The BellyGram Newsletter

"A few years later I read the book, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks.  In the book the author describes her own misconceptions of bellydance, and how her ideas changed after she tried the dance.  The author discovered bellydance to be an expression of femininity, and that sparked my curiosity. 

"When I first ran across an opportunity to take a class, through Rochester’s Community Education Program, I decided to give it a try.  The class was only 4 sessions long, and by the end I was completely hooked!  But I didn't know where to go from there.  The instructor for the class lived out of town, and the only other classes she was aware of were offered in Minneapolis.  I wanted to learn more, but didn't have the means to go that far for classes.  A year later community education offered the class again, and I signed up!  This time around I met other women in the class who informed me that indeed there was a Bellydance Instructor in Rochester .  One of the students gave me her name and phone number.  It took me months before I got around to calling Julianna.  I had no idea how much that phone call would change my life.   

"My passion and depth of understanding of belly dance grew under Julianna's instruction.  I learned that belly dance was a lot more than a bunch of dance steps.  I discovered how much control and discipline one needed over their own body to execute proper and graceful movements.   The challenge it brought was exciting.  I loved the way that bellydancing was very much about being a woman.  From the types of movements that we do to the beautiful costuming, which accentuate each woman's God given beauty.  It doesn’t matter size or shape-  the celebration is about womanhood.  

"It took a lot of persuasion to convince me to dance in public.  But I am now grateful for the all of those that encouraged me to get out there and give it a try. I soon learned that performing was another aspect of the bellydancing world that would challenge me... and reward me.  With performance I am not only mastering my body through movement, but I am seeking to master my emotions as well.   I have to overcome my fright before becoming the center of attention in a room of people I may or may not know.  Once I've done that, then the challenge becomes to express to the audience the emotion of the dance.  The discipline and self-control I strive for in dance spills over into other aspects of my life.  

"It has been over 3 years now since my first performance.  I can no longer imagine my life without bellydancing.  I know that the art and perfection of dance will be a lifelong endeavor.  I know that wherever this dance process may lead me, this experience and journey has enriched my life. I have met some wonderful people and made good friends through dance.  I have been able to be instructed from a variety of teachers.  I consider Julianna to have been my mentor through this process.  I appreciate the guidance she has given,  and has continues to give me. "