Essence of Bellydance

"It's important that you do something small for your dream every day. So it will always be on your mind and your plans can grow."

Interview from April 7th 2018.

I was born in Berlin in 1975. After I finished school I studied fashion technologies and worked in different companies in Hamburg and Munich. I stopped working in the fashion industry, when I became a mother of two wonderful daughters (now 8 and 11 years old). I decided to start a new career and trained to be a dance teacher.

How did you come in touch with Bellydance and what does it give you?

I started with Bellydance when I was 16 years old. It was a lucky coincidence. A friend brought me a booklet from the Folk high school. And I was surprised how many things you can learn without spending a lot of money. It opened a new dimension for me. I always loved to dance and I wanted to learn a dance style that I never saw before, so I chose Bellydance. I had no idea what it looked like, I was just curios. And then I fell in love with Bellydance immediately in the first lesson, although the teacher was not extremely inspiring and the music sounded a little bit weird for me. But it still touched me in a special way. After all these years I think it helped me to develop myself as a woman. I always loved to be a women and Bellydance supported me when I was on my way from being a girl to becoming a woman.

In all my different ages Bellydance gave me different things. I not only discovered what it means to be a woman. In my early twenties I danced together with a group and as a solo dancer on parties and small events. In this time Bellydance gave me self-confidence, I was proud to be on stage, to wear beautiful costumes and to be interesting. I also loved to be together with different women, a dentist, a housewife, students… we all had different backgrounds and were of different age. I learned a lot from them.

In my thirties it helped me to learn more about my body, and to feel the power of my pelvis. And now in my forties all things are coming together ;-)

You are an expert on Bellydance and fitness in pregnancy and after birth. How did that happen?

Before I got pregnant I worked in the fashion industry and I worked a lot. I didn't give my body enough attention and unfortunately I didn't spent a lot of time dancing. But when I got pregnant it was like an awakening. I felt my body, my strong hips and pelvis. Everything I learned in my Bellydance lessons started to make a new sense now. I remember standing in front of my big mirror and feeling impressed and lucky about everything I already knew about my body: how to move my hips, how to control my muscles and my pelvic floor.

I realized how far away this knowledge was for the other women in Germany, which also worked a lot but didn't have the same Bellydance experience as I had. I felt this big advantage, I felt happy and grateful. I had instantly the urge to open a window and to tell everyone on the street how great Bellydance is for the body and especially in this special time in life. So I started thinking about offering lessons for pregnant women. So I would have the possibility to tell and show them the benefits and share all my knowledge.

Why and how did you decide to make dancing your career?

So my body experience during my first pregnancy was one big reason. The other reason was, that I always had the dream to have two educations. The fashion industry was very stressful and my last employer was not very cooperative regarding part time working when my daughters where born. And so I decided this is the perfect time to learn something new. To become a dance teacher was my first choice, because I started again with dancing after my first daughter was born and I never wanted to miss it again, I wanted to dance more. And to be honest I thought I cannot have a child, work and dance more, that´s too much, but when my work is dancing, dance will become a new priority and legitimation in my life.

By coincidence I met a dancing teacher in a mama-child-dancing lesson and I really liked her lesson and the way she taught. I talked with her about her education and decided to go the same way.

How did you start and what were the important milestones/turning points in your dance journey?

I started little by little. First I obtained the 1,5 year education in the “Freies Musikzentrum” in Munich to become a dancing teacher for modern creative dance. At this time I didn't know the ESSENCE OF BELLYDANCE™ Teacher Training. I met interesting people and it was the perfect moment to do something for myself and not “only” to be a mother. For me it was important to have an education and not to start without background.

One day after I finished the education I started with my first Bellydance class. I booked a room and hung flyer on trees to find people for my class and it worked. I started with five wonderful women. At first I offered a small package with six lessons and after these lessons all of them wanted to continue. I was very proud. A few moths later I booked a more beautiful room in a professional dance studio and opened a new class. When I felt more confident as a teacher I contacted to an organization called “FABI-München” which offers workshops for parents and babies. They were very open and I could offer my Bellydance classes for pregnant women and for women after birth. The next step was my training with Mama-Workout in order to learn more about special exercises and for more theoretical knowledge. I read a lot of books, but it is so useful to talk to and meet people in trainings.

Finally I offered six classes: Bellydance for beginners and advanced, Bellydance for pregnant women and after birth, and Mama-WORKOUT pre- and postnatal. Additionally I organized every six months a small event, a hafla for my dancers where they had the opportunity to dance for their families and friends. I also started to work in the office for the dance studio where I rented the rooms for my classes. I have built this in two and a half years and then I followed my husband to Mexico and left my classes behind. Although I have been very happy in Mexico from the beginning, I missed my dancers and regular dancing.

Already a few years ago I discovered and bought Cocos Sensuous Dance Workout (and therefore also Coco). I was immediately impressed by Coco, because she has taken away the kitsch from Bellydance, without taking away the beauty and sensuality. Therefore, I had thought about participating in Coco's teacher training for some time, but I thought that I could not integrate it into my daily life, with two small children. But now was the perfect time. Through the teacher training, I became part of a location-independent dancer community, had my well-structured training plan and felt quickly complete again. Now I am very proud of myself because I started being a Bellydance teacher again in Mexico.

I give two Bellydance classes and two classes for pregnant women per week now. I also found a great teacher, Andrea Puron, she is young, open-minded, with many ideas and I love her Latin-Bellydance-style. And I really enjoy to learn from her and to spend time with her.

What was the best moment in your dance life so far?

On the one hand there many small moments which are valuable for me. For example that the dancers stay in my classes and come regularly every week and tell me about their changes concerning the better relationship to their bodies. That women become friends in my classes. That two of my advanced dancers made the same education I did, when I left Germany, that I helped them to make dancing a part of their lives. And many more moments…

One big moment was the ESSENCE OF BELLYDANCE teacher training for me, because of many different reasons. It was great to meet Coco in person, to experience the clearness of the ESSENCE OF BELLYDANCE™ Method, the holistic way inspired me and since then I also changed a lot of things in my private life.

Is there something you regret?

I regret that I stopped to take Bellydance classes for a few years when I started to work. That I didn't find a way to balance my work life better. But one of my teachers from the “Freies Musikzentrum” told me: “you are always a dancer, even when you stop to dance for maybe twenty years. You will be always a dancer in your heart.” This was the sentence I needed. I feel that I am a dancer with all of my heart, even if I am not perfect or even if there are times I find not enough space for myself to dance.

What 3 tips would you like to share with women who want to pursue a similar dream?

1. Do it! Do it for yourself and not for the others.

2. Start with small steps. Maybe you are also a mother, or you are working a lot and you will not have a lot of time. But it is still possible. Start with reading books, or short workshops, maybe you can get in contact with other people there. Important is, that you do something small every day for your dream. So it will be always in your mind and your plans can grow.

3. Don´t compare yourself to others. I really often thought (or sometimes think ;-)) that it was not a brilliant idea to become a dancing teacher in the middle of my thirties, or that I don´t dance good enough, or that I am a good teacher but I don’t feel really comfortable on stage… but my experience shows me that exactly my weakest points are what inspires others the most, so they see that they can also do it or that they don’t have to be perfect either. I found this sentence on a direction sign when I was in the mountains: “In the forest it would be very quiet if only the nightingale would sing.” And this is exactly how I feel. Maybe I am not a nightingale, but I bring all my love, passion and personality. So when I can do it, you can also do it!

You have lived and worked in Munich and now Mexico, what is the difference in belly dancing and teaching and your life?

The difference in the life is that the people in Mexico are so warm-hearted, helpful and friendly. And the sunny weather! We have sunshine nearly every day. That made it easy to have a good start in this country. Even if there were still a lot of difficulties. But we felt comfortable and happy from the first moment. The daily life is different. In Munich we lived in the city center and I could do everything with my bicycle or by walking. In Mexico I have to drive the car and so shopping and meetings are more complicated. And because of the security situation my daughters are not as independent as they were in Germany. But we live in a beautiful area, and they can play outside, we have a great neighborhood, the school is brilliant and we really enjoy our time in Mexico.

I think the Bellydance in Mexico is more sexy and feminine, because of the Latin dance influences. They dance more for other people than for themselves, it is very expressive. And the Bellydancers from the USA are playing a bigger role than in Germany.

For me as a teacher the difference is, that even the beginners are good dancers and are able to move their hips. That seems to be more difficult for the European women. The Mexicans are not so shy, they love to express themselves with dancing and they are not so afraid to feel sexy. They often have a more open, curios personality and they love to connect with other people. Another difference in teaching is, that my Spanish is not fluent. So I don´t talk as much as in a German dancing lesson. That’s sometimes difficult, but it is also a great challenge for me.

How does a day in your life look like?

I start my day with a short meditation and a short workout in my bed (inspired by Coco's bed workout). After I brought my girls to school I give or I take dance lessons. Three times of the week I have the opportunity to take lessons (Bellydance, Ballet and Hiit-Dance at the moment) and two times of the week I give my classes. Then I have my Spanish classes two times per week in a nice Café or I do the shopping, prepare my classes, do my Spanish homework, write emails, read and cook.

In the afternoon at half past two I have to pick up my girls from school. And spend time with them, with their homework, bring them to their dancing lessons or they meet with friends. A very normal life. Once per week my husband and I are taking cumbia and salsa lessons and once per week we go out for dinner without the girls. Normally we go to bed very early, because our day starts at five a.m.

What are the 3 books that shaped your life?

I love to read and it is difficult to answer this question. But I will recommend three “beginner” books which helped me to start and explore in different life areas:
1. Orientalischer Tanzunterricht Band 1, Didaktik, Methodik und Organisation by Miriam Missura Marzetta – I read this book during my first dance education and it helped me to organise my first class.

2. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston – it helped me to start to let go of things and to tidy up my mind.

3. Kochen nach Ayurveda by Dr. Karin Pirc and Wilhelm Kempe – it is easy to understand, nice recipes and a good start when you are interested in Ayurveda.

What is your vision for the future?

My vision for the future is to have a place for myself and my ideas. Maybe a dancing studio. I would love to create a space where people can meet and offer classes, show paintings, photos and ideas. I want to explore more of the benefits of Bellydance for pregnant woman, after birth and also for older women.

Thank you so much for the interview Wiebke! You are an inspiration.

Do you love to dance and want to inspire other women? Then join our international community of excellent dance teachers and start teaching your own ESSENCE OF BELLYDANCE™ classes. You can do it!