HOTHOUSE BELLYDANCE ANYONE? :: alyra
After resigning the frantic pace of NYC for the more bucolic and (as SOME put it, dead boring) grassy ruralness of New Jersey, I found an unforeseeable and terrible drought in rentable rehearsal space. Where can I go to practice with lots of mirrors and by myself. I called all the local gyms and they all said no, I called the ballroom dancing academies and they refused to have any competition. I called highschools. Nope. I called Karate Studios and got a swift Judo Chop. Then, as I was standing and sweating to utter death in our town's Bikram Yoga Studio it dawned upon me that the space was IDEAL for dancing and experiementing. It's a HUGE space with HUGE accurate (not stretchy) mirros and no room obstructions.
If one could handle the heat.
I emailed the studio and pled my case and with only asking for $20 an hour, a copy of my driver's license and the rules of removing shoes, I was provided with the secret code for entrance into the studio. I love Yogis, they're so positive, trusting and "can do." Screw the stupid musclehouse gyms and their tedious step classes. BAH. Eff them.
Now, I have to work around their schedule (no problemo) and so on my first visit, it was 6:30am on a Saturday morning. Barely awake, I don't think I even brushed my teeth, I jumped into my Genis, climbed into Rogue Leader 1 (my car..I name all my cars)I got myself to the studio. I plugged in the code, removed my shoes, but the $20 in the drawer and entered a hot HEAVEN.
I walked in and thought, "Goodness...I could drop dead in here, it's so hot!" as the heat was already on and blasting. But beggers can't be choosers so I just got dancing. Well, what can I say but....IT WAS WONDERFUL. That heat gets right into your muscles bones and in 10 minutes you are warm, loose and mobile beyond your dreams. I could literally feel the stiffness and immobility melting away as the moist humidity seeped into every pore. I mean, my ribs were at an all new extension level and my hips could practically unhinge from thier sockets! Splits. No problem. Those impossible chest figure eights.Well, not no problem but easier. I also felt a remarkable sense of cleansing after all that sweating. Needless to say, an hour and half later and I walked out of there dripping wet, but utterly loose and rubbery. It was G.R.E.A.T!
Regardless of the tropical conditions, there was a remarkabe upside beyond just the chance to practice. I was thinking that it does prepare your body for performing in other ways. The heat gets that muscle tone going as well as stimulates your stamina. And the more your body adjusts to the heat, the more you are able to handle high energy output without your body's cooling mechanism going into overdrive (sweating!).
So, if you ask me, there is a new movement on the rise and I think I'm going to teach some classes titled Hothouse bellydance....it has a certain ring, doesn't it?!
What a discovery! Truly, it's an ill wind...!
Posted by: Neon | June 06, 2007 at 03:38 PM
Hey!? Whatever do you mean ill???
Posted by: Alyra | June 06, 2007 at 09:32 PM
Yousry's class + Fazil's + August = bikram bellydance!:)
Posted by: Amy | June 06, 2007 at 11:35 PM
Haha!! Good one, Amy!
Posted by: Alyra | June 07, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Tanna's apartment + August = bikram everything!
Posted by: Tanna | June 07, 2007 at 03:10 PM
It's an ill wind that ...blows? brings? carries...no good! ...can't remember the saying, -- the fancy Bikram Bellydance came out of scarcity of spaces!
Posted by: Neon | June 07, 2007 at 07:08 PM
HA! I've been getting the "Hot House" Belly Dance treatment here in Louisiana... not by choice either. It's just hot. HA!
Posted by: LadyM | June 10, 2007 at 12:31 PM