FAQ's

What Do We Teach?

Anahita Belly dance teaches a fusion style belly dance. We believe Egyptian Cabaret is the basis for most genre's of Belly Dance. We begin by teaching the basics of Egyptian Cabaret and move into a variety of different styles from American Tribal, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Moroccan and variety of other world dance.

What Are Class Fees?

The cost is $5 for our current students and $7 for drop ins. You may choose to pay monthly. The cost is $20 per month.

What Do I Wear to Class?

Our students wear a variety of things. A shirt, short top, leotard or choli; workout pants, loose skirt or full pantaloons; hip scarf; hair up (beneficial to see your posture); and bare feet. Feel free to come in a full costume. Full costuming is fun and feels fabulous, but is optional. Please be comfortable.

Class Etiquette

Please...
~Show up to class on time, the warm up is important to strengthen and to help develop your muscles.
~Turn your cell phone off!!
~Be supportive of your classmates!

One of the most rewarding aspects of this dance is the camaraderie that develops between dancers from working so closely together to reach there goals.  If a newer member is struggling it is okay to try and help them out; it will help you understand the movements. Each dancer learns to communicate through body language and becomes mentally aware of there body at all times.

Where is The Red Door?

Spring4th Center is located at 726 Spring St, Atlanta Ga 30308 near Georgia Tech. It is in between 3rd and 4th streets on Spring Street right next to the Arby's. It is the buillding with 'The Red Door.' You may park at the Arby's but only in the spots marked '728.'

Will Belly Dance help me loose weight?

Like any form of exercise it depends on how often you practice. One class a week could help you get a bit of tone in your muscles but it won't help you burn many calories. If you dedicate time to practicing during the week you will burn calories and you will be more prepared for class next week!

I have never taken Belly Dance before, I am worried that I will not be able to catch on?

Marisa and April have been teaching together since 2000. During that time they have taken on many students. Some have taken bellydance for a few classes while and think of it as nothing more than a fun class they once took, others have stayed with them for many years. Very few of them had ever studied bellydance before. Don't worry that you are going to feel awkward in class, belly dance is a hard but fun excorsie. You are there with a whole room full of people that are going through the same thing as you. As you develop you skill, you will learns to communicate through body language and becomes mentally aware of there body at all times.

I have been studying bellydance for awhile, can I still attend your classes?

We teach our class a bit differently than a traditional Belly Dance class. We believe drills help build muscle memory then we slowly start to layer different movements on top of ones you already know!! We don't have standard sessions so drop ins are always welcome. Our intro class starts with the basics of Egyptian Cabaret. Our instructors are well versed in a variety of different types of Belly Dance styles. Our classes are geared towards the Intro to Intermediate levels.

Isn't Belly Dancing like stripping?

The association between bellydance and stripping comes from the fact that in 1893 Algerian dancers (who did not bare their midriff) performed at the World's Fair with a flexibility that was shocking to Victorian America whose women walked stiffly around in corsets. It was so scandalous that vaudeville owners added "hoochy koochy" dancers to their shows, cashing in on the scandal. These dancers were rarely, if ever, from the Middle East or knew anything of the dance form. As America grew more liberal the dancers had to go farther to shock in order to pull in the crowds. This was the birth of the modern burlesque dancer or stripper, being called "burlesque" dancers because of there inclusion in burlesque variety shows.

Isn't Belly Dancing used as a dance of seduction?

Belly Dance was originally a fertility ritural. Today, in the Middle East, women mostly dance for other women--for their friends, neighbors, aunts, mothers, and cousins. They use it to celebrate happy family occasions such as weddings and even today in some parts of the Middle East the men's celebrations are in a separate room from those of the women. For more information on this topic please see our A Brief History of Bellydance page.