Every belly dancing instructor I've seen is overweight.

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  • SwashBlogger
    SwashBlogger Posts: 395 Member
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    I just witnessed my first marathon, and some of the runners (i'd say about 15%) were on the pudgy side. How the heck??
  • HavocOmega
    HavocOmega Posts: 22
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    I've seen quite a few overweight turbo kick instructors as well. I mean it's turbo kick for crying out loud! And in almost every single YouTube I have seen of all these different instructors, their form when teaching classes is way off. WAY off. And I am thinking, you have a library of very specifically performed movements, but woman you are half assing it. I dunno, there just don't seem to be genuine standards for this sort of thing I guess.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
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    Just an observation.

    Seriously, this seems to defy odds. If they were a sample of average population, at least 1/3 of them would be normal weight.
    And, it is an active job, and they work out all the time, yet, wow!

    Or have your experience been different?
    Yes, and I was once told "that's what makes it a belly dance"... But I admit, I don't like it if that's what I'm going to end up looking like :| lol.
  • annisthetist
    annisthetist Posts: 4 Member
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    Rachel and Mardi Love were my instructors! Mardi has some serious curves, and she works them hard. Rachel is solid as a rock, in person too. She doesn't have much to shake, but it looks so fabulous seeing all the muscles move with such control and isolation.

    Belly dance just looks wonderful on most women's bodies, imho. It's so very hard, too. I love it.

    Y'all watch Mardi do her thing (and she has always stayed that size). Think of the muscles it takes to do these moves:
    [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fifge62L71Y[/url]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fifge62L71Y


    If anyone isn't familiar with Rachel's dancing, check her out, too! It's really interesting seeing how the dances look on each body type, I think :)

    Ahhh, Mardi is amaaaazingggg. So excited she's teaching at TribalCon this year! I've taken workshops with Rachel and Zoe but not her... yet... :)

    To the original topic: we have some teachers around here who are a bit heavier. We have some that are quite slender. We have some that are in between. All of them are very talented and have some serious core strength. The dance looks different (but just as good) on all of them. Everyone has different metabolisms and diets and lifestyles. *shrugs* I've been studying bellydance for 3 years and have managed to gain weight in that time... now, I'm studying *and* practicing hard, drilling tough moves and keeping up a sweat for an hour or so multiple days a week and the weight is coming back off. Intake vs. output. I'd imagine it's the same for instructors, as they're also human beings. :) Simple enough!
  • Mahihkan
    Mahihkan Posts: 162
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    A belly dancing....

    tumblr_mu51mynP1u1r3kycdo1_500.gif


    Sorry... Was hard to resist... I failed...
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    Just an observation.

    Seriously, this seems to defy odds. If they were a sample of average population, at least 1/3 of them would be normal weight.
    And, it is an active job, and they work out all the time, yet, wow!

    Or have your experience been different?
    Yes, and I was once told "that's what makes it a belly dance"... But I admit, I don't like it if that's what I'm going to end up looking like :| lol.

    You did not read this thread before posting, lol.

    I laughed when she first posted it, thanks for the encore. :tongue:
  • Still1Workoutatatime
    Still1Workoutatatime Posts: 250 Member
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    :laugh: :laugh: Your body should be your resume as it pertains to those who work in the fitness industry, Just my thoughts..
  • lentigogirl
    lentigogirl Posts: 299 Member
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    Belly dance is not the fitness industry, but an art form. I want an instructor who can teach dance.

    For that matter, that goes for fitness instructors as well -- I'd rather have someone who can teach than someone who just looks good.
  • FitCurves444
    FitCurves444 Posts: 169 Member
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    What I have observed is that the bellies of these women are not the traditional six pack that we see on a "dancer". But I don't think that they are necessarily "overweight". It is just something that we are not expecting from a dancer.... I think, anyway. But I am always "judging" them, too..... I expect my instructors to be "fit" by the standard of muscle definition. I don't want my instructor to look like me...... something to chew on....
  • perfecttx
    perfecttx Posts: 6
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    Every sport has different people of different sizes. I've had dance instructors that would be considered over- and underweight. In the world of belly dancing, a good instructor could do things with the muscles in their body that I still only dream of doing. I've been to a few belly dancing expos and seen it all. The good ones use their bodies to accentuate the dance. It's not the same as other dances where being a certain size is more preferential. Here, small movements, using all of the body's muscles is key.
  • gingerbait
    gingerbait Posts: 2 Member
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    My belly dancing instructor is very fit and has killer abs. Some of us in the class are more heavy-set, but not her. One of the nice things about belly dancing is that it allows women to embrace their feminine side, in a body positive way. No one has ever said one mean thing to any of the ladies in my class because of her size. We all do what we can, the best that we can.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    in my mid-sized town the local 'professional' bellydance scene is miniscule and the amatuers (all 50 or less of them) are largely (no pun intended) bigger women, although there are some at all sizes. there are just not very many to begin with around here. population is low enough that bellydancers around here are pretty much all hobbyists, and the majority of those are heavy, but that's probably just because the majority of ppl in my area are heavy. the actual instructors i've seen around here have been anywhere from slender to somewhat fluffy. last festival (we have only a couple per year here) they brought in a couple of professionals and we got to see what ppl pay to see on cruise ships: those women had abs AND bellyfat.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
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    My Bellydance teacher has a six pack.

    But so what if some of them are heavier? If it offends you find another teacher. The dance looks better if you have a little pudge anyway.
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
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    Just like Zumba instructors (a lot of them( because Zumba doesn't make lean bodies duh!

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