Shimmy-shake to get in shape for 2009

January 6, 11:23 PMSan Jose Culture ExaminerTodd R. Brown

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A belly dancer shakes her thing in 2008 in Canada. Image
by Robert Thivierge, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

If you're like me, you made a New Year's resolution to get into shape -- really, seriously this time -- right before your family shipped you a couple frozen Chicago deep-dish pizzas.

Now that you've digested some of that flaky crust, zesty sauce and savory cheese, it's time to return to that perennial promise of a fresh physical start.

To make things more fun than just surrendering your credit card to the nearest Total 24 hour Sport Club Gym Center, perhaps you'll consider the novel notion of working dat thang at a belly dance class.

Several local social network groups focus on the art of abdominal undulation, including Tribe.net's Bay Area Bellydance.

Member postings offer an array of torso-twisting opportunities, among them a class by No Rules Dance that starts the night of Jan. 7 in San Jose and combines belly dance with hip hop, jazz and other styles of movement.

Another online option for shimmy-shakers is the Bay Area Bellydance Meetup. The group plans its first meeting Jan. 9 in San Jose in collaboration with the Bay Area Drum Circle, then hosts a Bellydance 101 event Jan. 14 in Milpitas.

Meetup members are involved in the 2009 Gala Showcase of the SF/BA Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association. The shebang is set for Jan. 17 in Palo Alto and includes six hours of dance plus an instructor showcase.

The San Francisco Belly Dance & Egyptian Culture Meetup plans a screening of "Zanouba" on Jan. 25 at a yet-to-be-chosen location. The Arabic-language film features dancer Samia Gamal and will be shown as part of the meetup's mission to share films "from the Golden Age of Egypt."

A belly dancer works her hip scarf in 2007 in Fremont, Calif. 
Image by Bea Ahbeck, Bea Ahbeck Photography. 

Tribe.net member Hala Fauzi's Halanda Studio for Dance and Fitness in San Jose has belly dance classes for beginners and advanced students. Fauzi also teaches at San Jose City College, while the studio may someday offer "Bellydance for Kids."

Finally, for those on a budget thanks to America's fun-filled financial collapse, Tribe.net member Angel (or is it Angela?) Thacker plans a Performer Stimulus Package with a discounted day of workshops and an evening dance event on Feb. 1 in Milpitas. Thacker's unique initiative is called Afro-Belly Boogie and combines African and Middle Eastern dance styles.

Sounds like a solid workout to me, and I be the tunes are pretty hip, too. So boogie down, y'all -- but go easy on the pizza, please.