Dancing? As a dancer, I can only encourage you to do this and to follow your heart. Regardless of the type of dancing, it can be plain vanilla in how it is performed up to very sensual and seductive. Often dancing has been expressed as "the vertical expression of a horizontal desire". In this context, Belly dancing can be performed "cold", "warm", or "hot", however the moment, music, and energy move you. Watch your "audience's" response and vary your dance routine to get the desired affect.

As an aside, or, perhaps in addition to this, I would also encourage you to learn some Pole dancing moves. While you may not have a pole in your home or apartment, you can certainly adapt some of the movements and add some interesting and alluring "body language" into your performances. If a pole is not available, try using other props like a walking stick/cane, mop handle, or whatever you have handy. Here are some links to interesting and helpful videos:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/331382/pole_dance_practice/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr4pUcpyuag&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msy7TtyAVIc

There are other videos on YouTube, just search.

Good luck! Happy Holidays.

that would be so hot! i think the only gift that would be better than that would be a classic sport car or maybe another dance. an ex girl friend of mine used to do amature belly dancing and i found it very pleasing, i thoguh it was better than a normal strip teast because i didnt know what to do. i say do it and get as much out of it as you can. your lover will not be disapointed

I was at Half Price Books today and saw a beginner belly dancer kit. There was a how-to manual, two sets of finger chimes, and a CD of music to dance to. All for like $10.

I know this is an old thread but I'm going to respond to it anyway, since this is an interest of mine, lol.
I was a belly dancer LONG before I was even old enough to be in a real relationship (I was about 10 when I started). Yes belly dancing is sexy, but you also need to understand that the dance itself is NOT about the sex appeal. To be a real belly dancer you must consider the dance a way to express yourself, not just a bunch of attractive moves.
The sex appeal is just a plus. :)

[QUOTE=xfiendfyre;266726]To be a real belly dancer you must consider the dance a way to express yourself, not just a bunch of attractive moves.
The sex appeal is just a plus. :)[/QUOTE]
I couldn't agree more on this! Classes in Egyptian bellydancing are at times refered to as lessons in (re)discovering your essence. It's a dance of elegant movements that come from within. Since our belly is our core it's logical the movement is centered around your belly. Though arms are certainly of importance too; moving softly just like water wrinkles in circles from a drop in the center :) I also love the more wild brazlian bellydancing which is about freeing your soul and releasing all that energy in the rythm of the dance.

For anyone interested in moving from within, but not to perform; a beautiful way is [url=http://www.journeydance.com]JourneyDance with Toni Bergins. This is dancing for yourself with all the spirit you've got! It's sometimes called meditative dancing. I do this in the center of my living room at times and it feels great!

[QUOTE=RedRoses;266747]I couldn't agree more on this! Classes in Egyptian bellydancing are at times refered to as lessons in (re)discovering your essence. It's a dance of elegant movements that come from within. Since our belly is our core it's logical the movement is centered around your belly. Though arms are certainly of importance too; moving softly just like water wrinkles in circles from a drop in the center :) I also love the more wild brazlian bellydancing which is about freeing your soul and releasing all that energy in the rythm of the dance.

For anyone interested in moving from within, but not to perform; a beautiful way is [url=http://www.journeydance.com]JourneyDance with Toni Bergins. This is dancing for yourself with all the spirit you've got! It's sometimes called meditative dancing. I do this in the center of my living room at times and it feels great![/QUOTE]

You said it girl! Haha. Bellydancing also wasn't generally performed for men, it was a dance that women did together and performed for each other, and the men usually were never allowed to watch... I mean I'm sure that some women used it behind closed doors to seduce their husbands, I'm not trying to say that it never happened, it's just that it's not meant to be a sexy, seductive dance. It's the dance that celebrates being a woman, and the movements were used to strengthen the muscles used for childbearing. Women do some of the same movements today to move the child into the correct position before giving birth. To me, using it for the sole reason of being seductive almost seems like a mockery of something that is much larger than that. I am from the middle east and let me tell you, the people there aren't happy about what has happened to their traditional dance.
I sometimes dance in private for my boyfriend, so I do it as well.... but that is not the sole reason why I bellydance, I do it because I think it is probably one of the most beautiful things the human body can do!

I like belly dance very much, I would like to learn belly dance please suggest from where I can get knowledge about belly dance

Belly dancing or Arabic dancing is growing quickly in popularity. In most medium to large cities you can probably find classes. I brought back a very nice costume for my wife from Egypt and some costumery for myself. We use it for more than just dancing though :)

Let me count the ways:

belly dancing
pole dancing
stripping
lap dancing

How come I NEVER see men doing these for their women?

Come on, guys! Swivel a hip or two, dammit!
ZUMBA looks 'interesting'.

because, by and large, men are more visual than women
or maybe you just don't know the right guy,
(I use to give strip tease dances before we had kids and had more time for such things)

There is a specific kind of bellydancing which involves men. It's a more strong and edgy variety. I can't seem to remember the name... There are workshops for couples :) And zumba sure is a small party at the gym! We actually have a female and a male instructor. There are still few guys participating, though...

*chuckling*

"It's breathing, feeling your body, confidence flowing through posture, owning your own space, etc. Letting your inner light shine outwards. And in a certain way; one could say that's the most erotic thing of all!"

Exactly!

EEK, I highly doubt that. Fundamentalists are much of the reason of why bellydancing is disappearing from cultures in those countries :(
Performing bellydancers should be considered artistic performers, not erotic entertainers.
Unless you're in a gentlemen's club or your bedroom perhaps ;)

We could blame the Romantic Art-movement at beginning of the 19th century for contributing to an image of bellydancing that is overly eroticized by men ;) I personally think that the erotic-entertainment-version of bellydancing in clubs has contributed to the perspective of belly dancing being entertainment performed for men. Which sometimes makes it be compared to poll dancing and even as part of prostitution. Just like the perspective on Geisha's in Japan changed drastically after it also became a popular costume among prostitutes and erotic entertainers around the '30's/'40s.

The way bellydancing is performed is different in style around the world. In many cultures in the Islamic world, it has since a long time been custom for women to only dance among women. There have been (and perhaps; still are) cultures where a girl was allowed to dance in public with both men and women present before her marriage, with which she gathered money for her wedding (allegedly; the reason for the tradition of shawls with coins and jewelery). Off course; there's the bellydancing among cultures we often refer to as gypsies, where bellydancing is more exuberant and part of festivities. And we all get to see from the pictures of Rio-carnaval how in Brazil these types of dancing have melted together and changed to new forms. Etc.

Personally; I am yet to discover something that makes you feel more in touch with your essence; moving from within. It's a beautiful dance! :)

Belly-dancing preceeded Islam.

Raqs sharqi (Arabic: رقص شرقي‎; literally "oriental dance") is the style more familiar to Westerners, performed in restaurants and cabarets around the world. It is more commonly performed by female dancers but is also sometimes danced by men. It is a solo improvisational dance, although students often perform choreographed dances in a group.

Raqs baladi, (Arabic: رقص بلدي‎; literally "dance of country", or "folk" dance) is the folkloric style, danced socially by men and women of all ages in some Middle Eastern countries, usually at festive occasions such as weddings.

"Belly dancing arose from various dancing styles which were performed in the Middle East and North Africa. Theoretically belly dance has roots in the ancient Arab tribal religions as a dance to the goddess of fertility. Another theory is that belly dance was always danced as entertainment, some believe that the movements of dancing girls depicted in carvings from Pharaonic times are typical of belly dancing. A final theory is that belly dance was originally danced by women for women in the Levant, and North Africa. The book "Dancer of Shamahka" is widely cited; it is a romanticized memoir written by a modern author, Armen Ohanian, published in 1918. In Middle Eastern society two specific belly dance movements have been used in childbirth for generations." -wiki

Celebrating sex & fertility in a joyous manner does not preclude it also being erotic - depends upon context.
But why shy away from something - saying it isn't meant to be erotic/sexy - just admit that yes, it can be and there's nothing wrong with that. Stop being timid.

Yes, EEK, exactly.

And although it may be qualified as "showing of flesh", traditional clothing for the dance is more like long sleeved blouses and to the floor long skirts. Not much skin showing there. Even when going to a performance/dancing nowadays, it's not at all necessary to show skin; not even your belly. You don't need to; your movement is visible enough and even accentuated by a shawl. Admittedly; I've performed with all the glitters and feathers (amateur, no professional). That was the more Brazilian/Gypsy-version :)

EDIT: I see you've added a lot more than the first sentence I replied to, EEK :) I think that's just the thing; the dance can be sexy, but is often only classified as such. My point was to say it's so much more. It's breathing, feeling your body, confidence flowing through posture, owning your own space, etc. Letting your inner light shine outwards. And in a certain way; one could say that's the most erotic thing of all! :rolleyes:

No of course its not erotic - nothing at all erotic about a woman, normally in a burkha, showing her flesh and undulating in front of a group of men - no, not at all!

Who is kidding whom, here?

Belly dancing or Arabic dancing is growing quickly in popularity. In most medium to large cities you can probably find classes. I brought back a very nice costume for my wife from Egypt and some costumery for myself. We use it for more than just dancing though
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I know this is an old thread but I'm going to respond to it anyway, since this is an interest of mine, lol.
I was a belly dancer LONG before I was even old enough to be in a real relationship (I was about 10 when I started). Yes belly dancing is sexy, but you also need to understand that the dance itself is NOT about the sex appeal.

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