“It’s very friendly here and after you dance, you feel more relaxed and healthy,” said Jean Chen (陳依君), a mother of three who started belly dancing for exercise. Her classmate Sully Lin (林淑娟) added that after a month of classes she’d noticed the benefits. “I feel more graceful. It’s been good for my figure, and my body shape has changed.”
“Belly dancing has become popular because it is a democratic form of dance. Anyone can do it,” said Lin, who teaches students ranging in age from 7 to 83 and is the head of Asmah Belly Dance troupe (阿斯瑪,www.asmahmiracle.com). She adds that a lot of students come to her class hoping to lose weight, but cautions that belly dance might not be the most effective dieting regime.
“It’s such vigorous exercise that often they get quite hungry during class and run out and eat like crazy afterwards. They end up getting plumper!” Lin says with a laugh. “But my students, they end up feeling more comfortable with their bodies.”
Lee says that she believes the best way to keep belly dancing alive in Taiwan is to make sure that it reaches a wider audience so popular misconceptions about the dance change. Noting that many people who go to watch belly dancing shows are belly dancers themselves, Lee says that she’s made an effort to take Shimmy Tribe to venues that attract a wider range of audiences, including the Taipei Fringe Festival and Wulindadao.
Recent tours by Bellydance Superstars helped to raise belly dancing’s profile. Melisa Chiao (焦惠芬) of Da Da Arts, an arts promotion group, first noticed Bellydance Superstars in 2003. At that time, belly dancing was relatively unknown to audiences in Taiwan, so Chiao organized dance workshops by the group’s dancers instead. In 2003, Bellydance Superstars hosted 12 workshops; by this year the number had doubled to 24. Belly dancing became popular enough in Taiwan to support performance tours last year and this year; each tour included five shows in Taipei, Taichung and Kaoshiung. Plans are already underway for a third tour of the country next year.
Lee hopes that with continued exposure, the one-dimensional image of a belly dancer as a gyrating sexpot will be replaced by an appreciation of the technique and cultural background of the dance.
“If you see belly dancers, don’t just point and talk about their bodies. Try to focus on the music and watch their movements and see what a great match they are for the music,” Lee says, “Belly dance is not just a dance, for us it is a way of life.”
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