2B
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LIFE/ Charlotte $oat
Thursday, June 8, 2006
Belly dancing for fitness
Continued from page 1B
began taking classes and
wca-king towards becoming an
instructor.
“Now, Fve been doing this
for eight years, four years full-
time,” she said. ‘T had eight
students in my first class. I
had to travel around to differ
ent studios, and I was limited
to what each facUity could
accommodate.” A year in her
first permanent location, the
room is packed with more
than 20 stud^ts in her Level
1 class.
From the fiont of the room,
Yasmine yells out “think long
and lean” as the group starts
doing what most of us associ
ate with belly dandng, the
snimmy However, if you just
want to shake your butt, this
is not the class for you. The
art of belly dance, or Oriental
dance, is described as a ‘beau
tiful and ancient art form
bom on the shores of the
Mediterranean, nurtured on
ffie Nile, and today performed
worldwide.” The term belly
dance is actually a misnomer
fiom the 19th century French
“danse du ventre” (dance of
the stomach), it’s a simplified
t«m for a dance that involves
the entire torso, especially the
hips. The Arabic name is
“Raks El Sharqi” translated
literally as dance of the East,
hence Oriental dance.
Contemporary Oriental
dance contains elements fiom
areas of Persia, India, the
Middle East and North
Afiica. Arabic mrisic is the
essence of Oriental dance,
and much like Afiican forms
of music, the drum is at its
heart. Perhaps 5,000 years
old, the dance is traditionally
done at weddings and cde-
brations, with whole families
participating.
“People who don’t know
think it’s hoochie-coochie
dance, and it’s not. There’s a
difference between being sex
ual and being sensual,”
Yasmine said, demonstrating
a one-hip move called the fig-
\jre eight- “It’s not the butter
fly We maintain ourselves as
ladies here. Legs are usually
shoulder width apart or clos-
We don’t get any wider
than that.”
Yet just because there is
some decorum to Ihe dance,
don’t just assume it’s easy
Instructor and member of
Yasmine’s professional dance
troupe. The Magic Hips
Dancers, Nayna walks the
Level 1 class through an
undulation that separately
moves your upper and lower
abdominal muscles. (I’m sure
mine isjustaU one.) Manyof
the movements, though beau
tiful, really are difficult, and
require sometiiing many of us
aren’t ready for. “Learn to let
go,” exclaimed Nayna, as the
dass continued to push their
stomach musdes up, out, and
in ‘We as womai are taught
to hold (our stomachs) in,”
said Yasmine. ‘We have tried
to suck in for so long, it’s hard
learning to let go. If it wasn’t
meant to wiggle, it wouldn’t.
Let it be fi^.”
It’s this kind of attitude that
Rage
Continued from page 1B
“This is a weU-designed,
large-scale, face-to-face study
with interesting and useful
results,” said Dr. David
Fassler, a psychiatry profes
sor at the University of
Vermont. “The findings also
confirm that for most people,
the difficulties assodated
with the disorder begin dur
ing childhood or adolescence,
and they often have a pro-
foimd and ongoing impact on
the person’s fife.”
Jennifer Hartstein, a psy
chologist at Montefiore
Medical Center in New York,
said she had just diagnosed
tile disorda- in a 16-year-dld
boy
“In most situations, he is
relatively affable, calm and
very responsible,” she said
But in stressful situations at
home, he “eiqilodes and tears
apart his room, throws things
at other people” to the point
that his parents have called
the police.
is so appealing to students.
Their motto is ‘be bold, be
beautiful, be a belly dancer.”
There is no self-consciousness
and tiiese classes, though
there are women of aU sizes.
“No matta* age, background,
or size, belly dance is very
individualistic. You can be
stick thin or voluptuous and a
goddess...you don’t have to be
a cCTtain size or we^ht. The
more curves and assets you
come with, sometimes, the
better,” assured Yasmine.
“Other forms of exercise tend
to be more masculine with
beUy dance you can get tone
and get strengthening with a
feminine edge.”
An article in the winter
2005 issue of Habibi, a
Mddle Eastern Dance maga
zine, eqilains the health ben
efits of bdly dance; builds
stronger belly muscles, quali
fies as a wpigbt. bearing ecer-
cise, strengthens lower back
muscles, shapes arms, eases
hand and wrist pain, stimu
lates lymphatic function,
eng^es the brain, and low
ers the chances of developir^
Alzheimer by 63 percent. ‘It
also works your ^utes, ham
strings, quads, and calves; it’s
a total body workout,” said
Yasmine.
Mother and daughter
dancers Minnette and
Charleyne Waiters started in
January and say they both
love it. “It allows people of aU
sizes to be comfortable,” said
Charleyne, “you don’t have to
, PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON
Belly dancing has many names, but it can help anyone tone
muscles and improve strength.
be thin.”
“Since starting, I can t^
Fve lost inches on my stom
ach,” said Rfinnette, while her
daughter proclaimed she
wanted to keep her hips! The
two also mentioned the mis
conceptions people have
about the dance. “It’s not
sleazy,” said Charleyne, “peo
ple who think that are
wrong.”
“The people at our church
were concerned, when we
started... but there is no reli
gion involved here. It’s just
an opportunity to be comfort
able and have fun,” explained
^Ennette.
In 2003, Yasmine and the
Magic Hips Dancers were
nominated by Zaghareet
magazine as best kept secret.
In 2005, Yasmine was nomi
nated as Instructor of the
Year, and this year, as wdl as
in 2005, the Magic Hips
Dancers were nominated as
TtoupeoftheYear. The secret
is out. Online r^istration for
the next five week session
begins Jime 12, open house is
June 21, and the new session
of classes start June 26. You
can attend the Magic of Dance
recital on June 17 at Pease
Auditorium at Central
Piedmont Community
College. There’s also a Magic
Hips BeUy Camp for kids and
teens fi'om Jime 26-30.
For information on registra
tion, class prices, or redtal
tickets visit www.magic-
hips.com or call (704) 752-
8323.
AmeriCare>|i>Health
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Open Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm, Sat. 9am-5pm
“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thy
wounds, saith the Lord.’’ - Jeremiah 30:17
Alpha Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Presents
LittCe Miss andJunior Miss
JACpfta Xappa CACpfia 2006
Little Miss.AKA
Amber Ragland, daughter of
Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Ragland
Antorie Beasley, daughter of
Mr.& Mrs. Myron Byrd
Anjae Rayford, daughter of
Ms. Lisa Jackson-Rayford
Brittany Sandle, daughter of
Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Sandle
The Little Miss/Junior Miss
Alpha Kappa Alpha Pageant will
be held Sunday at 4 pm at South
Mecklenburg High School. This
years pageant consistts of two divi
sions. Little Miss for young ^rls
grades 3 through 5. and Junior
Miss for young girls grades 6
through 8. Few several months
leading up to tlie pageant, 13 young
ladies participated in social, cultur
al and educational enrichment
activities that provided diverse and
culturally rewarding learning expe
riences.
Funds generated are used to
award educational scholarships to
the participants as well as graduat
ing Chariotte-Mecklenbuig High
School students, and numerous
charitable organizations in the
Charlotte area.
The Pageant is sponsored by tiie
ladies of the Alpha Lambda Omega
Chapter of -Alpha Kappa Alpha
Seworib,', Inc. Mrs. Debewa Blakn^
serves as president, and Ms.
Laveme Ellerbe is chairperson of
this years pageant.
-Alpha Kappa -Alpha Sorority,
Inc. was foinded in 1908. and is
.Americas first Greek letter organi
zation established by and for Black
women. Currently the sorority has
a membership of 170,(X)0 women
in the United States, Caribbean,
Europe and Africa.
Lauryn Flowler, daughter of
Mr. Sheddrick Fowler and
Ms. Racquel Ward
Junior Miss
Rayn Stevens, daughter of
Ms. Rahgie Leland
Tiona Rushing, Daughter of
Mr.& Mrs.Tim Rushing
Enpliynyty Brooks, daughter
of Ms. Kim Conrad
Jamila Anderson, daughter of Jasmine Buckson, daughter of
Mr. & Mrs. Gary Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Buckson
Jasmine Kirby, daughter of
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kirby
Lauren Harding daughter of
Mr. &. Mrs. Wilbert Harding
TyNia Brandon, daughter of
• Mr. & Mrs. Tyrone Brandon