Belly Dancing – Thursday 7pm – £3.50

Please see our special offers

Belly dancing is a beautiful form of exercise and dance. It not only tones your entire body but it also strengthens the core muscles and pelvic floor muscles. Learn the dance, rediscover your femininity, and tone your waist & hips … or simply for an enjoyable class of movement to wonderful music in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Teachers cover many styles, including elegant Egyptian cabaret, energetic Turkish, Lebanese, American Tribal Style (ATS), tribal fusion, Shakira-style belly dance moves & belly dance for fitness.

What you’ll learn in class

Whatever your level of experience – from a complete beginner who’s never taken any form of movement class to one of our pole or Zumba girls – this will be a class for you!

Belly Dancing – £3.50 – Thursday 7pm

The 45 minute long class starts with a warm up and some stretches, then you will progress to learning some belly dancing moves and put them together in a simple routine that you can follow the instructor so you do not need any experience. Belly Dancing is a beautiful form of exercise and you will not only have a great time but tone your stomach and strengthen your core muscles.

Belly Tone – Free with Belly Dance Classes - Thursday 7pm

This is more action packed for those really wanting to tone up their abs and lose inches round their stomach. You will definitely leave feeling like you have had a fabulous workout! Perfect for any level of student who wants to tone up and strengthen core muscles.

View our timetable

View our next available courses

About Tracey our Instructor

Having begun her dance career in the late 80s in Manchester, she then went on to study both in the UK with international teachers and with Zaza in Paris.

Tracey’s main passion is Egyptian style and with many trips and tuition in Egypt and on-going tuition here in the UK, Tracey now both teaches and performs belly dancing across the UK and Europe.

Over the last three years she has helped develop and deliver one of the newer and fastest growing dance festivals in Europe, Raqs Britannia.

What to wear

Loose gym style clothes are best with bare feet, as you need to be able to move around. You can also wear a belly dance scarf around your hips. Alternately you can wear any belly dancing outfit.

Why Belly Dancing

Belly dance classes are a form of dance that many are familiar with, but few understand the effects it has on the human body. The graceful hip drops, rolls, and pivots of this dance form utilize muscle groups in the abdomen, pelvis, trunk, spine, and neck, working with the body instead of against it. Unlike ballet, which can potentially alter and deform the skeleton, or other dance forms that work against rather than with the body’s physical inclinations, belly dance lessons are based on movements that come naturally to the female form. There is a wealth of health benefits awaiting those who practice this form of dance.

Improved posture and muscle toning

Our spinal column contains more bones and ligaments than any other part of the body. Its 33 vertebrae are stacked together in a column joined together by cartilage and ligaments, and almost every movement of the torso depends upon its flexibility and function. Muscle groups that attach to the ligaments and vertebrae create movement in the trunk and pelvis areas. Belly dancing tones these muscles and maintains flexibility in a safe and effective manner.

During the belly dance class, the movements of hip drops, circles, figure eights, and shimmies put the joints and ligaments in the lower back and hip through a full range of gentle, repetitive motion. This movement helps increase the flow of synovial fluid (nature’s lubricant) in these joints. When movements are done properly, the pelvis is tipped forward, or tucked somewhat into a neutral position that can help prevent lower back problems. Belly dancing can help relieve stress to the back, counteracting the almost constant compression of the disks that occurs from sitting and a sedentary lifestyle.

These toned muscles improve posture and help prevent back pain that can be caused by the unnatural curving forward of the spine that occurs when muscle groups are weak. Small muscle groups deep in the back that are normally under-exercised are used and strengthened. The muscles surrounding the hip, the largest joint in the body, are used and exercised during hip drops, and figure eights, enhancing flexibility and suppleness. Improved hip flexibility can lead to improved balance when walking as well.

Arms and Shoulders are exercised when doing lifts, circles, or the rippling motions of snake arms, toning muscle. This toning effect is often evident early on, since holding the arms aloft is an important element of the dance, even for beginners.

Because a woman is on her feet, moving during the dance, it is considered a weight-bearing exercise. Weight-bearing exercise can prevent osteoporosis and strengthen bones, and the overall toning can lead to an improved self-image, as the dancer becomes more balanced and poised. Belly dance is considered a low-impact exercise, meaning the risk of injury is minimal when movements are done correctly. The benefits of belly dance can be enjoyed by women of all ages; men and children are participating in the dance as well, and reaping the same benefits.

Weight loss

According to Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat, M.D., belly dancing classes can burn up to 300 calories per hour. This estimate will vary, of course, depending on the intensity of your dancing. Combined with a healthy diet that involves sensible eating belly dancing can without a doubt be part of a sound weight loss program. With our dance school being close to Manchester, Bolton and Bury there is no reason not to join our belly dance classes.

Many dance classes take place only once or twice a week. For even better results and enhanced cardiovascular benefits, try combining the flexibility and muscle strengthening of belly dance with an aerobic routine, such as Zumba or Bokwa, on the days you don’t have class in our Manchester Studio. Your entire body will feel the benefits as the aerobic exercise works large muscle groups, and the dance enhances strength and coordination of small muscle groups in the trunk, hips, and arms. Also, many exercise physiologists recommend doing just such a routine: alternating one form of exercise with another, for maximum benefits.

Preparation for childbirth

The movements of belly dancing make an excellent prenatal exercise regimen that strengthens the muscles used during the childbirth process. The toned abdominal muscles and natural hip tucks, which are similar to the “pelvic rocking” taught during prenatal classes, teach the expectant mother how to move her pelvis. For women who desire natural childbirth, this form of exercise through dance, with its emphasis on muscle control not only facilitates natural childbirth, but also makes an excellent post-natal exercise that helps encourage abdominal tone. During those first weeks after giving birth, when caution is needed while healing from the birth process, these movements work the muscles gently and effectively, if done very gradually.

Stress reduction

In this day and age of almost continuous stress, the subtle rhythms of belly dance and the traditional movements are calming. The repetitive movements of the dance and the concentration needed to do them can help a mind filled with daily stress to “let go” for a while and relax. It’s hard to worry about deadlines at work when you are thinking about getting that next drop just right, or while making sure that you are in time with the music.

One effect of stress is that our bodies tense up, causing contractions or spasms in muscle groups, such as those in the neck, shoulders, or back. When a muscle is contracted, lactic acid builds up, causing the “soreness” or pain that occurs. Blood flow to the affected muscles decreases as well.

Belly dancing lessons, on the other hand, gently stretches and uses these vulnerable muscle groups, and as they are utilized, blood flow increases and lactic acid is flushed away. Stressed muscles relax as they are gently exercised, relieving the “clenched” muscles often seen in our society. The body becomes supple and limber, and practitioners frequently report that pain diminishes in the back and neck areas.

Belly dance classes are a fun, healthy way to exercise. It can be a creative outlet that conditions, tones, and allows a woman to tune into the natural movements of her body. It can refresh, relax, and/or exhilarate. So why wait? Find out where classes are held locally, or visit Bhuz.com to look up a class and join in this centuries old dance!

Belly-Dancing Classes are good for you

Many people are surprised to learn that Middle-Eastern Dance, commonly known as “belly-dance,” involves much more than the belly! In fact, belly-dance can benefit many parts of the body. Here are some of the health benefits of our Mancheste Belly Dancing Classes:

Exercising the carrying muscles without impact

A belly dancer uses her quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes to hold her steady as she performs hip movements or travels smoothly across the floor. However, even though she gets a great lower-body workout, the amount of impact to her knees and ankles is minimal. Impact is measured not only by how hard our feet strike the ground, but by how much stress is placed on our joints. Using this measure, most belly dancing lessons are considered non-impact; some tribal and folk dances are low-impact.

Building the back muscles evenly

Belly-dancers use their torsos a lot-much more than ballet, modern or tap dancers. Only jazz dancers come close to our use of rib movements and undulations. These movements, coupled with shoulder movements, exercise the back muscles, and they exercise the muscles evenly. Strong back muscles prevent back injuries, and they promote good posture as well.

Exercising the arms

New belly-dance students are always surprised by much they have to use their arm muscles. Belly-dancers have to hold their arms up for long periods of time, and it actually takes quite a lot of strength to perform arm movements slowly and gracefully.

Aiding digestion

It’s true! Exercising the abdominal area, not just by rolling the belly, but also by swaying the torso, helps food move along the digestive system. Any form of exercise will have this effect to some degree, but belly-dance is especially good for this purpose.

Pole Sessions Studio – Cheap Belly Dance and Belly Dancing lessons and classes in Manchester, close to Bolton and Salford.

Discover a new you… www.polesessions.co.uk