By Yeji ShimThe Daily Northwestern
Twenty-four women danced in a circle, pivoting their hips and moving their arms to the beat of exotic music Wednesday night at the Levy Senior Center in Evanston.
Taj, the instructor, moved around the circle and encouraged the women to keep dancing.
“Who’s committed to having fun?”
In a demonstration of their enthusiasm, every woman raised her hand.
The center at 300 Dodge Ave. holds weekly women’s belly dancing classes offered throughout the year for six- to eight-week sessions.
From undulating to shimmying, women of all ages learn to dance in a fun, low-stress environment, Taj said. Student Elloise Davis said the class is a fun alternative to traditional exercise.
“People think aerobics has to be fast to lose weight,” she said. “But I heard this was fun, and I thought, let’s do something new.”
Taj, who has taught belly dancing for seven years, said its popularity is here to stay.
“It’s been sweeping the globe for the past two years in a tailspin,” Taj said.
Belly dancing provides both physical and psychological benefits to the students, Taj said.
“Belly dancing creates an emotional and psychological balance in the body,” she said. “Even though your posture and the physical things improve, it also gives people more confidence.”
She said these benefits contribute to the dance’s growing popularity, adding that many students who begin dancing enjoy it and continue to pursue it.
Belly dancing classes at the Levy Senior Center often fill to capacity, Taj said. On Wednesday night, the class had to move to a bigger dance space to accommodate extra students.
Many women said they return to Taj’s classes because they like her teaching style. Some said they enjoy the lessons so much that they bring friends and family members as guests.
Chicago resident Roslyn Cohen said her sister-in-law encouraged her to come to the classes. Cohen, whose father’s side of the family is from Iraq, wanted to learn the dance to connect with her heritage, she said.
The classes have helped Cohen learn how to be comfortable with herself, she said.
“I really enjoy these classes because you are encouraged to let yourself go,” Cohen said. “A lot of it is getting in touch with your body – or trying to.”
At the end of the class, the students created a dance using moves taught in their lesson. All the women participated enthusiastically, and a few women were even brave enough to perform their dance for the rest of the class. Davis even volunteered for her group to perform first.
“I’m learning to feel comfortable with my body,” Davis said. “It is fun, fun, fun, and you can lose weight, too.”
Reach Yeji Shim at [email protected].
