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Bare midriffs and gyrating movements give belly dance its sensual side. But local dancers want to shake that sexy image. Date published: 11/30/2003 By LISA CHINN • Multimedia: See related Flash multimedia presentation.
THE BEAM of a spotlight bounces off the jewels that drip from the dancers' bodies. "Ting-ting" go the tiny cymbals attached to their fingertips. Five members of Anthea Poole's Pearls of Rhythm dance troupe wave their bodies like water to the exotic Middle Eastern music. And a drafty Moroccan restaurant in the heart of Old Town Alexandria heats up like the Sahara desert. This is the third annual "East Meets West Tribal Hafla," a showcase of belly dancers from the Washington area. Patrons perch on benches lined with pillows or lounge inside cubbyholes carved into terra-cotta-like walls. The women eye the dancers, wishing they could move their own bodies that way. The men try not to stare too hard or too long. Bare midriffs, gyrating movements and Middle Eastern mystique give belly dance its sensual side. But local dancers, who seek fitness, camaraderie and spiritual growth, want to shake the sexy image. "I agree that it lends itself very easily to [being erotic]," said Poole, who organized the event, held early this month. "But it's not about that. It's about emotions and images. It's about life." A different kind of danceThe thick scent of incense winds its way to the top of a spiral staircase. Dancers slip off their street shoes there, at the edge of Anthea Poole's living room in rural Spotsylvania County. The women must also shed their ties with today's world, in a way, before circling down the narrow passage to the private studio. Pots of incense smolder here and there. Dim light sifts through the fabric that falls over scattered lamps. Tiny bulbs hang from the ceiling, reflecting their glow in a mirrored wall. Students tote folders fat with notes on the basics of belly dance, and plop on pillows that dot the floor. They are mothers and daughters. They are teachers and business women. They have come to learn the secrets of Middle Eastern dance. Poole, who focuses on Oriental and American tribal styles, teaches them to isolate and control their muscles, to think in terms of shapes and patterns when they move.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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