Dance happy

Belly dancing is an art form that mystifies much of Western culture, with its deep Arabic roots and alluring motions. Campus Rec currently offers ShimmyPhat Fitness, a weekly class where students interested in belly dancing can learn from a certified fitness instructor who has developed her own innovative dance style.

The workout combines belly dance moves with other feminine dance forms to maximize fat burning and body toning, according to the Campus Rec website. Shara English, the instructor and creator of ShimmyPhat, said the class aims to embrace women of all body types, not just the slender form typically associated with female beauty.

“Basically, as a belly dancer, you have to have some adipose tissue, you know, a bit of fat to shimmy and to shake,” English said. “In Arabic culture, it’s very respected to have a curvy body. I realized shimmy and fat together, spelled p-h-a-t, sounds pretty cool.”

English, who has worked as an advertising professional, taught the class in North Carolina starting in 2005 before moving to Portland for a job. She said the power of advertising, such as Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” made her realize she could advocate for positivity among women of all body shapes and sizes.

“I realized that I could do something on a large scale that can help women have a different body type that’s promoted in fitness, beyond just the hardcore-cut abs, Jillian Michaels body,” she said. “There’s something powerful about a woman who is truly confident.”

During this Tuesday’s class, eight women attended the session, most of them for the first time. Postbac student April Mullen said she’s taken classes before from English, and that ShimmyPhat sounded interesting.

 “I expect it’ll be a lot of fun,” Mullen said before the class. “Shara’s a fun and positive teacher—she does a good job of breaking movements down, and encourages her students to feel good about themselves.”

Afterward, Mullen said she will “definitely try to make it to her class again.”

About 10 students typically attend the free ShimmyPhat class on campus each Tuesday, and English said as many as 20 students have participated in a session. Alison Smith, senior, said this Tuesday’s class was the second she has attended and that she wants to continue taking ShimmyPhat with English.

“It’s a lot of fun to be in the class,” Smith said. “I’ve taken belly dancing classes before, and Shara’s great.”

Signe Spencer, a senior who took the class for the first time Tuesday, said she felt the class focuses more on holistic well-being rather than just physical health, and added praise for the instructor.

“It is impossible to ignore her positive attitude and vibrant energy,” Spencer said. “It is very obvious that she is passionate about belly dancing as a means to achieve mental and spiritual clarity along with physical fitness.”

ShimmyPhat classes take place in a general-purpose room with a mirrored wall for students to watch themselves perform the motions while English instructs them. Students are encouraged to expose their bellies during the lesson if they are comfortable with it, since many of the moves focus on hip and abdominal motions, but she said it is not required.

“There’s an Arabic saying that says that a woman without a belly is like a night sky without stars,” English said. “Isn’t that awesome?”

About Shara
Shara English is a choreographer, performer and instructor of multiple dance forms, including her own creations of ShimmyPhat and Sambali. Check out her YouTube channel and website for more information about her classes and professional performances.
www.youtube.com/user/dhushara
www.sambali.com/

Shara English is a choreographer, performer and instructor of multiple dance forms, including her own creations of ShimmyPhat and Sambali. Check out her YouTube channel and website for more information about her classes and professional performances.
www.youtube.com/user/dhushara
www.sambali.com/