PRINTColumbia belly dance studio lets your hips swing
Moon Belly dance studio shakes up the workout routine
June 10, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
The problem with working out isn’t that it’s hard; it’s that exercise is boring. Sticking to a regimented fitness routine eventually becomes monotonous and can lead to abandoning the program altogether. So, if the squeaky treadmill, Ab Lounger and Buns of Steel DVD aren’t cutting it anymore, why not try something new?
Moon Belly class menu
Call: (573) 777-0917
Visit: www.moonbelly.org
Cost: First class is free — no reservations required
One class — $12
Four classes — $44
Eight classes — $88
Membership options: Star membership: 32 classes — $65 per month
Super-Star membership: (unlimited classes) — $80 per month
Beginner
The basics of technique, isolation and movement are taught.
Beginner choreography
Elementary belly dancing grooves and moves are taught, and everyone is welcome to participate.
Intermediate
This is a continuation of beginner classes that explores layering movements and combinations.
Advanced
This class combines basics and places emphasison developing individual dance style, improvisational dancing, and executing solos.
Melaina Drissell stretches during a warm-up for the advanced level belly dance class at Moon ...
Kandice Grossman, owner of Moon Belly Dance Studio in Columbia, goes through a routine with ...
Melaina Drissell and Stephanie Whitbey work as partners during an exercise where belly dance students ...
Located at 300 St. James St., the Moon Belly Dance Studio is the place to be on weeknights to work on those tummies, concentrate on those hips and strengthen those calves.
“It’s about coming together with women within an art form that has been specifically for women for thousands of years,” says Kandice Grossman, owner of Moon Belly Dance Studio. “They are owning their beauty in a different way, accepting themselves for whatever and embracing their unique design they’ve been given.”
Grossman started Moon Belly seven years ago in her living room and taught twice a week. After her first 10 participants grew into 40, it was time to move to a studio. She credits the rise in belly dancing’s popularity to its integration into popular culture and attributes its mainstream presence to Latin pop sensation Shakira.
If you want to channel your inner “She Wolf,” then a Wednesday-night beginner technique class is just for you. The beige walls and newly installed wood floor welcome visitors of all ages and sizes. The diversity of participants adds to the intriguing experience.
“(The dancers) gain a sense of confidence, and I consistently hear within classes how dance itself has not only transformed their bodies but how they look at their bodies as well,” Grossman says.
After a limbering warm-up during Wednesday-night classes, it’s time to isolate those muscles. A sensual Moroccan beat mixes with Lil Wayne as tummies start to swirl. Focusing on the lower abdominals, hips and lower back can be tricky at first, but it’s well worth the effort.
“You wake up the next morning and feel muscles you didn’t even realize that you had,” says Angie Willhoite, a secretary in a Boone County hospital doctor’s office. Willhoite, who learned about Moon Belly from a friend, says every class leaves her feeling invigorated, sensual and in tune with her body. “I was instantly hooked,” she says. “This is only my third class, but after the first one, I bought a membership.”
Korea Brownstein, a 19-year-old MU student who attends the beginner technique and choreography classes twice a week, has been belly dancing on and off for two years. Despite her stage fright, she is looking forward to performing with the studio at Cooper’s Landing on June 19.
“Belly dancing is a very flexible dance,” Brownstein says. “You can make up stuff, go with the flow and express yourself.”
Even if you are the offbeat ballerina who was always sent to the back of the class, don’t be discouraged. Grossman encourages everyone to try it, no matter what their past dance experience is. “Those are the best belly dancers because they come at it with the most appreciation,” she says. It can be an appreciation for themselves, their bodies or for those hips that don’t lie.
Twitter
Facebook
