Belly Dancing has come to the West Hills for the first time! Drive down Steubenville Pike in Imperial and you might just hear the jingle of coin skirts shaking to Egyptian music and laughter as women of all ages, shapes and sizes move the music that ranges from a powerful tribal beat to a flowing ancient beat. Take a look inside Just Dance Conservatory and you will these women, led by Susan Goelz, in smooth movements of beauty having a great deal of fun!
Everyone can take part in belly dancing because of the very limited impact on the joints. Yet, it is still a challenging workout. It is not about being the thinnest or the fittest. It is about enjoying where you are and the pleasure of moving.
“As a professional dancer and fitness professional teaching many class formats, I thought taking belly dancing would be a snap. I quickly found out that was not the case. It takes the concentration of yoga, and the ability to isolate muscles you didn’t know could move by themselves.“ says Marianne King, owner of Fitness for Life, who teamed up with Just Dance Conservatory to offer unique fitness programs in a comfortable supportive atmosphere.
King states, “Here, women can appreciate where with their bodies are, build relationships and connect with other women while enjoying the movement.”
Laugher from the entire class and unending encouragement from the instructor permeate the room. One of King’s priorities since becoming an independent business owner over 20 years ago was to offer programs to communities and businesses that are unique, of high quality and have an atmosphere of camaraderie and enjoyment.
Julie Podolinsky, a participant in class, comments, “Great class! Lots of fun! It’s amazing how differently you have to move your body from what you are accustomed and trained to do.”
Susan Goelz hopes to instill the love of movement in her participants while getting them to dress up a bit with their coins skirts and be a bit feminine. She also educates class participants on many areas of ancient and Middle Eastern dance. But don’t mistake enjoyment of the movement for seduction. That is not what learning ancient dances are all about. It is about getting together and learning the amazing ways one’s body moves, while learning different styles of shimmying, hip stabs and snakelike movements with isolated arm and leg progressions for a fantastic work-out. In Turkey, when there are no men around, women just whip off their head scarves, tie them to their waists and start dancing. It is not provocative at all but, rather, is about dancing and having fun together.
For more information on the Belly Dancing and Outdoor Fitness Fun Classes starting May 14th contact Marianne King at 724-695-2239, mkfitness@comcast.net. Or, visit the Web-site, www.mkfitness4life.com.