Belly dancing: Beneath the bangles and beads lies a terrific workout

Mari Peckham, 51, starts her Monday mornings to the sound of jingling coin belts, international music and laughter among friends.

"I know we're all sweating," Peckham tells the women doing hip lifts and shimmies at the Schaumburg Park District's Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Road. "Really try to reach up and touch one hand to the other."

A belly dancer for nearly two decades, Peckham has taught belly dance fitness and choreography at the park district for about 11 years.

"My classes are always really chatty," said Peckham, an Arlington Heights resident who started studying contemporary and jazz dance at age 4 in central Illinois.

"Everybody has fun and gets to know each other."

Although the moves make for a spectacular show, the art of belly dancing goes beyond colorful veils and bejeweled hips. Among the benefits are improved strength and flexibility, Peckham said.

"The coolest thing to me about belly dancing is you're participating in this beautiful art form and at the same time, you're strengthening all these muscles without really thinking about it," she said.

The low-impact dance also helps decrease stress and aids in hip and joint health, she said, and the quick combination of movements supports memory function.

"It's good for the brain," said Valerie Heller, 61, of Elk Grove Village, who adds that lifting the veils over her head improves her upper body strength.

"It's way more fun than lifting weights," Heller said. "It's also great for balance."

An ancient dance form thought to have Middle Eastern origins, belly dancing made its U.S. debut at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The term was coined in the U.S., translated from the French "danse du ventre" or "dance of the belly."

The dance also is a confidence booster, Peckham said. Participants bring their own coin belts, but Peckham has a few available to borrow, along with several veils.

"Belly dancing helps promote a positive body image," she said. "You realize what your own body is capable of no matter what size you are."

Belly dance fitness classes are offered at 9 a.m. on Mondays to students 18 and older, with a choreography class immediately following. Fitness classes focus on technique and aerobics, while choreography instruction is geared toward learning specific dances.

Students range in age from the early 20s to their 70s, and many dancers attend both classes.

Mastering the control behind isolating the abdominal muscles can take up to six months, Peckham said. Students move at their own pace, and whatever their skill level, Peckham encourages them to join live performances, such as the upcoming A Garden of Diversity April 9 at the CRC.

"Today I was finally able to shimmy," Damita Fuller of Schaumburg announced proudly after class. "I always leave here feeling good."

Along with the fitness benefits, it's the camaraderie that keeps Heller coming back each week.

"We have so much fun," Heller said. "It's like family."

Five benefits of belly dancing

• Improved strength and balance: Hip drops, chest lifts and rib slides, plus posturing and weight placement, help with strength and balance.

• Proper spinal articulation: Undulations and flowing exercises help the spine remain flexible and rotate smoothly; the dance also helps maintain joint and hip health; reduces incontinence.

• Upper arm workout: Arm work is a significant part of belly dancing. Dancers use their arms in fluid motions that frame the body.

• More self-confidence: Belly dancers come in all shapes and sizes. Learning to dance improves how dancers feel about their bodies.

• Sharper mental function: All dancing reduces risk of dementia; belly dancing in particular forces dancers to do several isolated moves at once, making the brain fire at various levels and boosting memory.

• For upcoming Schaumburg Park District classes, call (847) 490-7015 or visit www.parkfun.com.

Source: Mari Peckham