I perform, teach and study bellydance (or as it is also called; oriental dance, raqs sharki, and many other colourful names).

I took my first bellydance lessons back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth (1996) and I was only 16. My teacher was a wonderful woman whose name I have, sadly, completely forgotten now. What I do remember was that she lovely, full of energy and pregnant at the time, quite heavily so towards the middle of the block of lessons.

She took, at most, 2 weeks off to have her baby then returned to teach us. I thought that was pretty amazing and remember that the other women in the class who had gone through birth thought that it was really amazing.

She gave a performance to 'Mysterious Ways' by U2, which happened to be the song that made me want to learn bellydancing (on the Zoo TV tour, U2 had a dancer on stage with them during that song who bellydanced - my first experience of ever seeing the dance - here's a link to it). I was hooked.

I've since been taught by Hilary Thacker in Edinburgh (http://www.hilarysbazaar.com), Jillanna in Chattanooga, USA (http://www.merrybellies.com), several members of staff at Zanzibar in Chattanooga, USA (http://www.zanzibarstudio.com), Petite Jamilla, spinning wonder of the Bellydance Super Stars (http://www.bohemianmarket.com for PJ herself and http://www.bellydancesuperstars.com for the BDSS), the lovely (if internet shy) Rajaa Ben (ha! found a link with her in it: http://www.lucyinthesky.it/body_teachers_Raja%20Ben.html) from Italy and Germany's Leyla Jouvana, shimmy queen ( http://www.leyla-jouvana.de/v2e/). I've recently enjoyed learning Sha'abi folk dancing with Juliana Brustik (http://www.julianabrustik.com/) , a wonderfully elegant, graceful dancer. I've also had the great fortune to take workshops with one of the original Bellydance Super Stars, Ansuya (http://www.ansuya.com)

I've also learned alot from the other students in my classes - including the wonderful shimmying Zoë, sensuous Jane & slinky Lisa and the beautifully expressive Lindsey Marie Silver (http://www.bellydancingbarbie.com), as well as many others.

I've performed at La Fête de la Musique with Dunya Ensemble in Edinburgh, on stage in Tennessee at the Merrybellies Summer Oasis and at a variety of private events in Scotland.

©2010 Shelley Skipper