Doum Tek
Left to right: Christina Baker, Lisa Hendrickson, Alice Ecker, founder Arielle Juliette, Kathy McCambridge, Victoria Thomas and Jen Heinle.
At Dance Life Studio and Fitness, belly dancing is a family affair.
Kathy McCambridge, aka “Mama K,” was drawn to the Middle Eastern dance form after seeing a troupe perform in a variety show 11 years ago. She urged her daughter, Arielle Juliette, to take belly dancing lessons with her. The mother and daughter began studying in Madison with longtime dancer/choreographer Mona N’wal. In 2010, Juliette decided to open her own studio, with encouragement and financial support from family friend Uri Fried.
The studio is tucked into a west-side neighborhood near a Baptist ministry and a hair braiding salon. At a recent belly dance fundamentals class, McCambridge warms up the students before Juliette teaches the class.
Students come in many ages, shapes and sizes. They wear sheer scarves around their hips adorned with sparkly coins that jingle, accentuating their pelvic movements. Juliette also sports a ruffled, tiered triangle of plumage that shakes behind her. Though the focus of this class is on fitness and fun, the dancers work studiously on the complex layering of movements required in belly dance, often keeping arms and upper body still and regal while abdomens circle and swivel.
The studio’s instructors and students are gearing up for Shimmy in the Grain, July 31-Aug. 2, which features three days of dance workshops and performances. It’s the fifth year in a row the studio has sponsored the event, which highlights the art of belly dancing and myriad other dance forms from ballet to African dance.
It is also about spreading the gospel: This year’s theme is “Try something new.” Workshops are open to all levels of dancers, and registration is flexible; attendees can opt for any combination of workshops or performances
Juliette says she’s most looking forward to Sunday’s show, which features amateurs as well as pros: “I love that you don’t need to be a professional dancer to get up on that stage and share the joy.”
Juliette is an accomplished belly dancer, who takes seriously the idea that dance can be liberating. At her studio, she strives to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. This mission comes from a very personal place: “Like many women, I had sexual abuse in my past,” she says, adding that when she began belly dancing at age 17 she could barely look at herself in the studio mirrors. “I just hated myself, and a lot of teenage girls feel the same way.”
Dancing helped her get back in touch with a body that she didn’t feel was her own. “Everyone had taken what they wanted, and there was nothing left for me, but belly dance gave me a way to positively relate to my body again,” says Juliette.
Juliette is schooled in the different forms and subgenres of belly dance. She is able to explain the permutations of Egyptian, Turkish, American Cabaret, American Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion belly dance and their sister dance, Khaleegy. And she’s passionate about dispelling misconceptions about belly dancing: “People often equate it with stripping and consider it a very sexual dance.”
She also believes some people are threatened by women who are comfortable in their bodies, despite the many ways dancing is sexualized in our culture. “When I see Latin ballroom dance, two people are all over each other, and that is way more sexual than an undulation, which people don’t seem to be able to handle,” she says, popping up to demonstrate a smooth roll of her pelvis.
Undulations are par for the course at Dance Life, which, in addition to hosting many levels and styles of belly dance, also teaches classes in Bollywood and burlesque in addition to zumba, Pilates and yoga.
Initially skeptical, Leane Tyska tested the waters with a Groupon-discounted class punch card, trying a Bhangra (Indian pop dance) class. “I was so surprised by how good the instruction was, what a good workout it was and how absolutely fun it was. I’m excited to try the Bollywood class as well as traditional belly dancing,” says Tyska.
The post-recession timing of the opening wasn’t ideal, but the studio has succeeded financially and in its greater mission. When observing classes it’s evident that students of all shapes and skill levels have found a safe space to enjoy moving their bodies.
Says Juliette: “For somebody to say ‘this place has changed my life’ means so much to me.”
Shimmy in the Grain
Workshops: July 31-Aug. 2 at Dance Life Studio and Fitness
Everything from “Hip-hop moves you can actually use” to “Balkan rebranded.”
Performances: Aug. 1 and 2 at Middleton Performing Arts Center (2100 Bristol St., Middleton) Professional and amateur dancers performing African, Bollywood, tribal fusion, flamenco and belly dancing.
Complete information is available at shimmyinthegrain.com.
