I was 60 when I started belly dancing and can now do things (and WILL keep getting better) that I couldn’t do at 40!! Thanks for all the good help in getting somewhere I’ve never been before!
I enjoyed this new chapter I’m entering into and I really feel privileged to be included among such accomplished and nurturing women. I must tell you, in the world of office cubicles, water fountain gossip sessions and coffee room cliques, groups of un-enlightened women can at times be very judgmental, competitive and sometimes very mean. In the time that I’ve been dancing in your classes, from the very beginning, I have never felt that way. Every single woman (and man; our Sammy) has been and has become a very extraordinary connection to me.
I want you to know that Belly Dance class has lifted me up again and again during one of the most transformational periods of my life. Although I am not always smiling in class… I am certainly smiling in my heart, from your wisdom, and brilliance! I have added belly dance to my classes and the students eat it up! Thank you!
Thanks for the great classes. It’s been a bit of a struggle for me (a few months ago I wasn’t even able to reliably walk up and down stairs) but it’s been a lot of fun. For the past five years I’ve pretty much been at war with my body, and belly dancing has been the first activity that’s allowed me to make some kind of peace–and your message of acceptance has been a big part of that. Can’t thank you enough!!!
Thank you so much for all your help!! I don’t think that there are enough words to thank you for introducing me to Middle Eastern dance, learning the dance and then performing the dance. It has been so good for my post partum depression (or lack thereof in my case). My husband is elated to have a happier wife. You are such an inspiration and light in our lives.
I wanted to write a note to tell you how much your classes have meant to me. At last, at this stage of my life (fifty this month), I’m finally feeling as though it is all right to do things for myself …Now, I can shimmy, sway and dance to my hearts content. It’s truly lovely to be told to move those hips! Taking your classes has also afforded me the privilege of meeting some of the most amazing, truly beautiful women. I have connected with some and have shared some tears, belly laughs, and great stories with a few. My partner is thrilled with how exhilarated I am when I come home after class … he says that I glow. What you do isn’t only teaching dance, you give me and so many others the opportunity of freedom on a multitude of levels. I will continue to dance as long as I am blessed with movement.
Thank you so much for your dance classes. I am so grateful to be a part of them. I really appreciate the emphasis you have placed on people getting to know each other in class. I think it has really made a difference during this session. My biggest obstacle is always self-confidence and fear of making mistakes. I feel like I am really making progress in those areas, having fun and being relaxed, thanks to your supportive teaching style… Thanks for sharing your gifts. They are appreciated more than I can say.
I can’t wait to continue what you’ve started for me … and to share it with my soon to be 14 year old daughter!
… class is always a blast, but it has been especially exciting to be putting sequences together, with variations and arm movements added. You do a great job slipping these things in casually, so that we don’t get intimidated and suddenly … we’re dancing!! I love it when you stand in front and dance and call moves and we just all follow along. It just really FLOWS!
I’m really enjoying the class and looking forward to next session. Obviously, I am not a natural at dancing but I thing the class is helping stimulate that part of my brain.
Thank you sooooooooo much for this class. I was pretty sore during Monday’s class which I expected considering I was only 13 days post having (a medical procedure) but the amazing this is that by Tuesday morning I was almost pain-free. Talk about great therapeutic results! Just doing the class with all of its wonderful physical, emotional, social, and spiritual connections is so very uplifting and healing. This class is such a gift for all of us.
Thank you so much for being so full of energy, so positive and reassuring, so generous with that energy, it is really quite catching! We appreciate what you do for us, both when it comes to exercise and rhythm, and when it comes to our spiritual growth!
In 8 years of taking CCV classes, this is the best class I’ve ever taken!
Thank you, Gina, for pouring so much of yourself into every class. It is a joy to come in every week to laugh and learn together, and to see everyone encouraging and accepting others. You lead the way with your warm manner and enthusiasm. Belly dance and self-expression = joy!
Well your classes are the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on!
I love your guidance and the personal, sensitive, caring way that you guide us in this magical dance.
Wow…I swear some days I have to pinch myself. 3 years ago I was going through such severe post partum depression that I wondered how I could go on. Every day was such a painful experience…and now 3 years later…well it’s like my inner soul came alive again since I met you and all the dancing that has come with it. You always say that we are changing people’s lives when we go on stage…..I am one of those people and now I get to share with others….what a blessing.
In a world where so many people and activities discriminate due to size, monetary worth, ability, age, skin color and for a variety of other reasons – this dance does not! None of these things matter when I walk in the door! Our class is the absolute best. Women of every shape, every size, various ages, backgrounds, professions, ethnicities, and abilities come together for an hour each week and we have a blast!! We laugh, we dance, we learn, we create and we find the wondrous dancing goddesses hidden within ourselves! For me, the beauty of belly-dance is that anyone can do it and have fun doing it!! When I signed up for this class I did so with two friends – but by the end of each class I feel as though I have a room full of girlfriends with whom I can laugh and giggle and have fun!! So much fun, in fact, I signed up early for the next session!! Thank you Gina, for bringing to the Upper Valley such a wonderful way for us to come together, I feel blessed to have been able to be a part of your class during this Winter session and I look forward to improving my skills in the Spring!!
I’m just grateful Gina. You have no idea! 2006 was a black hole for me, and finding your classes was the only thing that lit it up!! For that, I will ever be at your service. It still amazes me there even is a person of your caliber in the area.
I’ve been wanting to tell you how much I enjoy your class. There’s an easy, fun feeling there. I love the movements and the concentration that learning something new like this requires. Being three months post-partum, it feels good to work my belly and hips, loosen up (my body and mind), and develop a friendlier attitude toward my mama-body. Also, I think you are terrific! Your teaching methods and style, your enthusiasm and friendliness, and the spirituality you bring to the class make it great. Thank you so much for all of that.
I believe this class has helped me physically. Already I am noticing that my stomach is shrinking and my self-esteem is rising. I have also noticed that my flexibility has improved immensely; my back doesn’t bother me as much as it used to either, and both of these make me extremely happy….I am also amazed at how comfortable I feel in short sleeves; I have never felt so comfortable with my arms. I love my hip shimmy. In the end I am starting not to be so self-conscious about my body. In the end I would like to thank you for all that your class has done for me so far. I am starting to believe that I am a beautiful person both inside and out. It has taken me a long time to realize this. I am also happy that I am finally starting to feel healthy both spiritually and physically. I believe that I was meant to take this class and to meet you. You are a wonderful person and a great teacher.
Thanks so much for being an inspiration and so supportive.
The buzz around town is great – everyone loves the class. We want more classes! -Marybeth from Woodstock Recreation Center.
I have suffered with depression for years. I have walked the walk. I’ve been hospitalized for clinical depression. I have worked with various medications. I have done cognitive therapy for years. I tried progressive relaxation, and I worked with various art mediums. All of these therapies have helped me to live a fairly normal life, but learning Middle Eastern dance has added a whole new dimension to my life. I’m not sure where I’m going just yet, but I do know that I want to continue dancing. I haven’t enjoyed listing to music this much in years. I’m definitely being reunited with a “self” that I haven’t known for a long time. I’m basically very happy! Very, very happy! I feel fulfilled and enriched. Thank you, Gina, for sharing your passion with me!
Despite the fact that I still seem incapable of walking and chewing gum I’m having a great time ! I should have tried this years ago.