It’s all about the belly.
Cochranites still looking for a way to start 2023 off on the right foot, have some fun, and perhaps work off some seasonal pounds have a new option starting this week.
Sandi Missler is offering beginners belly dance classes for adults starting in mid-January at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC). The program consists of some basic belly dance moves, a warm-up and cool down.
Belly dancing does not require a partner. Missler said the key is having fun.
Missler taught a similar class in Cranbrook, B.C., where she said everyone had a ton of fun. And not just women, as the classes are open to men as well.
“We did have one guy who was a dancer in Cranbrook, and he was pretty good,” she said.
Her Anadil Belly Dance group in Cranbrook performed at community cultural events and provided entertainment at seniors’ homes and fundraisers.
Missler moved to Cochrane from Cranbrook a couple of years ago, and knew there were some belly-dance aficionados nearby. She eventually met some of them and decided that as a way to expand local interest, a class might help.
She knew that Seniors on the Bow had a good room at SLSFSC to host classes, and the idea was hatched.
Participants will progress at their own speed and commitment while enjoying the company of other like-minded dancers. For curious first-timers, admission is free, so they can see if it’s for them or not.
Belly dancing is great exercise, fun and Missler hopes people will give it a try, starting Monday, Jan. 16, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on subsequent Mondays at the same time. There’s no sign-up required – participants can just check-in at the front desk at SLSFSC.
For more information, contact Sandi Missler at 403-932-1202.
As classes progress, Missler said the ultimate goal would likely be to strive for something similar to the Fat Chance Belly Dance program, which is what she hosted in Cranbrook.
“There’s a group in the States called Fat Chance Belly Dance. They’ve taken elements of different dance – African, Moroccan, and Asian – and rolled them all up,” she said.
“The appealing thing about that is it generally a group of four, with one leader, so there’s no choreography. Once you learn the moves (there’s four levels) you look to the leader and emulate.”
Missler said the nice thing about the Fat Chance approach is if she wanted to, she could just join in one of those groups.
But Fat Chance is still a ways a way for those just starting out. They first would need to learn a few basic moves, like a belly roll, hip rotation and a shoulder shimmy, or what Missler called “the basic vocabulary” of the art.
For now, it’s just the belly dance, and all that’s required of first-timers is a little sense of adventure.
And just because Missler is 74 doesn’t mean the classes are targeted at seniors. She had all ages attending her program in Cranbrook.
“I’d like people to come out and try dancing and get some full body exercise,” she said. “Just come and see if you like it.”
There will also be a teacher coming from Calgary, she added.
After the initial exploratory class, the cost will be $5 per class for Seniors on the Bow members and $7 for others.
“Most people enjoy dancing. Dance like nobody’s watching,” she said.
