Belly dancing: 'It just wouldn’t be the same without Eman'
By FATIMA JAWAID
DCN Correspondent
Welcome to the fun room.
Eleven women stand hips cocked, arms in the air, and their faces a picture of intense concentration, many mouthing the steps under their breath.
Side, side, up. Side, side, up. Forward, step, spin. Again and again they move, their body’s picking up speed with each steady movement. Behind them the stereo pulsates with sound. The driving beat of the drum almost moving as fast as the women themselves.
Amongst the chaos sits Eman Haddad, her smile as bright as the glimmering room, clapping to the beat and calling out words of help and encouragement.
“Very nice Marie!�
“Where were you on Tuesday Sue? We missed you! You better have been practicing!�
“Excellent Jessica, I can really see the difference in your shape.�
“Move your hip down a little. No, not your leg! The hips. There, like that! That’s very good.�
The “fun room,� as Haddad calls it is actually the five o’clock belly dance class held at Eman’s Belly dance and Fitness Studio.
It may seem like any other dance studio. Gleaming wood floors and floor-length mirrors line the walls, reflecting each movement of the dancers in the room. But, to Haddad, this room is her passion. This is her life’s work. She’s been teaching women of all ages the art of belly dancing for more than 20 years, every since she immigrated to the U.S. from Jordan.
Here, in this small dance studio nestled away on the corner of Fourth and Fifth, she is in her element.
“I want to see less black clothing next time,� Haddad calls out as the song stops and the flurry of movement in the room slowly fades away. “I know it’s depressing outside, but dress happy.�
The women line up at opposite ends of the room in preparation for the next song. Many smile and talk amongst each other, a few pumping their fists in the air in excitement for dance number two. One walks over to the door and cracks it open, letting in a gust of cool, crisp winter air.
“I love it here,� says Sue Oleson, who started taking the class to try and get in better shape. “I haven’t lost any weight, but I feel better, tighter, stronger.�
The next song starts, this one with a slower tempo, and the women file onto the floor ready to begin their next dance.
“Again,� says Haddad. “I want to see the dance again. It’s not that hard. Don’t look, just move and let your body flow naturally,�
“That’s easy for you to say,� calls out Marie Anderson as the class laughs. She is a United Health Care worker who has been taking the class with Haddad on and off for almost two years. “I bet you do it in your sleep. High -kick your husband right out of bed.�
These women have been with each other each step of the way since the class began last September. Slowly over the course of 13 months, all traces of self-consciousness have faded away.
“It's not a class, it’s a club,� says Haddad. “We get together, we work out together, and we laugh.�
As the last song finally ends, everyone leaves the dance floor and packs up their belongings while laughing and talking amongst themselves. Many still lingering even as the next class files in.
“I sit on my butt all day long and it really feels good to get up and move,� says Oleson. “I’ve tried other fitness classes, but this is definitely the best fit for me.�
“And, you know, it just wouldn’t be the same without Eman,� she adds. “She’s crazy, she’s wonderful and you can tell that she actually cares.�