Kaleila and Baby Brett, two weeks old, 2008

While I was pregnant with my first child in 2007, I did ALOT of research into bellydancing and pregnancy, particularly because I wanted to know what was safe and not safe for me to do. I definitely wanted to stay fit during my pregnancy and if possible, continue bellydancing. Was it safe? Were there certain belly dance moves that were off-limits for me now?

I was concerned about doing anything that would harm the baby and injure myself in the long-run, even though I had been a bellydancer for nine years, a collegiate athlete and experienced in yoga and martial arts.

Being a diligent researcher, I was determined to collect ALL the material I could find on bellydancing while pregnant! I spent days doing Google searches and eventually printed out ALL the articles on pregnancy and bellydancing from the web, then I bought ALL the videos and ALL the books I could find on the market.

So...to save you some time, I've compiled my research here with a valid link going to each entry. (If I have missed anything, by all means, please email me and I'd be happy to add or correct the link)

Happy pregnancy and happy dancing!

:-) Kaleila

 

Links to sections below:

Articles    Books    Classes    TV Newsclips    Videos    Other

 

Videos

Instructional Videos:

 

Amira's Bellydance & Yoga for Pregnancy

This video includes a live prenatal bellydance class, interviews with health professionals, interviews with bellydancing mothers and two performances.

 

Bellydancing During Pregnancy

Made in Germany in the 1996, this has a lot of great historical, medical and dance info. It includes several performances as well as a real-time class with four pregnant women to go over the moves.

Review by Delilah

 

Bellydance Prenatal Fitness and Instruction Dance Program

Done by New York dancer Naia in 2006, this is a great, short, gentle 30-minute prenatal bellydance workout.

Review by Cathy Moore, In the Belly of the Goddess

Review by Gilded Serpent

Review by Shira

 

 

Performance Videos:

Dance to the Great Mother

Done by Delilah in the mid-1980's, this is a beautiful performance video!

Review by Gaby Oeftering

Review by Mara Makeda

Review by Shira

Bellydance Baby! A Prenatal Bellydance Performance Video

My video! Filmed in early 2008, this video features four dances with different props, tribal costuming and some of the most popular tribal music from Solace and Raquy and the Cavemen.

Review by Gilded Serpent

Books

Dance of the Womb

Written by Maha Al Musa, a bellydancer in Australia. This is a wonderful book that gives historical background, personal experiences, appropriate warm-ups and bellydance exercises with lots of pictures.

 

Grandmother's Secrets:
The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing

Written by by Rosina-Fawzia B. Al-Rawi, who grew up iin Baghdad and recounts stories of her childhood while exploring connection between the dance and spirituality.

Review by Shira

Review by Morbid Outlook

 

Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World

Wrttien by Wendy Buonaventura, this is a great book for its historical info and beautiful old photographs and paintings.

Review by Shira

 

Television (newsclips)

ABC News
Belly-Dancing Delivery

ABC / Good Morning America
Hips Don't Lie in Belly-Dancing Births

Fox
Pre-Natal Bellydancing Grows in Popularity

 

 

Articles
(As some of these articles were written by dancers that often go by a single name, all articles are listed in alphabetical order by author's first name)

Amita Graham
Azar Dance Company
The Dance of Life

Anita-Cristina Calcaterra
The Goddess Dancing
The Dance of Birth

Aziza Sa'id
Belly Dancing and Labor

Aziza Sa'id
Costuming for Pregnant Dancers and New Moms

Aziza Sa'id
Dancing After the Baby is Born

Aziza Sa'id
Dancing and the Baby

Aziza Sa'id
Dancing While Pregnant

Aziza Sa'id
Safe Dancing While Pregnant

Aziza Sa'id
Stretch Marks

Aziza Sa'id
What To Do if You Can't Dance

Barbara Atkinson
ePregnancy
Belly Dancing

Barbara Brandt and Gigi Groth Devitt
The Goddess Dancing
Belly Dancing as the Dance of Childbirth

Bellydance for Life
Dance through Pregnancy

Bellydance Forum
Belly Dancing When Pregnant?

Carma Haley Shoemaker
Pregnancy Today
Move That Belly! Bellydancing During Pregnancy

Cathy Moore, CNM
In the Belly of the Goddess
Belly Dance for Pregnancy and Birth

Cathy Moore, CNM
In the Belly of the Goddess
Belly Dance for Prenatal Fitness and Childbirth Preparation

Clare Leschin-Hoar
In the Belly of the Goddess
Gyrate Through Your Pregnancy - Try Belly Dancing!

Delilah
Belly Dancing as Birth Dance: A Labor of Love

Delilah
Belly Dancing: Dance of the Great Mothers

Delilah
Chronicles of the Great Mother

Delilah
Important Belly Dance Video for our Future

Ekaterina Dance Studio
Bellydancing is Great for Pregnant Women

Elisabeth Salemme
Time Magazine
Not Your Mom's Lamaze Class

Emily Bregel
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Belly Benefits: Ancient Folk Dance Helps Expectant Mothers

Helen (UK)
Goddess Dance
Bellydance andPregnancy

Henny Sheahan
Dancers of the Desert (SA)
Belly Dancing for Pregnant Moms

Jamila
Isis and the Star Dancers
Bellydancer's Guide to Pregnancy

Judith Eagle
The Guardian (UK)
Bump and Grind

Kashmir (NZ)
Pregnancy and Dance

Kay Quinn
Danscape
Local Moms Turn To Belly Dancing To Enhance Pregnancy, Birth Experience

Lillie Naor (UK)
Bellydance and Pregnancy

Lorelle
Bellydance and Pregnancy

Lori Price
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal
Gyrate expectations: Moms-to-be give belly dancing a whirl for fitness and fun

Marjorie Greedfield, M.D.
Yahoo! Health
Belly Dancing in Pregnancy

Melek
Preparation for Childbirth

Morocco
"Belly Dancing" and Childbirth

Morocco
Giving to Light: Dancing the Baby into the World

Morocco
Roots

Mother Hip
About Prenatal Belly Dancing

Nadiya
Dancing While Pregnant: An Ongoing Narrative of the Effects of Pregnancy on Belly Dancing

Natual Birth and Baby Care (blog)
Prenatal Bellydance

Nurturing Moves
Benefits of Nurturing Moves Method of Belly Dance

Pam England
Dance as if No One Else is Watching, Pregnancy and Bellydance

Rachel Zimmerman
The Wall Street Journal
New Labor Moves: Belly Dancing Hits Delivery Room

Sandy Keefe, MSN, RN
Advance for Nurses
The Art of Birth: A Boston Nurse-Midwife Reconnects Patients with the Ancient Roots of Belly Dancing

Samantha Dunn and Teri Hanson
Head First Doulas
The Power of the Belly

Shira
Can I Belly Dance While Pregnant?

Sue Rose
Belly Dancing Pain Relief

Suzanne Montalou
Childbirth Solutions
Dancing Baby Down

Teresa Vangeli
The Birth of Angelina

Valeria Lo Iacono
Belly Dance During and After Pregnancy

 

Other

Mirayah Delamar
Prayer to the Divine Mother

 

Prenatal Bellydance Classes
(Across the Country)
If your studio teaches a prenatal bellydance class, please email us your information and we will link to your page!

Florida (Gainesville)
Ethnic Dance Expressions

Florida (Key Biscayne)
Nurturing Moves

Florida (Miami)
Miami School of Bellydance

Iowa (Iowa City)
Tribe Unda

Massachusetts (Boston)
In the Belly of the Goddess

Missouri (Columbia)
Mother Hip

Tennessee (Chattanooga)
Merrybellies

Texas (Fort Hood / Killeen)
Avanlee Birth Center

Washington (Seattle)
Skin Deep Studios

Wisonconsin (Brookfield)
Dance for the Soul