Why I Became a Belly Dancer in my 40s

I shimmied my way into the belly dance world at 45 years old. I have always been known as a late bloomer and for as long as I could remember, Middle Eastern culture has been an interest of mine, and belly dancing, a passion.

Since the days of “I Dream of Jeannie” I have wanted to be a belly dancer. I can recall being a child waiting anxiously for Jeannie to shimmy across the TV screen in her harem costume, turn into a puff of pink smoke, and be drawn down into her genie bottle. Once I saw that image, I was hooked!

I never once considered my age to be a factor in my choice, and I still don’t. The art of belly dance is not only beautiful, but it’s a wonderful way to stay in shape. I had some regret, though I had not started dancing sooner, but I don’t recall any belly dancing teachers back in the 60s when I was five. I was too busy making mud pies and playing with Barbie dolls.

I heard about a class as I was making my way through the trick-or-treaters one crisp Halloween eve. I approached the woman who was excited to talk to someone about her new passion, and I got the info I needed. I was in her class that week!

One misconception that I met with (mostly by men) was that I was now a stripper and would I give them private lessons! Nothing could be further from the truth!

According to History of Oriental Dance, “Contrary to what many Westerners believe, Oriental dance (the correct name for belly dancing) did not originate as a dance of seduction by concubines to titillate the Sultan.

For centuries, the role of Oriental dance in Middle Eastern society has been that of a folk dance that people would do at joyous occasions such as weddings, the birth of a child, community festivals, and other events that bring people together to party. It was a dance that men, women, and children did for fun, not a performance done to entertain an audience. Just as Americans at a modern-day wedding reception might do waltzes, two-steps, or even the chicken dance, so people in the Middle East would get up with their friends to shimmy to their favorite music.”

Also, many people feel you must be stick thin to belly dance, not so. Back in the day, a woman who had curves was considered to be “rich and full” whereas a very thin dancer was undernourished and in need of a good meal. In other words, a woman needed meat on her bones.

But my problem was, I had too much meat!

As I danced in this group of women, I noticed the sizes and ages were all varied. I began my lessons, but after struggling with my weight my entire life (I looked like Benny Hill as a baby) I finally decided to change. I lost weight due to health reasons (and my doctor’s order) and my inability to walk up a flight of stairs without stopping every few feet to breathe.

I was unhealthy and disappointed in myself. Now was my chance to learn my passion. How could I have let myself go for so long? I could barely walk; how could I learn to dance? Although my instructor assured me I should embrace my “womanly curves” I thought to myself that my curves were not given to by God but brought on by myself who liked to over indulge and give in to emotional eating.

I decided to take a year off from dance and focus on me for once. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 52 pounds and made the promise I would return this year, but my instructor was no longer teaching.

Fortunately for me, I found another instructor who had decades of experience under her sparkly belt and learned more from her in one hour than I had in the months I had been previously dancing.

Although I now felt lighter and sexier, I had not been keeping up with the dance as I should have, although the passion was still there, now stronger than ever. But as I began to re-learn the moves, I felt them coming back to me. I had not forgotten! It was as though my body wanted me to dance and I had no choice but to move to the seductive music. I wanted this and was going to do it.

I was even bold enough to take a two-day belly dancing workshop and thought there would be different skill levels attending. Imagine my surprise when I learned that all the women there had been dancing for over 5 years, some much longer (and teaching) and there was me, hiding in the back, after only taking one lesson.

But the information learned during those two days was priceless and helped put me on the road to building a foundation for belly dance that made me feel enlightened and proved to be an extremely valuable weekend.

So, no matter what your age, size, or skill level, if you have a passion deep down, it is your soul telling you to give in, let go, and just dance! ♥