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Belly dancers gyrate to their own rhythm
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EMBRACING an array of cultural and historic influences, belly dancing is an art form with diverse charms.
It’s also growing in popularity across China. Although its decade-old history in China is shorter than a blade of grass, the form is quickly evolving away from a “sexy” and “suggestive” bar dance to a hobby and form of exercise.
Numerous dance schools and workshops have opened. There are also more professional belly dance competitions and performances in Shanghai.
Dance for Unity, a belly dance competition featuring 16 internationally renowned professional teachers and rising stars in the belly dance field, has been held in Shanghai for two straight years. Belly dance enthusiasts from more than 50 countries participated in this year’s competition from August 18 to 23. More than just a competition, Dance for Unity is an opportunity for belly dancers, both pros and amateurs, to mingle and exchange ideas.
“Belly dancing gives people another way to express themselves,” Argentinian belly dance instructor Oscar Flores tells Shanghai Daily. “It’s also a great workout for the body and muscles. In women it wakes up their feminine sense and it helps make men more flexible.
“Arabic music contains wonderful instruments and each is interpreted in different ways and with different parts of the body, leading to unique movements, a new universe full of possibilities to create, learn and feel.”
Some who have taken up belly dancing in the city with the aim of keeping fit have recognized a business opportunity and are now professional instructors with their own studio.
Molly Mao runs IPI studio and is among those who have turned their interest in the dance into a career. She started belly dancing at the age of 18 when she was a college student. She studied dance in Egypt and then taught dance lessons in European countries. With IPI, she trains other professional dancers and choreographs her own original dances.
“Belly dancing brings me happiness, beauty and charm,” she says. “I enjoy bringing the philosophy behind this dance to more people in the city.”
Long Xuan won the Dance for Unity contest in Shanghai in 2014 and credits belly dancing with giving her more confidence.
“I felt I was shining on the stage,” she says. “Belly dancing has helped me become more confident — not just lose weight and gain a better figure.”
Now in her thirties, she started learning the dance 10 years ago with the initial goal of losing weight.
“I was very fat at the time — over 60 kilograms — and I am less than 160 centimeters tall‚“ she says.
Long says the performance in last year’s Dance for Unity competition has been the most important moment in her life.
With more local dancers seeking professional training, the market is becoming more commercial and mature.
“You can see there’re now more belly dance festivals and competitions in China, and people have more chances to communicate with Western belly dancers,” says Mao, who’s also competed at Dance for Unity.
Shai Levitin, the founder of Dance for Unity, says: “I hope to position China at the forefront of art and culture through the creation and organization of an influential dance platform worthy of international acclaim. And at the same time, provide an opportunity for emerging Chinese talents to showcase to the world their artistic brilliance,”
Levitin will also create a six-episode reality show to be aired on four of China’s favorite local television channels, as well as one video site.
With the theme “Dance for Unity, Dance with Heart,” the show is a dramatic, yet candid view of the art and emotions of belly dancing.
The city’s belly dance professionals say it’s amazing how quickly demand has grown and how good the dancing quality is.
“Most are surprised that Chinese belly dance teachers are even more popular than foreign instructors,” Mao says. “The level of local dancers is on par with Western dancers.”
Flores says Chinese dancers have a lot of discipline and are eager to learn.
“I think that in the near future, China will have its own style of belly dancing,” Flores adds.
In recent years, Flores has visited Shanghai six times and performed in 19 cities across the country.
In his workshops, he trains professional dancers, polishes their techniques and teaches them exercises that will help them improve their dancing. Samantha Diaz, a belly dance instructor from New York who was also a judge at Dance for Unity last month, says the beauty of belly dancing is that there is always room to try new things.
“You must have passion, great energy, and commitment for training,” she says. “A dancer never stops learning. No matter how professional you are, there is always new things to explore and to be inspired towards your dance.”
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