How far does belly dance live up to its promises?

[Eshta]

Yeah, advertising this dance on its fitness merits are always an 'interesting' topic.

When I get beginners or potential students who ask me 'will belly dancing help me lose weight/tone up/get fit etc?' I always tell them that it depends what they would have donw with that hour otherwise. If they would have been at home on the couch watching tv then yeah, belly dancing beats that easily! And practicing at home doesn't even feel like 'exercise' so a practice session a day beats a week of good intentions but no actions!

Everything in perspective. Be wary of anything sold as a miracle cure for anything!

[Kharis]

I am thinking Western student /teacher perspective here.
We promote this as a dance for all?
Do it fulfill that? All body types, all ages, both genders?
We promote it as safe exercise?
Is it perfectly?
We promote it as a cure-all?
How does it help with physical and mental health? What can't it do?
We tell students they will all look good doing this dance?
Do we hold out false promise?
We tell them it's fun?
But then they have to work hard!!!!!
Your comments experiences..and additions.

I believe it is a dance for all.
I endeavour to make it so for all in my classes.
I make it safe - in 13 years of teaching I've never had a student injured.
It's not a cure all.
It aids physical and mental health but does not solve problems or make them go away.
No false promises from me.
Yes, it's fun.
Hard work never killed anyone
The dance can be just as good a workout as other exercise forms, but less boring. It enables self expression. It enables positive thinking and positive body image. It has no strict or unrealistic physical parameters.

[FatimaS]

I believe it is a dance for all.
I endeavour to make it so for all in my classes.
I make it safe - in 13 years of teaching I've never had a student injured.
It's not a cure all.
It aids physical and mental health but does not solve problems or make them go away.
No false promises from me.
Yes, it's fun.
Hard work never killed anyone
The dance can be just as good a workout as other exercise forms, but less boring. It enables self expression. It enables positive thinking and positive body image. It has no strict or unrealistic physical parameters.

as a student, i totally agree with these statements. yes, it is amazing the feeling you get when you get a hard movement down right, but it IS hard work. nothing good is easy. as for a miracle "cure" for what physical shortcomings you think you have, it ain't gonna work.

i find that plain old walking is an excellent activity on the days you don't have class. this loosens up everything from the waist down. this also helps your overall health. i found that bellydance movements help in other activities (you know, the boring ones: housework, gardening, chasing animals, etc.).

[jenc]

So how much of that was dancing, how much was conditioning techniques from dance training, and how much was a traditional workout?

Adding the workout part to the dance is a big deal, and changes the whole assumption that "bellydance will get you in shape". It helps, but for most people supplemental workouts are necessary.

See, I know a local pro dancer/teacher who recovered amazingly well from childbirth...at the same time she still had a belly. I am pretty sure she dances an hour a day or more (classes here runs for 1.5 or 2 hours), and I think she teaches figure skating, too. She recently mentioned that she's gotten great results from a certain workout video...obviously bellydance alone wasn't doing everything she wanted!

I think results depend on the individual's body, as well as activity type, and time committed.

Gotta tell you, I am SO SICK of people assuming that I never work out/don't know how to work out because I am fat! I know I could be doing more (I have set goals, sometimes I surpass them, sometimes I fall short), but I am more active than many slender people I know. I never eat hamburgers or sugared pop, and I only eat chips at parties - so back off! (not you, jenc, people in general)

i don't mean I don't have belly - only that there are solid muscles underneath that layer. all done with dance conditioning - although mostly dance work outs such as Neon and Jillina. I think the repeats of Luscious esp the undulatinos probably had something to do with it. But it was all aimed at improving my dancing!