Fitness Benefits of Belly Dancing
(American Council on Exercise)
- Improved core balance and coordination
- Increased flexibility and strength
- Enhanced physical appearance and posture
- Tones the arms, abs, obliques, legs and back
- Burns up to 400 calories an hour
Part fitness, part art form, belly dancing can be a fun, full-body workout.
“I can’t wait till my next class,” Sinclair Community College student Bethany Girdler said. “What’s more fun than this.”
Professional dancer and instructor Deniz has been studying belly dancing for 25 years, including a stint in Turkey.
“I saw it on a National Geographic show when I was a kid and I was fascinated,” she said.
Deniz now shares her passion for belly dancing with students at Sinclair and S.W.O.R.D., South West Ohio Recreation Defense. And belly dancing classes are easier to find than you might think, as many local fitness facilities, including Day Yoga in Vandalia and Salsa City Fitness in Troy, offer beginners classes.
“You can pretty much be in any shape and try belly dancing,” Deniz said. “It’s a great workout.”
And you don’t need harem pants or a dangling gold belt to get started, just a willingness to try something new.
Full body workout
Belly dancing is more than shaking your hips – much more.
Deniz’s Sinclair classes start with some serious ab work.
“I actually wasn’t prepared for the sit-ups the first time,” Girdler said, smiling. “Now I’m hoping to end up with six-pack abs.”
Belly dancers learn to control separate core muscle groups which helps stabilize and strengthen the core.
But while the core, which includes the hips and abs, get a definite workout, the upper body – shoulders, chest and arms – are also engaged throughout the workout.
“There is a lot of isolated muscle movement,” Deniz said. “But there is also a cardio component.”
The almost constant movement keeps heart rates up for the dancers throughout the workout. According to the American Council on Exercise, belly dancing can burn off as many as 400 calories an hour.
Full body benefits
Stomach muscles will be strengthened, but that means more than just better fitting clothes. A strengthened core will also help improve posture.
Belly dancing can also help improve flexibility, balance and stamina.
And it’s a good workout for all ages. Deniz has taught students ranging in age from 14 to 85.
Lenza Smith, 62, has been taking belly dancing for more than a decade.
“My friends are impressed,” the Kettering woman said with a smile.
In their words
So, with all of the fitness option available, why try belly dancing? Local women share why this is the workout for them.
- "It's really different from what I was used to. And I've noticed a big difference in my abdominal strength and my hip alignment," said Qui Gabrielle, Riverside.
- "It makes you feel very womanly. And it helps with your abs and makes your butt look nice," said Smith.
- "From the very first class, I was hooked. The dancing, the camaraderie, the performance opportunities, there are so many more layers to it than other types of exercise," said Asiya (her dancer name), Beavercreek.
- "I have loose joints and this is one of the few things that keeps my hips from popping out," said Elizabeth Roster, Huber Heights.
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