Artist's Corner

Rania Bossonis: Embracing Bellydance

I will never forget the first time I witnessed a Bellydance performance. I remember every small detail: her costume, hair, make-up, the way each part of her body moved independently of one another, like instruments that make up an orchestra, perfectly conveying the music. She was like a walking drum kit. I had never seen anything so cool in my life, and since I was only 8 years old, it left quite an impression on me. It was at a Greek restaurant in Yonkers, New York.

I wanted to grow up and be just like her. So I did.

Six years later I saw another bellydancer. I don't remember her name, but I remember everything else. Her costume, her elegant, sophisticated demeanor, her dress, and how she was just as good as the first dancer that I had seen, but her style was totally different. I learned then that the first dancer I had seen was dancing the very fast Greek/Turkish Style, while this dancer was trained in the Egyptian Style, which is quite different.

I went to her dressing room afterward, and told her that I was going become a bellydancer. She stopped what she was doing, looked me up and down, nodded her approval and said, "Okay. Well, I wish you success for your future. It takes a lot of training, you know."

The very next day I consulted my trusty New York Yellow Pages and found Serena’s School of Middle Eastern dance in Manhattan. I purchased a dance card and took two classes on the first day. I loved it. It would be safe to say that I was addicted. I loved learning about the cultural origins of the movements just as much as learning the movements themselves. Bellydancing came easily for me, as I could find many similarities between some moves from Greek social dances that I had learned growing up. I studied for about two years, then went away to college.

I never forgot what I had learned. After college, I pursued a career in photography and computer graphics, all the while still bellydancing regularly in my living room.

It did not take a genius to figure out that this was great exercise. My job in computer graphics involved sitting glued to a computer for 8- to 10-hour days with no exercise. For a few years, my only exercise was dancing in my living room for 30 minutes, four or five times per week. I was in dynamite shape. I had muscle tone, definition, flexibility and stamina. And I had fun.

By then I had relocated from New York to Connecticut, where I heard of a bellydance teacher named Nancy. I called Nancy and told her I was interested in taking lessons. She told me I had to audition, which really intimidated me. I practiced for two days straight, then went to the audition. Nancy (stage name: Natasha) played some music by George Abdo and told me to dance right there in her living room. I was quite nervous at first, but eventually I loosened up, as I got involved in the nuances of the music. When I finished, Nancy smiled and shocked the living daylights out me by telling me that she was hiring me as a professional dancer, and that she had a show for me in two days. The rest is history. Natasha had me doing between three to six shows per week. To this day, I continue studying the dance, taking lessons whenever a famous teacher is in the area, buying videos, etc. With 5,000 years of history behind it, one could begin studying Middle Eastern dance, and never finish learning all there is to know in one lifetime.

All the performing and studying paid off when I moved to California. I signed up to compete in the Bellydancer of the Universe Competition: the first, largest, and in my opinion, the most difficult competition of its kind. I was in shock when they announced me as the winner. Winning really helped my confidence, which, prior to that point, was about halfway between low and normal. I entered the competition again in 2002, and took the championship again. (I think perhaps now I shall quit while I am ahead.)

The phone never stopped ringing with requests for performances. Every time I did a show, several people would call and say, "I saw you at the show last week for Omar's birthday, blah blah blah, and want to know if you're available to perform at my daughter's wedding." Soon, I was working an average of 10 shows per week, and teaching four to five bellydance classes per week.

By then I was in the best shape I had ever been in. People constantly stopped me and asked what type of workout I did. When I told them I just bellydanced, they would always ask, "But don't you lift weights or do sit-ups?" And my response would be "no" because if I were to lift weights, I would be too sore to dance the next day.

At this point it was unavoidably clear just how beneficial bellydance is as a form of exercise. I also noticed the vast range of ages of students attending my classes. It was not uncommon for a 65 year-old grandmother to attend a class alongside her 8 year-old granddaughter. Bellydancing is not only great exercise, it can be performed at any age and still produce benefits to the body, including improved posture, coordination, strength and flexibility.

I became an AFAA certified fitness instructor, then emptied my savings account and made my first bellydance workout video, the Exotic Workout. A producer from Naturaljourneys saw the tape, and hired me to create and star in a series of videos/DVDs, Bellydance for Weight Loss.

I am so glad to be living in an era where professional Bellydance videos are available to the mass market, so that more people will have exposure to quality bellydance performances and instruction. Maybe, just maybe, more people will love this art form as much as I do.—Rania

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