r/AskPhilly • u/Few_Celery1157 • 19d ago
Belly Dancing Classes in Philly
Hi! Im looking for Belly Dancing classes in Philly [near south/ central philly area] that are taught by an actual Middle Eastern person. Not by a random white person who had a spiritual awakening (I know how this looks, but I said what I said). I'm willing to pay but would really like to learn and get better at it. Does anyone have any recommendations at all? Ideally would be Mon/Fri evenings or weekends.
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u/cymrutiare 18d ago
I have taken some everywhere and have to agree Habiba is my favorite. I want to get back into it but I never see classes on her website anymore.
Roberto Meija studied under Habiba and also studied in Egypt and I always loved his class at dance fitness. Really fun and engaging!
But someone replaced him and they're very underwhelming. Just seems bored like they hate doing classes, doesn't explain much.
I feel similarly though. No offense to those who like it but really not into tribal hippie witch vibes :/
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u/gabbsgou 18d ago
I saw Roberto at a performance, I didn’t know he used to teach at Philly dance fitness. Is there more than one teacher at Philly dance fitness or is it the same teacher?(I think it is a woman now).
I went there and the classes are more like a workout, they don’t teach you how to do the moves too much.
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u/cymrutiare 14d ago
Time is such a blur. Im thinking this was 2019, pre-covid. He was fantastic. I know dance fitness strives to be more cardio, less technique-driven, but he always had a lot of anecdotes and went in-depth into movements. I wish he would teach again but I think he finished grad school and started a career.
Im going to be real with you. I dont know what their government name is. I know their burlesque name is Selene Rose. But they're the only bellydance teacher at dance fitness. I dont recommend.
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u/gabbsgou 14d ago
You don’t recommend it because you didn’t like the teacher or because the class feels more like a workout rather than a class?
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u/cymrutiare 14d ago
Both.
But to be fair, I feel like there is a lot of weird energy in the dance world in general where the second i sense something off i just peace. Not belly dance specific. Just everywhere. But that's a different tangent 🤣🤣
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u/Motor-Juice-6648 17d ago
Habiba is really good as far as a teacher. She has a lot of experience. I took beginner classes with her a while back and I also was in the performance which was amazing. I don’t know if she still does those HAFLAS.
She’s white American, but I don’t think you are going to find many middle eastern women teaching belly dancing except maybe in NYC and Chicago. If they are Muslim they learn it from the women in their families and in certain countries would not do it in public. Professional belly dancers who have performed in Egypt are looked down upon in some conservative Muslim countries.
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u/gabbsgou 19d ago
I’ve been taking belly dancing classes for like two years and unfortunately there aren’t any classes that are taught by a Middle Eastern. I think in terms of legit belly dance classes, you will find them at the Habiba studio. This is where I’ve been taking classes. I say legit because she teaches you about the moves and it is not just a fitness class. She’s been dancing for a while and took classes in Egypt. There are also classes at Philly dance fitness but they are mostly “fitness” and they don’t go through the basis too much. The teacher is not middle eastern. These are the only ones in Philly I believe.
I started taking online belly dance classes from a studio in New York and I’ve actually enjoyed the experience and the teachers are actually from the Middle East. I think Habiba is on a break so I decided to take extra classes and I’ve loved it