By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:59:52 +0000

I walked into the dimly lit studio (i.e., old wooden floor room off the owner’s apartment with costumes, tambourines, and lights hung from the ceiling for performances) and set down a little rug that was provided for the warm up. The stretches weren’t challenging, but probably suitable for a beginning class that was filled with ten women ranging from twenty to seventy year olds. Abdominal exercises completed the floor portion and then we stood for arm and hip circles to prepare for some serious shaking. For the second part of class the students wear hip scarves with coins on them to accentuate their movements, but a normal scarf will do if hip scarves aren’t in your everyday wardrobe. The Middle-Eastern instructor with mysterious eyes and a mischievous smile demonstrated an across the floor combination (three steps and a hip shake, step shake, step shake) which was simple enough if you were comfortable with isolating your hips and adding a little flair. She then showed a center combination that consisted of some basic hip movements and graceful arm swirls. The class ended with hip shakes that sped up until you shimmied off enough calories to eat that chocolate cake and need a deep tissue buttocks massage the next morning. The intensity of the class is really what you make of it. This class is appropriate for older woman looking to have a good time with the gals, like two women who may have had a few cocktails before and kept stumbling ;or for the intermediate dancer who wants to tone and learn a new technique. Either way this class is a fun celebration of womanhood that encourages femininity through dance and leaves the student feeling alive, sexy, and radiant.

Comments on: Anahid Sofian Middle Eastern Dance Studio

By: Carolyn