Belly dance is about embracing our ability to move with joy and beauty—a dance form that celebrates all ages, shapes and sizes. In this beginner class, shimmy your way to a sculpted body with basic movements that strengthen your core muscles. A fun way to exercise that doesn’t feel like work!

The health benefits from belly dance are many and varied. As a dance form done primarily standing on one's feet, it is weight-bearing exercise. Weight bearing activity strengthens and supports our bone health. You'll do hip movements, like drops, lifts and rolls that activate your core muscles, which help to strengthen back muscles and improve posture and coordination. Doing flowing arm and shoulder movements and working with the veil helps to develop the muscle tone in the upper torso, while traveling steps and the vibrating intensity of shimmy movements help raise our heart rate, giving us a good cardiovascular workout.

Belly dance can have an impact on our mental and emotional health. You'll learn to isolate and use specific muscle groups for different parts of the dance, an activity that helps to improve focus and concentration. Much of the music that gets used in belly dance class creates a meditative environment that gives permission to slow down from our hectic everyday pace.