Bellyfest 2009

The past three years saw the emergence of a new kind of revolution in the world of belly dancing, and that is the Belly Dancing festival or simply known as Belly fest. This event was made possible through the efforts of one of the best belly dancers and teachers in the country Jill Ngo-Crisologo.

I was introduced to this event by my best friend Louise Sarte who herself is a part of the belly dance team. With her very hectic schedule this summer Louise still had the chance to squeeze in an African Belly dance with which she dedicated to me. The other dance number she had was Brailizan inspired which was so nice considering the costumes that she used suited her.

The Bellyfest 2009 culminated with the Belly Fest dancers dancing till they drop from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. But the event is actually a whole day event that included bellydance workshops, aero marathon, hawaiian dance workshop, laughter yoga session, raffle entry, lootbag and of course, a whole day of fun. Tickets were sold at P 400.00. So I hope to blog again Belly fest 2010 till next year gals.

Belly Dance Festival 2008

Hip Twists, Hip Bumps, Hip Thrusts, Basic Hip Circle, Vertical Hip circle Arm Waves, Shoulder Rotations and Arm Ripples. This is the way of the B! Belly dancing traces its origin from a lot of countries namely Egypt which explains most of the costumes that had an Egyptian slant in it. Turkey and Greece also had an influence in this very exotic kind of dance.

Did you know the correct name for belly dancing is actually "Oriental Dance"? The Arabic name for it is raqs sharqi, which means "dance of the East/Orient", and the Turkish name is Oryantal. Although its origins are traced to what I have mentioned, it is still a mystery where it really began. Its just like picking up the pieces of something that is already there when you were born. No one really bothered to know where it was born.

After the success of the first Bellyfest event last year, the premiere Belly dancers in the Philippines are at it again and this time it was held at the Glorietta Activity center. It was the culmination of a day long event filled with many activities namely workshops, performances and demonstrations that made the dance show the icing on the cake of a wonderful day at the Glorietta Activity center.

The dancefest included the premiere Belly Dance guru’s in the Philippines namely Jill Ngo-Crisologo, Crystal Calinawan, Arcel Benson, Grace Mallari, Gemma Magtibay and many more. Most notable was their guest Belly dancer, TV Personality and super mom Regine Tolentino who wowed the Glorietta crowd with her gyrating hips and one of a kind moves which just shows that she is fit and has not aged a bit. Her whistle bait figure is a good testament that Belly dancing does wonders to your body.

The event also had recitals of their students and even had a male performer who stood more than 6 feet and danced in bra, maong pants with a grass skirt, his name is Zumre. They also had a performance from a group from India who did an Indian version of a rap number. The music was fit for belly dancing though as Belly dancing enthusiasts displayed their wares in a dance jamming session while the group was singing.

The students who performed ranged from 5 years old to 65 years old and their bountiful energy kept the 2 and a half hour show alive. There were slim girls, small girls and even horizontally challenged women. But no matter what size or age they were, they all showed their love for the art of belly dancing. It wasn't how young or how big you are, it was how good you gyrate.

I was there mainly to give support to my good friend Louise Sarte who was part of the back up dancers. I remember her inviting me to her dance recitals four years ago that I unfortunately missed because of prior engagements. Last year I got the chance to watch their Belly fest show in Quezon City and luckily had the chance to watch it again this year. When I saw her dance it made me realize that I missed a lot. At the same time it made me conclude that my gal pal is a very talented dancer.

Congratulations to the organizers of this event, it surely made us want to take up Belly Dancing lessons. Here's to watching you, and my good friend dance again next year.