BELLY DANCING with AZIN MAHOOZI

It's all about DISTRACTION.

Yes. DISTRACTION.

I am committed to staying fit and it was time to xmi pu that's "mix up", only mixed up!) my work out a little bit. My recent foray into Persian food had me thinking "I need a Persian work-out". As it turns out, Royal Fitness has a BELLY DANCING class on the last Wednesday of every month.

PERFECT.

I wasn't going to explore this centuries-old-workout by myself. Nope. My partners in crime, Andrea Roane & Angie Goff decided to take the class with me. Unfortunately, Andrea got hung up at Broadcast House...but no worries, we have another class ahead in March!

Our instructor, Azin Mahoozi, the Founder and Creative Director of Born 2 Dance Studio in Vienna, is beautiful and talented. She took us through the 9 basic core "movements" key to the Belly Dance. By the end, she was taking us through simple combinations.

DID YOU KNOW?

"Belly Dance is based on one of the oldest social dances in world history, native to the Middle East and Africa. It consists of rhythmic hip movements, deliberate muscular contractions, as well as sinewy belly undulations, all performed with meticulous coordination meant to internalize and express the emotions evoked by the music."

--from the Born 2 Dance Studio Website

It took my total concentration -- both in getting the proper stretch of the particular part of my abdomen we were working AND in putting the movements together in the proper order. Because I was so FocuseD, it was as if I was distracted from the workout that was in progress. It was FUN! During this particular class, it was all women. But I must confess, I had taken a class one other time and a man actually hung with us, Shimmying his way to a slimmer mid-section!

Here's a video below of Azin and Angie, taking us through a simple grapevine combination.

WHAT: Belly Dancing!

WHERE: Royal Fitness, Bethesda (CLICK HERE) and Born 2 Dance Studio, Vienna (CLICK HERE)

WHEN: Last Wednesday Every Month at Royal Fitness, and CLICK HERE for Scheduling at Born 2 Dance Studio.

WHY: Mix up your routine -- A great Distraction From a Work-Out!