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What is the origin of bellydance? Sera Solstice, New York City-based star of Tribal Fusion belly dance, creator of Goddess Dance - Prenatal Belly Dance & Meditation, and a mother of two, believes without a doubt that this amazing dance form has its roots in ancient women’s rituals related to fertility and childbirth.
Belly dance naturally drops our center of awareness into the cradle of our hips, helps us embrace our sensuality and sexuality, and ultimately brings us to love our bodies as they are. Practicing belly dance through pregnancy can have a therapeutic effect on body and mind, improve abdominal control, and relieve tension and discomfort. Belly dance is based on movements that come naturally to women during pregnancy and childbirth. Not only does it feel good, you know this is exactly what your body wants to do.
In Goddess Dance, Sera Solstice guides you through the basics of belly dance presented in short dance combinations. You will be inspired by the beauty of the flowing, organic movement that you will learn. Having practiced and performed belly dancing through both her pregnancies, Sera has selected moves that are gentle, energizing, and healing for women in all stages of pregnancy, including post-partum. Sera demonstrates the movements for the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, while her dancer assistants - Jessica and Megan - show the movements for early pregnancy and post-partum.
Sera’s program teaches dance technique for pregnancy, offering the detailed explanation of bellydance moves, which groups of muscles to activate, and how to integrate the birthing and root muscles into your dance. Sera starts with a gentle warmup, stretch, and muscle conditioning workout, and goes on to demonstrate and explain step-by-step groups of belly dance movements, such as lower and upper body circular, undulating and infinity-loop moves, and gentle percussive hipwork.
She teaches dance combinations that come together into a hypnotic, graceful, and energizing dance, practiced in a special dance-along section.
The Meditation section of Sera’s program addresses the emotional and experiential aspects of pregnancy and birth. Sera guides you through two movement meditation sessions helping you to connect on a deeper level to the physical experience of pregnancy and your baby. This meditation will also support confidence in your body, and help you to prepare emotionally and mentally for the experience of giving birth. One of the sessions is designed for the onset of labor. It assists you in establishing full trust in your body and descending deep into your physical self to discover and nourish your strength, relax your mind and body, and allow the birth to happen.