I joined Hannan's Belly Dance Studio in Sept 2010. When I joined I weighed 200lbs. With two belly dancing classes a week, a "clean" diet, and some regular weight lifting workouts at a gym, I had lost 80lbs by the June Student Gala performance of 2011!
I started out just wanting to have some fun and get some healthy exercise as part of my weight loss journey. I got that, and a whole lot more! The teachers always make the classes so enjoyable! No matter what else is going on in my life, as soon as class starts it all goes away, and I start to smile and laugh. I catch the eyes of my fellow students in the mirror and we all can't help but giggle with each other. The music and the style of movement is so much fun that I totally forget that it's actually "exercise" and good for me!
The owner of the studio, Nada El Masriya is Egyptian, trained by the Reda Troupe, and all of her instructors are highly trained with multiple and exacting qualifications, so I know that I am getting the very best of authentic Egyptian dance training in both "Oriental" and "Folkloric" style dance at this studio. A lot of students join for the fun and exercise, but for those who develop more serious goals, the teachers at this studio can take you as far as you want to go in the professional level.
They have a student troupe and a professional troupe, they have professional dancers for hire at special events like weddings, birthdays, and bachelorettes, they have Student Galas (a chance for students to perform on stage twice a year), Haflas (belly dance parties with live Arabic musicians and performances at the studio for dancers, friends, and family, they offer specialty workshops, and they even bring in amazing teachers such as the famous Egyptian Randa Kamel!
The management staff is highly organized and professional, keeping everything ticking over smoothly. The atmosphere is always friendly, caring, and positive. I never fail to walk in the doors and feel welcomed, safe and warm. After two years, it's almost like family - in a really, really good way!
I can't recommend Hannan's Belly Dance Studio (Soon to be renamed "The Egyptian Dance Academy") highly enough! Go! Take a free class! You will be hooked immediately! And then there are all the shiny, sparkly hip scarves and pretty costumes for sale at the studio. I swear they are breeding in my closets like rabbits! Oh, look, there's another one I MUST HAVE!
Hannan's Belly Dance Studio? Fun! Fun! Fun! This is "My Happy Place". One class, and it will be yours too! read more