Saturday July 4, 2009
A shimmy for all
By LEONG SIOK HUI
Through the art of belly dancing, an Indonesian dance teacher empowers her students to celebrate their femininity, regardless of shape, size or age.
What would you do if a dance teacher told you that you were too fat to bellydance?
You could either slink away red-faced, OR, you could, like Christine Yaven, stick your chin up and prove the teacher wrong. In 2001, Yaven picked up belly dancing while completing her postgraduate studies in Sydney, Australia. Five years later she returned to Jakarta all fired up to pursue her love for the ancient dance form.
Fahmia Badib (second from right) picked up belly dancing two years ago. — BELLYDANCE JAKARTA There she met the only teacher who was teaching belly dancing at the time, and was told she wouldn’t be able to do it.
“Initially, I was bitterly disappointed and heartbroken. And I was completely turned off from continuing my training with the local so-called belly dancers,” recalls Yaven, 33, an Indonesian Chinese. But she bounced back quickly.
Yaven signed up for private lessons with teachers in Singapore and Malaysia and studied under acclaimed
instructors like Raqia Hassan, Dr Mo Geddawi (Egypt), Tamalyn Dallal and Yousry Sharif. She went on to obtain teaching certificates from Egypt, Canada and the US, and in 2006, set up her ownschool, Bellydance Jakarta (BJ).
Today, BJ has more than 100 registered students and its troupe, Bellydance Jakarta Dancers, is highly sought-after for corporate and embassy functions and charity galas.
“Belly dance is for all shapes, sizes and ages! We don’t have to fit into one mould to do it,” says Yaven, who teaches Egyptian-style belly dance, known for its refinement, elegance and subtle movements.
Also known as Raks Sharki, Middle-Eastern Dance or Oriental Dance, belly dancing has a long history.
Bellydancing instructor, Christine Yaven’s motto — bellydancing is for all shapes, sizes and ages. Experts believe it’s one of the oldest forms of dance which began as a childbirth ritual. In the Middle East, men do belly dance, too, but they rarely perform in public.
Today, some of the most talented and renowned teachers and choreographers are men.
“One of the myths is that belly dance requires the belly,” says Yaven, an Ivy League business degree graduate.
“The term belly dance comes from the French term danse de ventre. The French saw the dancers’ belly fat shaking, so they called it belly dance.”
In fact, belly dance is a generic phrase for dances that focus on pelvic and hip movements.
“We use some abdominal muscles for popping the stomach or to make belly rolls (wave movement on our tummies) but that’s about it,” explains Yaven who also does Latin and ballroom dancing.
“The arm movements are fluid, but too much of it detracts attention away from your hips.”
Being plus-sized and a dancer is unusual in Asia, Yaven adds.
“I find it amusing to see people’s reactions when they meet me in person,” says Yaven. “I have to patiently explain that belly dance is a cultural dance and doesn’t make you lose weight or flatten your tummy, even though it burns calories.”
Embracing womanhood
For Yaven, belly dancing is also about empowering oneself to accept one’s body. “As a big Asian girl, I find it difficult to feel feminine, delicate and attractive, but through belly dance I have learnt that being curvy can be beautiful.
“The sensual movements, the hips and hand movements and the pretty costumes bring out the feminine side of me,” says Yaven.
“Extra flesh is a hindrance in ballet or salsa dance. But in belly dancing, you can make your fat work for you!”
When one of Yaven’s students, Fahmia Badib, first walked into her class, she was struck by the beauty and fluidity of Yaven’s movements.
“I decided then and there that I wanted to take belly dance seriously. I wanted to be able to do what she did!” says Badib, an interpreter and copywriter in Jakarta.
A plus-sized lady herself, Badib has had her fair share of unkind comments from other students whenever she joined a dance or exercise class.
“As a customer, I decided I would only part with money if I was treated with the same respect that my thinner peers received,” says Badib, 30, an Indonesian with Arabic heritage. She found that at BJ.
“Christine is attentive and nurturing as a teacher. Not only was I welcomed with open arms by her and the rest of the students, I was even promoted to troupe member!”
Badib says belly dancing has enriched her in many ways.
“You learn to focus and discipline yourself. And the dance makes you appreciate and respect your body so much more for what it is capable of,” she explains.
“Christine is an inspiration for many other women like myself, whose body shapes don’t fit into our society’s current ‘beauty ideals’.
She shows us that self-belief is the most important thing, and that beauty does radiate from within.”
“When I dance, all my worries and insecurities melt away, and I feel truly content, beautiful and happy!” adds Badib.
Yaven accepts students from all walks of life. Her youngest students are in their teens while the oldest are in their 60s. Georgina Graham, a year 10 student at the British International School Jakarta, started learning bellydancing from Yaven when she was 13.
“When I was little, I always danced along to Shakira so my mum knew I’d enjoy belly dancing,” says Graham, 15. “It’s really fun! And I like the fact that no one else in my school does it or has even thought of doing it — it makes me an individual.”
Graham tried roping in some of her peers but she received mixed responses. Some are freaked out over the costumes while others think it’s too much hard work.
“It has definitely boosted my confidence. I’m normally self-conscious but now I feel completely at ease dancing in front of a bunch of strangers,” adds Graham.
“I also like the sense of belonging at BJ. Anyone can join and become part of the bellydance family.”
Homemaker Rosalind Setiawan finds belly dancing keeps her mind and soul healthy.
“It’s a good therapy for de-stressing. It’s flexible and can be done solo or as a teamwork,” says the 60-year-old, who’s part of the troupe.
The troupe performs an average two to three times a month and rehearses almost every night in the week leading up to the performance.
“We are very choosy about where we perform since belly dance has a very negative connotation here in Indonesia,” says Yaven, who worked in a bank and as a buyer for a regional department store before switching to bellydancing full-time.
“We don’t perform in restaurants as part of their weekly entertainment (anymore),” she says.
Some clients insisted on choosing dancers or request that the girls dance with the audience. Yaven refused, stood her ground and lost clients as a result.
Changing negative mindsets
Unfortunately, belly dance still has a negative image in Indonesia.
“There are many belly dance teachers in Indonesia who have never even set foot in a proper belly dance class. But because they dance sexy, they market that as belly dance,” says Yaven.
“Some even think of belly dancers as prostitutes or associate the dance with striptease or pole dancing.”
“I want to show people that this dance in its authentic form is an elegant dance, not something sleazy or sexy.
“Sensual, yes! There is a difference,” adds Yaven, who has taught and performed internationally including at the recent Malaysia World Belly Dance Charity event in Penang.
“It’s a long road but slowly we’re changing the way belly dance is perceived, one person at a time,” says Yaven.
To date, there’s still a lack of formal qualification or an international governing body for belly dancing. Prospective students should do online research, ask lots of questions — where the teacher learned his or her belly dancing from and their years of experience, Yaven advises.
The art form
So what makes a good belly dancer?
Belly dancing is a dance form that needs a connection between the dancer’s body and soul.
It’s about the interpretation of music and lyrics. You don’t just move to the rhythm but you have to feel the music, Yaven said.
“A great dancer does not need to do acrobatics or showy movements (i.e., back bends, writhing around on the floor or waving arms around).
“And a good dancer doesn’t just dance to techno Arabic or pop Arabic music, which is simple to do as the beat is constant whilst classical Arabic music is very complex,” explains Yaven.
“A great belly dancer moves her body like an instrument but instead of just one instrument, she can play the whole orchestra with her body. You have to look out for the subtle movements.”
To be a good dancer, Yaven reckons, a person needs at least two years of training.
“To be a good teacher you must be a great student. I think I am a good dancer, but not great,” says Yaven who is currently attending a workshop in Egypt. “It will take me all my life to master belly dancing.”
For more info, check www. bellydancejakarta.com
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