Captivating Middle Eastern rhythms resonate in a dance studio in Irving Gym as Elizabeth Wray seductively sways her hips and shoulders.
She slowly weaves her arms and fingers in snakelike movements to capture the essence of the moment, a celebration of femininity, as her bell-covered belt jangles and green scarf flutters.
Rachel Penticuff, president of Ball State University's Belly Dance Club, looks on in admiration and later gives Wray's scarf dance a try. Other members of the club, which has been in existence since Spring Semester, trickle into the dance studio to join her for an impromptu dance demonstration.
The women gather for lessons and meetings every Thursday. Contrary to general belief, they are not training to seduce a Sultan - or even their partners.
To them belly dancing is a celebration of feminine essence and individuality.
"It's a very spiritual dance. You connect to the music and your body," Penticuff said.
She said she dances to feel closer to her Egyptian heritage.
Wray, a professional belly dance instructor at Ancient Arts Dance Studio in Muncie, joins the group every Thursday at its meetings for Tribal Fusion belly dancing lessons.
While dancing comprises a large part of the group's activities, one of its goals is to dispel the taboos that surround the shimmying Middle Eastern art form.
"In the Middle East, it's actually not appropriate to show your stomach in public," Rachel Kraus, the group's faculty adviser, said. "Belly dance costuming in America is very westernized."
Kraus, associate professor of sociology, dances American Tribal Style belly dancing and said she has been involved with the Indiana belly dance community for the past six years.
When she first started dancing recreationally as a graduate student at Purdue University, her goal was simple: To find an escape from her professional life.
"I was looking for something that I could do in my spare time that I could reconnect with women," she said.
Kraus said her recreational escape began to develop more into an academic interest. As a sociologist of religion, to her belly dancing suggests a certain alluring art and recalls a mysterious tradition of ancient history.
"The very beginning roots of belly dance are in religious worship and is actually used as a form of prayer and honoring the sacred being in the Middle East," she said. "I began wondering if belly dance had any contemporary spiritual meaning."
Through her own studies, Kraus found three-fourths of people who belly dance consider it to be spiritual in some way.
"The respect and admiration for women was ingrained in earlier societies, and some would argue we see some of that today," Kraus said. "The definition of 'spiritual' may differ from person to person, but there are definitely tangible benefits for those who belly dance," she said.
For senior Jessica Matchett, who was exposed to belly dancing culture about a year ago, Kraus' theoretical mantra holds true.
Matchett and other members of the club attend informal Middle Eastern gatherings called haflas to participate in and observe belly dancing performances. Members of the group make it a point to go out to dinner with each other at least once a month and are active in pursing awareness through performances throughout the state.
"Women get together and have a great time. Belly dancing is about embracing womanhood," said Matchett, who has been taking lessons to improve her technique at Ancient Arts Dance Studio in Muncie since June. "The belly dance community is so tight knit. These women are like your sisters. ... It's a family."
As part of her instruction, Matchett also works to develop her technique and posture - skills that focus on toning the abdominal and thigh muscles.
"Belly dancing is for all shapes and sizes," Matchett said. "It's more of a workout than what people think."
Penticuff, a self-described novice, said she understands the depth involved with the dance as a workout on multiple levels.
"It's not just a dance; it's an art form, both spiritually and physically," Penticuff said.
Wray said she started belly dancing six years ago as a way to exercise, but she started to connect to the ancient art form after reconnecting with her childhood and reading more about the dance online.
"My mom had a neighbor who was a belly dancer, and I read just about every story about how it changed someone's life for the better," she said. "From that, the empowerment and the therapeutic feelings it brings, I knew it was something I needed in my own life."
Since Wray began, she's lost 50 pounds and has developed noticeable toning of her arm muscles - and outlook on life.
"I can appreciate what I see in the mirror," she said. "It's self-empowering. Anyone who has done it will tell you it's changed her life."
Call outThe purpose of the BSU Belly Dance Club is to create a network of students who are interested in belly dance and give them a chance to get to know each other, share stories and information, attend events together and network with the larger belly dance community. Below is some information about the meeting.
When: 7:30-8:30 p.m.Where: Irving Gym 200CFollowing the lesson there will be free pizza, dessert and open dancing.
Lessons
- The club offers Belly Dance for Beginners from 7:30-8:30 p.m. every Thursday in IG 200C. The instructor is Liz Wray of Ancient Arts Dance Studio. Cost is $10 per lesson.
- The club also offers Belly Dance Performance classes for those with prior experience from 7:30-8:30 p.m. every Thursday in IG 200D. The instructor is Ja'Niesa bint Asya of Ancient Arts Dance Studio. Cost is $10 per lesson.
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