When Sinclair Community College dance instructor Denise Miller was 13 years old, she witnessed a National Geographic program that would forever impact her life. It was a documentary about an Egyptian belly dancer named Lucy.
“It felt like I was watching something that was missing from my life,” Miller said about the documentary. “It was like a missing piece of my puzzle.”
Miller said it was initially difficult to find someone that could teach her how to belly dance, but she found an instructor one year later. In between one of her four trips to Turkey to study the dance, Miller was asked by Pat Fox, who was chairperson of Sinclair’s Dance Department at the time, to come teach belly dancing at the college. Miller accepted and has been teaching Middle Eastern Dance for the last eight years.
“When students first start the class they don’t really know what to think or expect, but after a couple days they become more comfortable,” Miller said. “I think the class helps a lot of (students) come out of their shell and I think that is very important for anybody.”
Miller said because belly dancing involves so many isolated movements, her beginners’ class focuses on the basics, while her intermediate class learns how to layer the dance.
“You’ve got to have cake before you can frost it,” she said.
Sinclair student C.J. Phelan has been taking belly dancing for two quarters and said the dance is a strong contrast to other styles she has experienced, such as modern jazz, ballet and ballroom.
“In a lot of other dances you have to worry about posture, but in belly dancing your body stays relaxed,” Phelan said. “(In belly dancing) it’s all natural movements that our body already knows. We just don’t know that our body knows.”
Phelan’s classmate, Stacy Green, said the class is a great workout, but she doesn’t think belly-dancing movements like stomach rolls, figure eights and down hips would translate well to hip-hop music.
“The movements are not club related,” Green said. “A lot of the moves are actually meant to help women build strength for birthing movements.”
Miller said anyone interested in taking Middle Eastern Dance could expect to have fun, get in shape and become more comfortable with his or her body.
“(Miller) is a very one on one type of teacher,” Phelan said. “You don’t feel intimidated when she’s trying to help you. She’s very good at what she does.”