Thread: seeking info on adaptive belly dance

I’ve been working with the director of my local independent learning centre on a proposal for an adaptive belly dance class for people with disabilities.

On February 18th, we will be meeting with government official from the Department of Recreation and Sport to discuss why we should recieve funding for this course.

We need to stress how adaptive belly dance can meet the physical fitness needs of those with disabilities. Among other things, I plan to emphasis how belly dance puts more emphasis on torso driven movements than many other forms of exercise.

I tried to email Ronit Amaya from the Chair Belly Dance DVD, but my email was sent back as undeliverable. Does anyone out there know how I can contact her?

This sounds really cool. I wish I could help you. Keep us updated on how it all goes!

Are you trying to justify exercise in general, or belly dance in particular? Because huge amounts have been written about the benefits of exercise on the human body.

Of course, if it's belly dance in particular, then that's a different type of story.

Sorry, I should have been more clear! :Aembarassed:

The director sees the class as:

- an opportunity to get disabled people to get out and socialize
- to motivate them to be more physically active
- as an outlet for creative expression

She is seeking funding for this class from the sport and recreation people. I think what we need to do is show the benefits of belly dance in particular.

Wouldn't torso driven movements be especially good for people who must be seated for exercise. Of course different students will have different mobility issues.

BTW. This class is going to be limited to six people and the director will be present in my classes to help address that issue.

Here is some of what I've written in thedraft of my proposal:

Benefits of Belly Dance:

Cognitive

• Increase of knowledge and vocabulary through an understanding of the elements and principles of dance.
• Development of problem solving skills through solving movement problems that are both simple and complex.
• Acquiring an understanding and appreciation of the dance histories and cultures of Middle Eastern peoples.
• Sharpening of observation skills.

Affective

• Expression of feelings through movement, increasing self-awareness.
• Increase of self-esteem through self-expression and the mastery of movement concepts. while being engaged in a positive and non-competive dance form.
• Improvement of self-discipline through skill development.

Physical

• Lessening of health risks through movement and exercise.
• Learning of body awareness, control balance and coordination.
• Improvement of physical strength, stamina and agility.
• Reduction of stress through positive physical activity.

[QUOTE=betryse;350583Improvement of physical strength, stamina and agility.[/QUOTE]
Do you consider flexibility and agility to be the same thing? If not, I would also include it. I'm amazed at the range of motion I now have in my torso compared to where I was when I started.

I can't really add anything to what you already have. You've hit the major benefit that I know of, and you've written it well.

Your project sounds really great - I hope the funding comes through!

When I was 17 years old, I was in a car accident that injured my back. The X-rays that were taken then also revealed that I have scoliosis. The doctors believe (and I agree) that I had the scoliosis before the accident, and the scoliosis played a role in determining what kind of injury I got from the accident. In the aftermath of the accident, I was unable to bend sideways to either side at all, and many other movements hurt. Over time, I regained some range of motion, but had continued back pain.

I started belly dancing at age 23.

Fast forward a couple of decades.

One thing I observed about my body was that if I took time off from belly dancing (for example, I'd sometimes take a break from dancing around the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday), my back pain would get worse. But once I started dancing regularly again, my back improved greatly.

Another interesting thing I discovered over the years was that when my back was hurting particularly badly, rib cage circles would release some of the tension and ease the pain.

At one point, I went to see a chiropractor regarding upper back pain (from hunching over a computer in my day job). As part of his new-patient introductory visit, he ran me through a collection of range-of-motion exercises. He was extremely surprised to discover my excellent range of motion, fluidity, and comfort level with movement. Apparently, that was very atypical of people with scoliosis, especially in my age group. And when I told him about the car accident, he was even more astonished by my mobility. I then told him I was a belly dancer, and his eyes lit up and he said, "No wonder! That explains it!"

Of course, I have no idea whether that story is at all helpful to what you're trying to do, but I thought I'd share it just in case you think it would help to mention it in your conversation with the guy.

Andrea, I'm not sure if flexibility and agility are exactly the same, but I think flexibility is a more discriptive word. I'm going to add to my proposal text.

Shira, I think your story is exactly what the doctor ordered ..g.: I will certainly share it with the official.

LinnyG I will certainly keep you all posted.

Thank you all for your help and support!