What is bellydance? What is the Bellydance Club?
A very brief description of belly dance: Belly dancing began at least 5,000 years ago in North Africa and the Middle East to celebrate the female spirit. Women also danced during child labor to ease delivery. This tradition was passed on from mothers to daughters, daughters learning to belly dance at young ages.
This dance predates Islam and developed for thousands of years, earning the title "Dance of the East" in countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and India. At the turn of the century the French gave it the name danse du ventre, meaning 'dance of the stomach,' which eventually translated into 'belly dance.'
Isolation techniques are heavily emphasized in belly dancing, especially isolation movements of the hips and rib cage. Patterns like tracing figure eights and circles, in addition to lifting and dropping the hips are common. It is great exercise that isolates and tones every part of your body.
The Belly Dance Club provides students with the opportunity to learn belly dancing through proper instruction and participate in performances open to the community. This is for anyone who likes to dance and is interested in learning not only about this particular style of dance, but also the history and culture surrounding it. It is definitely an experience unlike any other club sport!
Can non-UVa people join the Bellydance Club at UVa?
Unfortunately, no. UVa club sports are only open to students, faculty and staff at UVa. You must be able to access UVa gym facilities.
Is the club related to IM-Rec? Do I need a drop-in card?
No. We are a 'contracted independent organization,' meaning that we are open to the UVa community and use UVa facilities, but we are an independent group and are not related to IM-Rec or any of the University's recreation groups. Dues are paid to us directly - you cannot use a drop-in card to participate in our classes.
Where can I buy belly dance clothes/zills/accessories?
Our Cabaret instructor, Alex, often sells things in class - you can buy hip scarves, veils, accent skirts, harem pants and zills from her. Her hip scarves usually run about $35, and having bought many of them our club members can attest to their quality. You can also buy things online (check the resources page for links), and you can find a lot of hip scarves on eBay for as low as $15. Word of warning: sometimes things are cheap for a reason. Cheap hip scarves may be of low quality and could fall apart in class. If you want to buy on eBay, talk to some of the other members in the club who've already done it so they can tell you which sellers have decent quality items.
Dancers in Advanced Beginner Cabaret should consider buying a pair of zills, or finger cymbals, for class. We recommend Saroyan Mastercrafts. Check out the student zills, and be sure to order before the 15th of the month!
Are there performance opportunities?
Yes! We usually a few a performances per semester. We are often invited to perform with other dance groups. As such, we don't currently have a set performance schedule. Whenever we are invited to perform, we email the mailing list and invite people to participate. Choreographies, practice schedules are set on a case-by-case basis. Performance opportunities are not restricted to the performance troupe!
Who can join the performance troupe? Does it cost extra?
Cabaret troupe is by audition only and only
those with at least one semester of advanced-beginning Cabaret are eligible to
audition. Alex, our Cabaret instructor, runs the audition and picks troupe
members. The troupe meets every week and works exclusively on choreographies
and performance. It is considered an additional class and as such does cost
extra. All members of the performance troupe are required to take
advanced-beginning Cabaret as well.
The new Tribal troupe is open to dancers with at least one semester of advanced-beginning Tribal. We expect that the Tribal troupe will follow a similar format as the Cabaret troupe.
Are there club meetings?
No. The only thing members attend are our classes.
Who are the officers?
We have an enthusiastic group of officers that are willing to help with any questions that you may have. Please check us out on the contact page.
Do I need previous experience to take classes?
No! Almost everybody who starts dancing with us has never belly danced before (and in some cases has never done ANY kind of dance before). All our beginning classes are completely from scratch.
What's the difference between Cabaret and Tribal?
The best way to understand the difference is to come see for yourself - we do suggest that you come to a first class in both styles to see what they're all about. The oversimplified answer: When you think of a 'typical' belly dancer, you often think of Cabaret - shiny, smiley, lots of shimmies and moving around. In our Cabaret class we also often learn veil-work. Tribal is meant to be improvised and there is often a lot of work in partners. Our Tribal instructor also incorporates some Flamenco attitude into her dances.
The styles are similar enough that they will supplement each other and you will learn faster (many of our members do take both styles), but different enough that you aren't taking the same dance over and over again.
How much does this cost? When and how do I pay?
Per semester: $55 for one style of dance (11 classes of Cabaret or 10 classes of Tribal), $80 for two classes per week, and $100 for three. In the Fall of 2008, we are offering two beginner classes (cabaret and tribal) for $70 to new members! The first two weeks of classes are open and you are free to come try the dance for free. You should pay your dues as soon as possible and no later than September 29th. If you know for certain that you would like to participate this semester, we do suggest that you pay us as soon as you can. After the dues cut-off date, no new members will be accepted and those who haven't paid will be gently asked to leave.
You pay us directly (don't worry, we will identify ourselves at the classes so you know who to give your money to!), and we will accept cash or check. If you want to pay by check, please put "UVa Fund" in the To: line and "Bellydance Club" in the Memo: area. We currently can't accept credit cards.
How do I join a class?
There is no sign-up in advance, you just come to the class of your choice on the first day and sign the roster when you arrive. No new members will be accepted after the dues deadline (check the schedules to find out what the deadline is for this semester).
I can't come to the first class. Can I still join?
We will accept new members until the end of the second week. If you can't make the very first class you can still come to the second, but we will not extend the dues cut-off date if you come late.
What happens if I miss a class?
Like other dance classes, if you miss one, you just miss it. You can talk to the instructor to see what you missed but there are no official make-up classes and we don't give 'missed class credit' for the next semester. If you know you are going miss a bunch of classes, you might want to wait until a different semester.
When are classes and how long are they?
Classes are generally an hour long, but may run over if you get excited and can't stop dancing. Class schedules vary semester to semester, check the schedules page to find out when and where classes are.
What do I wear to class? Do I need a hip scarf?
First off, you are NOT required to show your belly! Workout clothes are generally fine, but nothing too baggy as you need to be able to see what you're doing. Sometimes people wear long, flowy skirts and a tank-top, or just sweatpants and a t-shirt. As long as it's comfortable, you can probably dance in it. Dancing is done barefoot (and the floors are nice hardwood so don't worry!), but if you want to wear shoes you can wear dance shoes. We ask that you not wear socks as they can be too slippery.
Hip scarves, skirts, choli tops etc are totally optional, but many people choose to buy them anyway because they're fun to dance in! Where can I buy belly dance clothes?
Other accessories: We often do veil-work in the Cabaret class, so you may want to buy one. This is not required, but will make veil-work a little more fun. In the advanced-beginning classes we have also started zill (finger-cymbal) work, so you may also want to purchase those.
Are there any rules for the classes?
Our instructors have mentioned a few things they'd like students to follow:
1. Please arrive to class 5 minutes early, and be ready to dance when the class starts. The warm up is very important in preventing injuries, and should not be skipped. Additionally, coming into class late can be a distraction to others.
2. Please turn off cell phones.
3. If you have a question, please ask the instructor, rather than asking another student.
4. Please be respectful of other students and of the teacher.
5. No chewing gum.
I've taken belly dance before. What level class should I join?
If you've never danced with our club before, we do suggest that you start out in the beginner level so you can see how our instructors teach and what their style is. If you have a lot of experience you will no doubt pick it up quickly, and in that case it will be easy for you to move up to the next level.
I was in the club last semester. What class should I join?
Advanced-beginning Cabaret is by instructor permission only; you must talk to Alex and have her approval before you can move up to adv-beginning. Don't worry - the choreographies will change, so if you take beginning Cabaret again you will still learn something new! Advanced-Beginning Tribal requires at least one semester with Joy.
