| Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish | | | | emerge like an earthmother, a little girl, a prom queen |
| thisarticle in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*eof | | | | and a seductress all inone. I help them to realize what I |
| charge, as long as you include my full signature filefor | | | | learned 12 years ago -that when we belly dance we |
| ezines, and my Web site address( hyperlink for other | | | | get in touch with the profoundwisdom and beauty of |
| sites. Please send a courtesy linkor email where you | | | | who we really are - no matter what ourage or size of |
| publish to Thank you. | | | | our belly. |
| _______________________ | | | | I always tell them to love their belly...besides it is theonly |
| TITLE: Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul | | | | one they have! Eventually the women move |
| AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift | | | | towardsgreater self- acceptance and confidence. |
| CONTACT: COPYRIGHT: ©2004 by Sandra | | | | They learn to beempathic in response to the energetic |
| Schrift. All rights reserved | | | | music. They learn tolead, to follow and to let go. |
| Format: 60 Characters per line | | | | Belly Dance is improvisational. There are basic moves |
| Article URL: | | | | tothe dance, but once learned the dance becomes a |
| Article Autoresponder: | | | | personalexpression of the dancer. Characteristic of |
| _______________________ | | | | today's danceare movements of the pelvis and |
| Belly Dancing for the Midlife Soul | | | | undulations of the body. |
| I have been a student and performer of the Middle | | | | These movements are not socially taught in our |
| Easternbelly dance for 12 years. I began this dance | | | | culture. |
| form at age 52when a friend of mine told me she | | | | Instead, there are restrictions placed on the movement |
| was taking an Adult | | | | ofcertain body parts and how much they may be |
| Education class in Middle Eastern belly dancing. Here | | | | moved. Bellydance breaks through those barriers, |
| wasan opportunity right in my own community. I was | | | | freeing up the body sowomen can fully express their |
| going tolive out my adult fantasy - to be a belly dancer! | | | | feminine self. |
| And so Ijoined the class and have been a student | | | | Dance is a metaphor for life. In dance, we move |
| ever since. I amnow 64 and have no signs of slowing | | | | throughtime and space, just as we do while we live |
| down. | | | | out the passageof our lives. The belly dance is truly a |
| In 1999, I started to teach a belly dance class to | | | | unification ofbody, heart and mind. It's also fun to get |
| womenover the age of 55. New classes begin on | | | | dressed up in a |
| Thursday, May 10from 10:15-11:30am at Oasis | | | | "costume", exercise our hips and our belly, and do this |
| Continuing Education for Mature | | | | ina non-threatening atmosphere of acceptance of our |
| Adults at the Robinson/May company in Mission Valley. | | | | femalesensuality. |
| And why do I teach this class? Because I love helping | | | | And finally, the belly dance helps women to return to |
| thewomen re-discover the magic and mystery of true | | | | wherelife begins, our primordial womb. What a |
| feminineenergy. Something miraculous happens to | | | | wonderful way tofind the connection between our |
| these women whenthey belly dance; they begin to | | | | heart and soul and theexpression of our body. |