I agree. wrong to separate out body types, perpetuates stereotypes .

Fabulous response! I feel very supported by your post. :)

I agree with you wholeheartedly that there should be all-inclusion on a showcase video. I think time will give us what we want. :) Especially if we make it clear, as you have done, that all-inclusive material is our ultimate goal.

Regarding the Goddess-sized class, I would be in it in a heartbeat if I was in your area and you offered it. I believe supporting and respecting where a body's at is so empowering. Allowing the body to ease into moves that can be so difficult to start the correct way is so healthy, in my opinion. It allows the person inside the body to stop pushing so hard and to take a breath, step back and gently start the process of respecting limitations while safely pushing them so progress can be made. And if the person is already in that head/mind/heart/body space, then the class allows the space to practice and get strong(er).

Being able to then blend in with the rest, as you say, would be such a refreshing experience. To have those ah-ha's along with the rest of the class, bliss! To stop fighting the reality of physics and start accepting we are who we are right this moment, healthy and powerful.

So, a BIG Austin Texas YES to the Goddess-sized class. :)

Bright blessings,

Andrea.

Greetings & Salutations,

I was forwarded this thread by someone in my ATS e-mail group. I was pleased by the variety of educated, thoughtful, and heartfelt replies to what can be a very personal and very emotional question/situation. Discrimination in any form is hurtful and demeaning.

The personal power and pride I experience when I dance is a small part of what keeps me dancing. That, and the instant comradery I feel with other dancers. When I see a bellydancer, no matter their style, ability, ethnicity, or personality I feel like we are both part of the same special club. That may sound silly, but it lends an intimate feeling at Haflas and workshops and any avenue where dancers gather.

I do not feel I have anything to add to the question of providing “separate but equal” videos for Goddess size women. However, I would like to address the idea of a class just for “bigger” women.

First and foremost, please allow me to share with you the moment I feel in love with belly dancing. I took my first class over ten years ago. I went every week and did my best to not feel awkward and silly. I blushed a lot and giggled a lot. The teacher was great. Very personable and very real. I always felt welcome and I always felt like a dancer. One who needed work maybe, but a dancer just the same.

I had huge body image issues at that time. I didn’t appreciate my curves. I thought I would never be a successful dancer if I did not have a commercially/stereotypically approved figure. Then one day we were working on figure eights. It’s the first move I learned; and I still fall back on it if my mind blanks!

A lovely young Lady with a well proportioned, commercially/stereotypically attractive figure, was working on her figure eights beside me. I looked at her hips and then I looked at my hips in the mirror. And suddenly I realized that different is ok. That having curves can be good. And for the very first time I felt sexy, sensual, and wholly feminine.

That was the exact moment I fell in love with belly dancing.

Eight years and a pysiatic nerve problem later I found my way to ATS. I have been dancing and studying for over a year and half now. I have advised my teacher of my limitations: foot issues and hip issues.

So, I warm up and cool down religiously. And when I’ve pushed as far as I can push, I take a break. My teacher trusts me to not damage myself; and I trust my teacher to understand my limits.

So, to the crux of the matter: I do not think a separate class is necessary or adviseable.

I will concede that bigger bodies put more stress on their joints. So perhaps special attention needs to be paid to warming up and cooling down. Intro classes may include segments on special stretches for those areas of the body prone to injury, such as the knee/patella area, ankles, and feet.

But to segregate “bigger” women into a separate class seems akin to not including them in professional videos. It is “separate but equal.”

If a dancer cannot keep up, or is slowing down the class, then the dancer and the teacher need to talk out of class. They need to review the dancer's limitations and discuss alternatives. There can be, and are, very real physical issues. But those can be addressed in detail at workshops, seminars, or other special sessions.

In an “integrated” class we learn by watching others. We learn to appreciate the beauty in her smaller frame (look how the curve of her back draws the eye to her tassel belt), her medium frame (her hips are hypnotic), her Goddess frame (what a presence, it takes my breath away), and beyond.

If I had not been in a class with a myriad of body shapes and sizes so many years ago, I may never have had my revelation about my body…and I may never have realized that I can be sensual. I may never have gained the confidence, personal power, and pride in myself that I now have.

If we want to advocate that we are all dancers, just plain dancers, then we must do so not only in the professional arena of videos; but internally in our class rooms. We must acknowledge physical ailments and share information about preventing and overcoming them. We must avoid unintentionally creating an environment of segregation or elitism.

I am a dancer. You are a dancer. I just happen to have a bigger body. You may too. You may not. Quite frankly, my dear, I don’t care. Come dance with me. Come warm up with me and groan as we stretch tight muscles, come suffer through belly rolls and shimmies or whatever move(s) give you grief, then cool down with me and bemoan sore muscles.

Through it all share your humour, your experience, your insight, and your wisdom with me. Because you are a dancer. I am a dancer. We are belly dancers!