Belly dance movements can also support the mind, providing relaxation and help the mother to reconnect with her body. In today’s societies, especially in the west, most women have lost confidence in their bodies’ natural ability to give birth safely and bellydance can help women find this confidence again. Obviously modern medicine is invaluable as many more women used to die giving birth before some modern medical discoveries were made. However, this is not enough of a reason for women to completely lose faith in their bodies’ natural abilities.

For women who want to use belly dance to prepare for labour there are not many resources available. However, there is a DVD that was published in 2009 that can help with that. This is Maha’s ‘Dance of the womb – belly dance for pregnancy and birth ’ 2 disc DVD set. Maha lives in Australia and is of Middle Eastern origin; she has 3 children and she has used belly dance exercise routines during each pregnancy. She has been teaching Belly dance for birth classes for over 12 years. These 2 DVDs contain very useful exercise and dance routines and a short film where Maha’s shares her own home birth experience. Read a review of this belly dance for pregnancy DVD.

If you have experience of belly dance during or after pregnancy, please do not hesitate to share your views by commenting on this blog.

Last but not least, every pregnancy is different so ask your doctor before starting any form of exercise.

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Now on World Belly Dance – Belly dance events and Dancing guides.

• A section about Shaabi in different Northern African
  and Middle Eastern countries, with shaabi being popular and folkloric types of
  dance. Morocco describes in details all these dances, including clothing and
  decorations worn by dancers and the social occasions during which these dances
  are performed.
• Information about Sharqi or so called Oriental dance,
  where Aunt Rocky separates fantasies from the truth.
• A very useful section with practical information for
  dancers, such as teaching, technique, working as a professional dancer and
  using finger cymbals.
• Photographs of dancers that Morocco has taken during
  her trips.

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Now on World Belly Dance – Belly dance events and Dancing guides.

Fitness and sports clubs have also found that a good way of attracting new attendees is to collaborate with local universities. Students are also willing to try something new, so it worth considering advertising your class on their site, or within the union, Many student unions rent out their rooms for hire to sport classes, and by doing so and advertising online, you can get information on your class to a large, youthful audience.

On top of that, social media is a fantastic way to market your class. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are ideal ways to advertise local belly dancing classes for zero cost and reaching large numbers of people. Not just that, but if people join your class’ Facebook group, their friends might become curious and do the same thing.

There are so many ways to market yourself online, that you no longer need to just have a website (of course this helps) with basic contact details on. Just make sure your site is optimised to rank for terms such as ‘(name of city) belly dancing class’ and other popular terms.

Advertising your local belly dance classes on class directories such as on World Belly Dance or Belly Dance Org can also be a great and very inexpensive option.

Once you know that, you can start source a venue and everything else you need for the party, including food, drink and entertainment. Many Halfas are held during the Festive period as people are already in the mood for a party, and as such a belly dancing party is incredibly popular. Many belly dancing clubs use them as way to raise funds for equipment or for a local charity.

Like any party or event, you need to make sure you have the numbers to make it worth your while, so as well as pupils attending, encourage them to bring friends and loved ones. After all, you may find many of them enjoy it so much, they might become frequent attendees at the classes.

The venue is always the hardest thing to choose, as you need it large enough for the attendees, but such hired areas often have a cost. Doing it at your home or a friend’s will result in problems, so it is worth biting the bullet and hiring somewhere for minimal fuss.

Either way, once all that is organised, you can sort decorations, food, invitations and entertainment. It is guaranteed to be a fantastic evening, so make sure you take care organising it.

As the teacher however, you will realise that injuries only occur through carelessness or through a lack of a proper warm up. Dance can be trying on the body, especially if it is unused to it, so it is important to warm up your pupils through a series of exercises in order to get the blood pumping and the muscles ready. This can be done through a series of basic stretches, or simple cardio exercises like star jumps or light jogging.

Next is ensuring your pupils are doing the various techniques correctly. This can be done by pairing your pupils up, so they have someone to train with as well as performing the various techniques yourself so your pupils know what they are meant to do and the correct way to do it.

The most important thing to remember is before teaching new pupils, discover whether they have any conditions that might cause problems in the future, such as back problems. That way you can make sure that they don’t over-exert themselves. Find more tips on teaching belly dance and other forms of dance with some free guides on world belly dance. Also interested in belly dance holidays in Egypt? Looking for tips on learning belly dance to get started?

Almost all of these venues will charge some sort of rental fee for your use of the room, but premium sports clubs are no doubt going to charge the most, however some may be willing to do some sort of deal where if you book in advance for a set number of weeks, they will offer a discount. Of course, this is all dependant on the club and isn’t true for every sport centre.

Church halls and social clubs are also good, essentially anywhere with a large amount of room where you can spread your pupils out for the dance classes and lessons. Most of these venues will have wooden floors which can be easily swept in order to be kept clean, and are easy to dance and train on.

Alternatively, you can use the internet to see where other dance classes in your area go to train. Major cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham all have a number of dance centres that are routinely rented out by assorted clubs for competitions and classes. If you are unable to find a venue for yourself, sharing one with other classes is also an option. It is also a good bet that they will have facilities that will also be useful for your dance class, such as toilets and a kitchen.

There are many types of finger cymbal, in that they come in a variety of sizes, colours and materials. Traditionally, there are made of copper-nickel alloy, but can also be made of gold and silver, depending on the dancer’s preference and dance style. There is also a difference in how certain finger cymbals are controlled. Some come with a hole at the top, through which elastic is threaded, while others have two slits at the top. These are generally preferred as, according to dancers, they are easier to control.

Apart from that, most finger cymbals are similar, it is just a little factor that can make a difference, such as the type of elastic used. A wide type of elastic makes the finger cymbals easier to manage as well as more stable, allowing the dancer to easily control the rhythm.

There are distinctive types of rhythm employed by belly dancers when using finger cymbals. They include Baladi Rhythm (made up of sequences of ‘dums’ and ‘taks’), Karatchi Rhythm (that makes a noise much like the galloping of a horse) and Fallahi Rhythm (that originates from Egypt and makes a repetitive trilling sound).

1. Zambra Mora – 1 Zambra Mora is a form of belly dancing that is infused with flamenco dancing. Not only does it use Middle East styles, but the music is played on Spanish instruments such as guitar. Today Zambra Mora is famed for its chest circles and shimmies as well as the posturing associated with flamenco dancing.

2. Khaleeji – Originating in the Arabic peninsula, Khaleeji is different from the styles that are favoured in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. Instead of hip movements, Khaleeji focuses on foot movement and well as spinning. There is also a lot of freedom in the upper torso and shoulders, allowing the dancers to toss their hair from side to side.

3. American Tribal Dancing – American Tribal Dancing was founded in California in the 1970s and is performed in groups as opposed to solo dancers. The group’s head leads the dance signalling moves to the others via hand signals. Props are also used such as finger cymbals and even swords!

4. Gothic Belly Dancing – The bright colours of belly dancing may not be something that would have an immediate association with Gothic styles, but over the years a form of Gothic Belly Dancing has evolved. Known for their intensity, Gothic Belly Dancing incorporates elements of life and death into its styles making for a trance-like dance that utilises the styles of both the East and the West.