My first bellydance performance – office annual dinner in 2007
When I was younger, I was a fool who was in love with a man who never fully accepted me the way I was. A man who would bluntly make a remark about my flabby arms, about my huge thighs, and, well… even about my “flat-screen tv”!
Despite the fact I was comfortable in my own skin, being in that destructive relationship was gradually taking its toll on me, and I eventually came to a point of being very critical on every inch of my body. I couldn’t stand seeing myself nude.
Doing the hip circles!
But a chance of watching one bellydancer’s performance changed everything. Her fluid movements, using every part of her body – doing snake arms, rib cage circles, chest slides, hip lifts and drops, body waves – were very mesmerizing. She was heavily endowed, but she couldn’t care less. The audience couldn’t care less, either! And I wondered, ‘How did she do that?’
Later on, I bought my first hip scarf and Rania Bossonis DVD series, and learnt from a couple of instructors, and there was no turning back since…
Do you stand in front of the mirror and think, ‘I hate the sight of those love handles!’ or, ‘Can someone help me with that bulging tummy?’ or, ‘I shouldn’t have eaten that last piece of cake!’
Credits to Ms. Nurul Huda, one of my bellydance instructors
If you do, then I would strongly suggest you sign up for your first bellydance class – if you haven’t, that is. This exotic Middle-Eastern dance brings out your femininity, making you feel exhilarated and sensual. You don’t need a man to tell you that you’re sexy or stunning; it would be mood-lifting to receive such a compliment, but if you don’t, you won’t feel you’re not worthy. You just do your thing, and you’ll realize that you’re simply beautiful – regardless of your body size, your age, your skin colour, or anything at all that keeps you inhibited. Such is the power of bellydance that a woman doesn’t have to be drop-dead gorgeous to idolize her inner and outer beauty.
I, among millions of other women in this world who have tried bellydancing, am the living testimony of that. I bid goodbye to my past inhibitions, and of course, to that good-for-nothing guy!