BELLY DANCING BEAUTY

Sr. Manager, Client Services, Marcine Perry, gets her groove on as part of a tribal fusion belly dance company.

I’ve been dancing since I was little, but I started belly dancing almost 2 years ago. In November of last year, I joined Ultra Gypsy, a tribal fusion belly dance company here in San Francisco.

I take classes with the lovely and talented Jill Parker, founder and director of Ultra Gypsy, at ODC Dance Commons. Incidentally, ODC happens to be one of my clients here at Papilia, and I’m happy that my work is directly benefiting their organization, since it has so much personal meaning for me. I also take classes in the East Bay with Mira Betz, another amazing instructor.

I’ve performed with Ultra Gypsy at various clubs, shows, festivals, dance camps, and fundraisers throughout the Bay Area and in Seattle. We perform at corporate events, weddings, and birthday parties as well, in small groups or with the entire company. I perform solo on occasion, but my favorite type of gig is performing with the whole company at big festivals, where we get to watch other companies’ pieces.

My favorite thing about belly dancing is its combination of strength and beauty. The technique can be really difficult, but it’s so nice to watch when done gracefully. It’s the perfect combination of the physical (muscle control) and the emotional (dancing is FUN!). I also love fusion in particular, because it’s interesting to add moves from other styles of dance, such as flamenco and jazz, into belly dance to create a new vocabulary of movement.

Belly dancing has changed the way I carry myself, because I’m much more conscious of my posture. It’s also really great for body image, since the whole dance is based on the idea that a woman’s body is beautiful. Sadly, that can be counterintuitive for many women in Western culture. I think all women should take a class at least once—if you’ve never seen group of women of all ages, shapes, and sizes shimmying, it can be very inspirational!