By Andrea Miller
Coloured veils, finger cymbals and chain-link belts rarely find their way into a gym bag. But that may change with more Ottawa women choosing an alternative path and looking to belly dancing to satisfy their aerobic fix and boost their self-image.
“Belly dancing makes you feel beautiful. It makes you aware of your curves and if you’re curvy, it looks better. And it’s so relaxed and fun that you get a full body workout without even knowing it,” says Rachel Deslauriers, who takes belly dancing classes at the Routier Community Centre.
Tracey Vibert, Deslauriers’ instructor, began belly dancing 10 years ago out of a fascination with the practice, and started teaching six years ago at the community centre on Guigues Avenue.
Interest in the Ottawa area has grown considerably throughout the past decade, says Vibert, crediting the dance’s rising popularity with the search for the ideal workout and the influence of pop music.
“I think people are constantly looking for new forms of exercise. Belly dancing has its moments in the sun with dancers and singers like Shakira and Britney Spears. They definitely put increased [attention] on it with the moves that they were showing. And it’s low impact; it’s isolation – it’s a great workout head to toe.”
With this in mind, Greg Szymborksi, co-owner of DanceStudios.ca on Chapel Crescent, conceived “cardio belly dancing” by combining a high impact workout with belly dancing.
He says this hybrid routine resulted from high consumer demand.
“When I saw belly dancing, it’s so energetic and people were sweating in regular classes. So I said, ‘Why not create a cardio belly dance where you get the workout and also learn a few steps?’ And without advertising, we’ve already been getting calls about it.”
Although the popularity of belly dancing is soaring, there is still a belief that it objectifies women, involves skimpy clothing and should only be attempted by those blessed with the perfect body.
These degrading assumptions couldn’t be farther from the truth, says Mireille Chaput, who takes classes with Vibert. She sees this oversight as the residue of TV shows like “I Dream of Genie” and the Arabian Nights folklore.
“A lot of people think you have to be half-naked when you dance. They don’t know if belly dancers are going to strip or what,” she says. “But once they see that a woman can dance without being raunchy, they see that the moves actually accentuate the beauty of the woman’s body and that it’s beautiful.”
Both Vibert and Jana Szymborski, who teaches belly dancing at the studio she owns with her husband, have watched their students go from self-conscious to self-confident after only a taste of what the dance can offer.
Women develop a new appreciation for the way their bodies look because of the dance’s fluid movements, says Vibert.
Deslauriers says belly dancing has brought out a side in her she never knew existed.
“I was never a very graceful or feminine person. But once I finish this class, I feel good about myself and feel more feminine because everyone is able to find their own rhythm and do moves that suit their own bodies.”
Chaput predicts belly dancing will follow in the footsteps of another misunderstood hobby.
“I think [belly dancing] is like yoga – it was a bit weird at first. But once people get used to it and with time, it’ll get bigger.”