The Belly Dance
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Katia | Fred |
Katia: OK.
Todd: So, first can you explain where your dance school is and what it is?
Fred: OK, Todd. Well, we have a school that's called International School of Dance, where we teach belly dance and Latin American dance, which mainly consists of Salsa, merengue, bachata, and it is located in Beppu, Japan.
Todd: So, when did you think of this idea for...?
Katia: We thought about it maybe a month, a month ago. Not long ago. Right the next day, or right away, Fred was already working on everything, so we just gave some e-mails, were doing this, and what about this, and so everything he started right away and we actually had an integration for the school maybe almost three weeks ago, and since we opened the following day we already are teaching.
Todd: Already.
Fred: So, we have something close to twenty students in three weeks of the school opening.
Todd: That's pretty fast.
Fred: Yeah. It is very, very fast.
Katia: Yes. I think we are surprised.
Todd: So, why did you choose those two dances: belly dance, right, and salsa?
Katia: I think mainly because this is what people are interested in right now and it's something that a lot of people can learn and it's popular and of course I can teach this kind of dance so of course.
Todd: So, you're saying that belly dance is popular?
Katia: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
Todd: I had no idea.
Katia: It's very popular, and especially around women. It's something that gives a certain feeling to the woman so it's of course you workout. You use your body movements, but also there's a special feeling about doing belly dance so it's popular.
Todd: Could you kind of explain a little bit more? Like, what do you mean it has a special feeling? Like, this dance has special... I don't know, uses special muscles or...
Katia: No, not exactly like that. Of course the music has to do a lot with it. When you hear a Latin music, you feel different and you move different. When you hear Oriental music, then you have completely a different postureand for example, as a woman, you will tend to take a different posture. Your body will be different depending on the music. With belly dance, your body posture is very different, that for somehow, some reason... and maybe because of the history of belly dance, it's very related to femininity, being feminine and dancing.
a certain feeling
It's gives a certain feeling.
A 'certain feeling' is similar in meaning to a special feeling. Notice the following:
- I get a certain feeling when I visit my home town.
- People get a certain feeling when they hear songs from the past.
belly dance
There's a special feeling about belly dance.
'Belly dance' is popular in Middle-Eastern countries. The dancers move their stomach and hips around to the music. Notice the following:
- Belly dance would be fun to learn.
- There was a belly dancer at the Egyptian restaurant last night.
a different posture
Completely different posture.
'Posture' is how we position our body when we sit or stand. Notice the following:
- He has poor posture.
- Good posture is important.
depending on the music
It's different depending on the music.
We move our body in different ways for different kinds of music. We say 'depending on' the music. Notice the following:
- I like to dance, depending on the music.
- Depending on the music, it's a great club.
related to femininity
It's very related to femininity.
The word 'femininity' is used to describe qualities that we traditionally associate with women such as beauty, pink color, etc. Notice the following:
- What we call femininity varies from culture to culture.
- Maintaining an image of femininity is not so important in the
West.
Vocabulary Quiz
depending on • femininity
