MBD Format

The Mindful Belly Dance format draws on practices that calm and balance the mind and body to lay a foundation for movement. Mindfulness Meditation, Qigong and other somatic disciplines are incorporated with fun and conditioning Belly Dance training for a greater sense of ease in movement. An emphasis is placed on calming the mind to allow the physical body to follow and finding a relaxation response to movement.  Qigong, an ancient Chinese healing art, recognizes that in addition to our physical body we have energetic and emotional bodies that are all interwoven to complete the full tapestry of our potential. This concept has been used throughout martial arts training to enhance performance, health and longevity. Now it is being applied to dance in the Mindful Belly Dance format.  In Qigong, we work with the breath, posture, intention, visualization and healing sound to create balance to move and train in from dance. Mindfulness Meditation additionally allows the nervous system to restore itself after physical activity as the practicioner learns to breath in a  deap and beneficial way. Both of these practices are also a great for a stressful life, injury or other conditions that aisle you.

Below is an explanation of each discipline used in the format:

Belly Dance - Belly Dance’s origins are from the Middle East. Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Morocco are current hubs of the popular dance style and its folkloric dance roots. In America, there are many styles of Belly Dance and it is continuing to evolve each year. The style taught in the Mindful Belly Dance format is called “American Cabaret.” Western dance training such as ballet, jazz, and modern dance are integrated into the dance. The orientation of the dancer is lifted, feet articulation is pronounced and fluid turns and arm carriage mark the dance style that is a beautiful blend of classic and folkloric influences.

Mindfulness Meditation – Mindfulness mediation uses one’s direct experience, the wandering mind, the breath, physical sensations, thoughts or sounds, to settle the mind and in turn cultivate balance, insight and wisdom. Mindfulness simply means paying attention to what is. In meditation we open this up to mean taking a bird’s eye view to what is happening in our experience at any moment. We watch our experience unfold, holding it in an open way, creating space and treating all thoughts as equal with a gentle, courageous and curious heart.

Qigong– Translated as “energy skill” or “work” from Chinese, qigong is an ancient Daoist health care system that integrates intention, physical postures, movement, healing sounds, breathing techniques and guided imagery. It is one of the four pillars of Chinese medicine along with acupuncture, massage and herbs.  It provides the instruction manual for exploring and experiencing our own body’s energetic superhighways.  The subtle exercises and meditations are powerful tools in promoting the body’s internal healing system and finding balance. Qigong and belly dance are actually complimentary disciplines since both use circular and serpentine movement patterns that can be integrated for dual meaning and purpose.

Ideokinesis – Ideokinesis is a discipline that employs the use of imagery as a means of improving muscle patterns. The founder of the discipline, Mabel E. Todd in the early 20th century, healed herself of an injured back through this method. The use of imagery establishes new and beneficial messages from the brain and nervous system to the muscles overriding unconscious chronic patterns of misuse. Over the years many dancers, including the late dancer Eric Hawkins, have used this method to build ease in movement and rehabilitate themselves from injury.