With easy precision, Kelly Ferguson mimics her instructor's movements in unison with verbal cues. She bends one knee slightly, then the other, her hands by her side with palms parallel to the floor.

There were no hand cymbals or sequined harem pants, and no Middle Eastern music was playing in the background. And yet the rhythmic, wavy movements of an Iraqi woman's abdominal wall muscles resembled ...

At 325 pounds – helmeted, padded, gloved with big hair, big thighs and big butt – Domata Peko doesn’t seem like the poster child for interpretive dance. But the hip rolling, belly rubbing, fun loving ...

Theresa Mahon has been teaching belly dancing in Nyack for 20 years %22You feel so beautiful when you put that costume on%3B there%27s a mix of sensuality and strength in belly dancing.%22 This low ...

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Are you a closet dancer? You know — nobody's home, you crank the tunes and start to boogie? It's time to release your inner Shakira and get your belly dancing groove on. "My older ...

I took the coin belt and wrapped it around my waist. A sky-blue, silky scarflike garment with silver coins dangling from it, the coin belt clashed with my forest green T-shirt. As I lined up with 20 ...

If the gym isn't your thing, then just dance! Good beats can get just about everyone tapping their feet or swaying their hips. And it's a feel-good way to improve your fitness and an effective way of ...

Looking for a cardiovascular exercise that burns between 200 and 400 calories an hour, increases flexibility, wards off osteoporosis and is fun? Why not try belly dancing? Norma Schmidt did. Schmidt, ...

Sciatica drove Bettye Ames to belly dancing. Beset with back problems, and at the behest of a friend, the Dayton resident took up the ancient art 10 years ago to strengthen her abdominal muscles. The ...