got them for a great price at amazon. I also got a great bratop from gypseynets' emporium. This is a site worth visiting on facebook. Gotta get to work on my solo and get those hips moving. Happy dancing from gypsy on her bellyquest. I am inserting a funny video, it has been around, but for those who missed it, it is very cute.