Hi I’m Linda, a fifth year medical student. Here’s how my passion for bellydancing is helping me shimmy my way through lockdown.
How were you first introduced to bellydance?
To be honest I can’t remember the first time I came in contact with bellydance – I am half Persian and even though it isn’t a Persian style of dance, it’s definitely well known. A good drum beat always got us up on our feet moving at family gatherings, so the music used for bellydance wasn’t a big jump from what I was used to growing up.
I do remember that I took my first formal bellydance lesson when I was about 10 years old, and have been taking them on and off ever since! I tried to stay away from it and branch out in my first year of uni, but could only handle one semester without it before joining the university society, and then ended up being president and teaching others…
What are the main benefits for you and others?
I think that the biggest benefit of bellydance is how if you stick to it, it invariably cultivates body confidence or at the very least, body neutrality. I have seen so many people start out quite shy at classes, and then completely blossom (cringey but true) into gorgeous dancers who own the stage. I have also made great friends with amazing people who I would have never met had it not been for the bellydance community. And performing is a great endorphin and adrenaline kick!
Of course, bellydance is a great form of low-impact exercise, so it’s good for people with knee or back issues too. But it does look a lot more effortless than it is!
What’s your best memory involving bellydance?
I don’t think I can pick one! I love love love performing on stage, both solo or with others. I really enjoy teaching too – it’s so rewarding seeing one of my choreographies translate to the stage. I like the challenge of mixing up traditional bellydance music with other styles – at the request of a society member I once choreographed a group number to the Harry Potter film score, which sounds weird but actually ended up looking gorgeous on stage. My friend and I also choreographed a bellydance/bollywood fusion number for the Medics Reveal in our third year, which was fun.
How can others get involved with bellydance at uni?
I was a part of and ran the uni Bellydance Society for 4 years up until this last year, which will hopefully still be running once uni is back on again. Otherwise, I know of several bellydance teachers in Edinburgh – if you just Google it, you’ll come across Edinburgh Bellydance and Little Egypt studio among others.
How have you been keeping up with bellydance during lockdown?
I have been challenging myself into creating little choreography snippets just for fun, as a way to get moving. My friend Megan has also set up an awesome initiative called the Stay Home Skill Share (on Facebook) where anyone can offer to teach new skills in return for those learning donating a small amount per session to the Trussell Trust.
I have been teaching bellydance classes for complete beginners via Zoom, which has been really fun and well received so far. If you’re interested, do get in touch or find me via the Facebook group and get involved. No previous dance experience is required, and you can even have your video camera off and boogie along in peace, while I do my best to entertain you for 40 minutes and break down some classic moves for you to learn.
> Find the University of Edinburgh Belly Dancing Society on Facebook
