May 16, 2005

Showing my age at belly dancing class

At belly dancing class yesterday, the twenty-something instructor was explaining that we need to be able to do chest circles without our heads bobbing up and down. "Practice at home," she said. "See if you can balance a CD on your head."

I laughed. Balance a CD on your head? The young women in the class all swiveled their heads to look at me.

"Don't people balance books on their heads any more?" I asked.

They stared at me blankly. Ah, well.

7 comments:

jo(e) said...

I think CDs are harder because they are so light. And they are definitely more breakable.

reverendmother said...

Lighter, and probably with less friction too.

Rana said...

"Balance a CD" is a new one to me too.

The first image that came to mind was a bunch of women with little silver halos perched on their heads, gyrating.

Hey! It's another use for those silly AOL freebie CDs!

jo(e) said...

I can't balance anything on my head. It's not my fault. My hair is too slippery.

I get mocked out enough by my teenagers when I practice belly dancing at home. There is just now way I am going to start dancing around with CDs on my head ....

Michael LeVan said...

Are you supposed to balance just the disc (in which case you could use the hole to anchor your hair) or the entire case?

What's a chest circle with a bobbing head? I'm picturing a hula hoop move around the shoulder area withot waist or legs moving.

jo(e) said...

Dr. M: Belly dancing is all about isolating muscles. So your waist or legs don't move and not your shoulders either. When you watch a chest circle, it looks like just the breasts are moving but the muscles you use are actually the ones on your back, between your shoulder blades.

That is actually the hardest part of belly dancing: moving just one set of muscles and keeping the rest of your body out of it. Some of the muscles are ones I never even knew I had.

I think the CD is supposed to be in its case -- I wonder if it's cheating to use sticky tack.

Rob Helpy-Chalk said...

When you watch a chest circle, it looks like just the breasts are moving but the muscles you use are actually the ones on your back, between your shoulder blades.

It's simultaneously yogic and sexy. Wow.

Molly and I went to a resturant with belly dancing once, but she made us leave when people started putting cash in the dancer's outfit.