Korean woman Ara Hwang – an old hand in jazz, flamenco, Argentine tango, Latin American dances, has recently brought the “belly dance” craze to Hanoi.

Absorbed in the sexy move originated in the Middle East for over one year, Ara has become a professional dancer, practicing 4-5 hours per day.

“The belly dance is both mental and physical, suitable for all ages and body types,” she said.

She said the dance provides a good cardio-vascular workout and helps increase both flexibility and strength, focusing on the torso or "core muscles", although it also builds leg strength.

Now coaching dozens of Vietnamese youths at Hanoi-based Sheraton hotel’s Nutz bar at 8pm on Tuesdays, she wants to establish a dance troupe of at least two excellent Vietnamese to introduce the dance to the others in the country.

Last year, Ara had set up groups and organized displays in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and attended salsa festivals in India and other parts of China.

For decades, the belly dance has been adapted in Western countries as an art form and a health program.

Most of the dance’s basic steps and techniques involving circular motions isolated at one part of the body; for example, a circle parallel to the floor isolated in the hips or shoulders.

Accents using "pop and lock" where a dancer either shimmies or makes a striking motion in her shoulders or hips are common, as are feats of flexibility, rolling one's belly muscles, balancing various props like baskets, swords or canes, and dancing with chiffon or silk veils.

Since it gives a complete cardiovascular workout and strengthens the abdominal muscles, it is gaining popularity among men and women who want to lose weight.
An intense sixty-minute session may burn around 330 calories.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the practice of belly dancing may benefit women preparing for childbirth, as the movements strengthen and tone the pelvic floor muscles and the woman becomes more familiar with the way her muscles work.

The hip-circling movements used in the dance may relieve some of the common discomforts of labor.

Source: Tuoi Tre – Compiled by Luu Thi Hong