Dancing Tiger's World of Belly Dance is a Belly Dance School located in the heart of Ipswich near Brisbane. The school’s principal dance teacher is Idell Wadley.

As a child, Idell started belly dancing with other Arabic children in inner west Sydney. She started “seriously studying” belly dancing 15 years ago.

Belly dancing is part of an ancient Middle-Eastern tradition. The West discovered this art form through film and cultural encounters. It is now a multimillion dollar entertainment business, world wide, dominated by the “Cabaret style shows we see today.” In its original form, the dance was developed, as a “tool to help prepare women for childbirth,” and was enjoyed by women at social gatherings.”

Idell was inspired by the evolving styles of this dance form as well as its “breath-taking performance and the camaraderie” amongst its participants. She loves everything about it; the challenges, freedom of expression and “the smiles on other people’s faces.”

Dancing Tiger's Belly Dancing Troupe (above)
 

Idell sees belly dancing as “a celebration of the female form in all of its diversity.” She believes it “allows a woman to be strong and confident.”

Body toning, endurance, low impact, bladder control and flexibility are just some of the benefits Idell says come with the art of belly dancing.  Laughter, joy, friendship and self esteem, and part of the social gatherings are encountered by women who belly dance.  Children can enjoy “child specific” dance classes.

Passionate about belly dancing, and like all creative people she needs a path to express herself. If she wasn’t able to practice the art of belly dancing, this performer would “probably be writing novels or trying to save the world.” Idell spent many years “resettling refuges” and working with environmental groups. She would like to expand her classes to the “mainstream, working with “teenagers, women with low self-esteem and cancer survivors.” The dance teacher sees belly dancing as “a tool for them to develop self-love and self-respect.”

These performances are best served with traditional music. “Belly dance is a visual extension of the music. We sing the music with our bodies.” The music is integral with the dance. The rhythms set the style of dance and instruments signify which part of the body moves. Idell says she has successfully blended other styles of music with belly dance. Today middle-eastern bands include modern equipment and instruments in their combos. Saxophones, keyboards, synchs, and remixes has transcended this traditional music into a world music vibe, which is still underpinned with traditional rhythms. This evolution has led to new Belly Dance forms; Industrial, Gothic, Tribal (with costumes being works of art) and Poi (Maori).

Her classes are located in Ipswich and Peak Crossing near Brisbane, Queensland, attracting all sorts of people. For Brisbane people wanting to learn Belly Dance in Brisbane, Idell highly recommends The Academy of Middle Eastern Dance.  And what can audiences expect from a belly dance performance? “A wonderful celebration of woman and all her moods, playful, sweet, seductive and alluring, shy and retiring. Audiences usually find themselves captivated and wholly entranced.”
 

   Article written by Pauline Sheldrake for AusNotebook Music & Creative  16/7/08 
Photo courtesy of Idell Wadley

Idell’s favourite charity is The Cancer Council. She has witnessed the painful journey people and their loved ones take with cancer. She has also “seen how hard it is for them to learn to love themselves when [they feel] less than perfect.”

Associated article:  Olga Theodore