Bellydancing popular at Southern

Women of all ages and sizes move to rhythmic music in subtle seductive grooves, their bodies swaying like ocean waves and the sounds of golden chains attached to their scarves ring to the motion of the beat.

No, it's not in a Sultan's tent; it's in the Payne Center.

The belly dancing class offered in the Dogwood room on Tuesdays at 7 - 8 p.m. and Thursdays 6:30 - 7:20 p.m. has sparked a huge interested around campus.

Instructor Raqsarabella (her stage name) said, "I've been taking belly dance for almost five years now, and I haven't found any place close to dance. The closest place I found was a troop in Meridian and Jackson."

So, I came and asked the Payne Center if they would allow me to teach, and they did. It's like a regular job at the Payne Center. It's for anybody young or old. It can be for beginners or intermediate."

Senior forensic science major Andrea Jarrell said, "I start taking some classes at the Payne Center, and I saw some signs posted about the belly dancing class and got interested in doing it."

Raqsarabella said, "At first I had to kick people out because we have a maximum of like 45 people and like 60 people would show up for the class. People would wait by the door like 20 minutes early, but it has toned down a little now."

Sophomore psychology major Stephanie Foreman, said, "It was always kind of in the back of my mind I wanted to try something like this."

"A lot of people misperceive belly dancing as sexy, or they imagine people dancing on tables or on someone's lap," she said. "But belly dancing is just as legitimate or hard as any other classic form of dance like ballet."

Foreman said, "It makes you feel sexy, and I love the meditation at the end. I think this class helps get you in touch with your own body; as women you get to feel comfortable in your own skin. At the first day of class she told us it's not a dance for men - it's for women."

Raqsarabella added, "It does boost confidence a lot. That's one of the best parts about belly dancing. Because the moves are so feminine, it let's women embrace their femininity."

"It doesn't matter like how big you are or if you can't dance," she said. "It just embraces everything that's feminine about women. So, that helps builds confidence."

Jarrell said, "The good thing about belly dancing is that it doesn't matter if you are a good dancer. It just really tries to influence your body language, and it also doesn't matter if you are heavy or small have low self-esteem or a lot of self-esteem. And it's really fun."

Raqsarabella said, "At first, it's not really an aerobics exercise, but after they learn the moves it turns into an aerobic exercise because they are moving around and dancing. But it helps with posture and shrinks the core."

"A lot of belly dancing is visual," she said. "We are not used to moving our bodies the way that belly dancing has you to move your body. It takes a lot of visual control. I tell them to imagine that they are drawing a circle with their hips so you have to imagine that."

"I try to do it turned away from the mirror so they'll focus more on how their bodies feel rather than how it looks," she said. "Because it looks awkward at first, when you break the moves down you are putting your body in weird positions and the mediation at the end of the class helps people to zone in on the visual skills."