Belly Dancing: Shake It Baby!

“We kick! But not like football players. We are dancers,'' Milla Tenorio tells the 12 women shimmying to the sound of rhythmic Arabic music, over the sound of the chink of coin-belts.

The women – Brazilian, Iranian, Arab, Russian, Indian and Kenyan – have become regulars at the twice-weekly belly dancing lessons, taught by Tenorio, an accomplished Brazilian belly dancer, who has travelled the Middle East, bringing her classically trained moves to the masses.

Before moving to the region four years ago, Tenorio worked in her native country for eight years where she managed her own school, teaching thousands of Brazilian students the exotic techniques of belly dancing, a centuries-old style that originated in the Middle East.

“Before, I used to dance the flamenco, but I just fell in love [with belly dancing] the way it makes a woman so attractive, sensual and feminine,'' she says, as her female students start trickling into the studio.

Tenorio approached the Shangri-La hotel to set up the class which was done after a long absence from teaching. “For the past three years I was only dancing and performing and I missed teaching,'' she says.

The classes, which take place in front of wall-to-wall mirrors, begin with a high-energy warm-up where the women try out their moves to the sounds of Arabic and Spanish music.

The warm-up follows with Tenorio showing the women a single movement that is then built up into a small routine that incorporates three or four moves.

Some newcomers like Tomescu Aliona pick up the moves effortlessly. “This is the first time in my life I've tried this but I've always loved it,'' she says.

Tenorio says every woman – regardless of age or experience – is welcome to her class.

“They really enjoy themselves and lose their inhibitions. This is the purpose – to make a discovery about themselves as women.''

Working it well

Belly dancing is designed for a woman's body, bone and muscle structure, with the core of the movements from the torso rather than the legs and feet.

The dance often isolates different parts of the body and weaves several independent movements together. Belly dancing is generally performed barefoot.

“It's a very good workout. You can work out all parts of the body,'' says Tenorio.

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