Belly Dance – Transcript

It’s just what the doctor prescribed for Norma Mason Norma is 92 years young and has been belly dancing since she was in her eighties.

Norma Mason:

“My family approve, but my friends thought that I has a screw loose! At my age – I was in my eighties when I started belly dancing and they thought, that’s.”

Norma took a break from belly dancing a few years ago, but her doctor urged her to pick the class up again. The exercise is great for Norma because it keeps her limber and active.

Norma’s a part of Tuesday’s afternoon class at the Stepping Stone Center.

In the olden days, some Arabic tribes would use this dance to pay homage to the goddess of fertility. Today the women in this class use belly dance to help with diseases like osteoporosis and fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia causes chronic muscle pain and fatigue.

According to an article by a professional belly dancer, the graceful hip drops and pivots help make use of muscle groups in the abdomen, pelvis, trunk, spine and neck.

Camille Wallace is the current coordinator for the class. She has fibromyalgia.

Camille Wallace:

“The fluidity of movement, I think is what really works for belly dancing because the pain level doesn’t increase. It’s because you’re moving from one activity to another.”

Anna Ferensowicz:

“Belly dancing is a great way to stay young and vibrant. And, as these ladies have shown us, there’s no age limit to fun! For STU Journalism, I’m Anna Ferensowicz.”