Vietnam’s first belly dance festival in Hanoi last October was a huge hit, attracting both foreign and local dancers.
Since then, many belly dance groups have been set up as places for training and forums of exchange of skills of the sport-cum-dance.
Participating in “Oriental Dance” were South Korean Ara Hwang and his Hanoi-based group Bastet Douat and students of other local belly dance classes.
Ara, a dancer, instructor, and choreographer came to Vietnam in late 2006 and initially focused on salsa, an ebullient Latin dance originating in Puerto Rico and Cuba.
“I decided to set up Bastet Douat with five young Vietnamese women who are not professional dancers and train them in belly dancing,” he says.
“I faced difficulties in the beginning since the dance was considered a cheap form of amusement at that time rather than an art form.”
Foreigners are also signing up to train under Ara at Studio Apsara on Nghi Tam Street.
Maya, a young American dance lover, says, “I have attended Bastet Douat’s advanced belly dancing class for four months. I had practiced it in the US when I was 14. Ara Hwang is such a professional and passionate instructor.”
The group often holds exchanges with American belly dancers to compare notes on skills and style.
Phuong Lien and Huyen Trang, former Bastet Douat members, have now set up another group called ISIS - named after the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility - that offers basic and intermediate classes and specific courses for art agencies at Life Art Studio and The One Studio.
“Belly dancing has become popular in Hanoi due to the increasing interest among foreigners and tourists,” says Lien of ISIS.
“We can only accommodate 25 to 30 students per class but the demand is always overwhelming. We always have a long waiting list, including foreigners.”
Anesha, 30, an Indian, says, “I went to the belly dance class for just one month last year and had such a wonderful time. Belly dancing is such a great art to make people relaxed and confident. Lien is a good instructor.”
ISIS has now launched a contest on its website to design its logo.
Kevin Quan, 20, a skilled belly dancer, is also conducting classes in the capital.
Pranee, 40, a Thai woman who has been living in Hanoi since 2004, says, “The dance has brought me new adventures, energy, and relaxation. We are a group of eight people from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam who attend Kevin Quan’s belly dance class and we find it very interesting.”
Mon, a 40-year-old Lao woman, says: “I’ve been here six years with my husband who works for the Swedish embassy and I find belly dance fascinating. It makes people more dynamic.”
Quan says, “Public opinion about belly dancing in Hanoi is good though in the beginning people were hesitant since performers had to bare their belly. But it has gradually achieved acceptance, especially among people who wish to have a slender body.”
He adds that he would love to bring the dance down to Ho Chi Minh City later when the opportunity is ripe since the metro is likely to embrace a new art style.
Bastet Douat, ISIS, and Quan are hoping to popularize belly dancing as a lively and effective way to make people more beautiful and dynamic.
Reported by Vinh Bao
Since then, many belly dance groups have been set up as places for training and forums of exchange of skills of the sport-cum-dance.
Participating in “Oriental Dance” were South Korean Ara Hwang and his Hanoi-based group Bastet Douat and students of other local belly dance classes.
Ara, a dancer, instructor, and choreographer came to Vietnam in late 2006 and initially focused on salsa, an ebullient Latin dance originating in Puerto Rico and Cuba.
“I decided to set up Bastet Douat with five young Vietnamese women who are not professional dancers and train them in belly dancing,” he says.
“I faced difficulties in the beginning since the dance was considered a cheap form of amusement at that time rather than an art form.”
Foreigners are also signing up to train under Ara at Studio Apsara on Nghi Tam Street.
Maya, a young American dance lover, says, “I have attended Bastet Douat’s advanced belly dancing class for four months. I had practiced it in the US when I was 14. Ara Hwang is such a professional and passionate instructor.”
The group often holds exchanges with American belly dancers to compare notes on skills and style.
Phuong Lien and Huyen Trang, former Bastet Douat members, have now set up another group called ISIS - named after the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility - that offers basic and intermediate classes and specific courses for art agencies at Life Art Studio and The One Studio.
“Belly dancing has become popular in Hanoi due to the increasing interest among foreigners and tourists,” says Lien of ISIS.
“We can only accommodate 25 to 30 students per class but the demand is always overwhelming. We always have a long waiting list, including foreigners.”
Anesha, 30, an Indian, says, “I went to the belly dance class for just one month last year and had such a wonderful time. Belly dancing is such a great art to make people relaxed and confident. Lien is a good instructor.”
ISIS has now launched a contest on its website to design its logo.
Kevin Quan, 20, a skilled belly dancer, is also conducting classes in the capital.
Pranee, 40, a Thai woman who has been living in Hanoi since 2004, says, “The dance has brought me new adventures, energy, and relaxation. We are a group of eight people from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam who attend Kevin Quan’s belly dance class and we find it very interesting.”
Mon, a 40-year-old Lao woman, says: “I’ve been here six years with my husband who works for the Swedish embassy and I find belly dance fascinating. It makes people more dynamic.”
Quan says, “Public opinion about belly dancing in Hanoi is good though in the beginning people were hesitant since performers had to bare their belly. But it has gradually achieved acceptance, especially among people who wish to have a slender body.”
He adds that he would love to bring the dance down to Ho Chi Minh City later when the opportunity is ripe since the metro is likely to embrace a new art style.
Bastet Douat, ISIS, and Quan are hoping to popularize belly dancing as a lively and effective way to make people more beautiful and dynamic.
Reported by Vinh Bao
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