Me?  Bellydance?  YOU BET!!! Even though you might be curious, you keep telling your friends, "I just don't see myself as a bellydancer." Do this.  Close your eyes and picture yourself.  Now stop picking apart everything you think you need to fix, and just see you.  Even if you've tried not to, chances are you have one thing you secretly love about your body.  Spend a moment enjoying the beauty emanating from that one thing.  Now, give it motion.  There, you've just seen yourself as a bellydancer. The beautiful and important truth is, the nature of this dance is less about entertainment and more about celebration, sisterhood, and exploring the sacred.  The "dance of the belly" is the subject of myths and legends as old as woman herself.  Although much of its history has been lost or destroyed, it is widely believed that, like many arts, bellydance originated from sacred ritual.  One modern-day dancer even took part in a ritual where women of a tribe use the dance to assist a  mother in childbirth.* Very often, men were not even allowed into the women's dance circles.  In cultures where the sexes did dance together, men would recognize it, yes, as the dance of the their wives, but also as the dance of their sisters, aunts, mothers, and even their grandmothers.  Clearly, this is not a dance intended solely for the wooing of men. A woman bellydancing is aware of the subtlety of her body.  She has reconnected with the little girl in her who enjoyed spinning like a helicopter and twirling her skirt.  She claims the wisdom of her years and still understands that she has much left to learn. She is aware that, every woman shares common experiences and can find comfort from sharing these experiences.  All at once, she holds the hands of her grandmothers before her and the daughters yet to come. Bellydance classes help you to move away form the negative images of yourself and other women.  Women of all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds are welcome!  Come, learn to enjoy the movements of your body and its ability move with grace and strength.   *see the article "Giving to Light" by Morocco at www.casbahdance.com Don't forget: The Divas offer small group workshops which are perfect for bachelorette parties or just an afternoon with your friends.  And we LOVE performing for birthday parties, bridal showers, women's groups and other special occasions. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CLASSES, PERFORMANCES, SPECIAL EVENTS OR ANYTHING PLEASE CONTACT "MAGDALENE": Christina "Magdalene" Kadlec magdalene@divasoma.com (402) 612-4254