Anything new is challenging. Give yourself lots of time to learn and be patient with yourself. Learning the basics is key to advancing, so put your energy into building a strong foundation. This may mean you take the Intro course multiple times as most students do. In fact we urge students to repeat the course at least 3 times. Try to attend your weekly class without missing a week. If you do miss a class try to do your make-up class within the same week so you don’t fall behind on the curriculum. And of course, practice what you learn at home. It's all about building muscle memory and this this will help you build strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination. Most of all have fun!

The course builds week to week and a short review of the previous week takes place after the warm-up. In every class a new family of movements are taught that relate to both upper and lower body as well as travelling steps You'll be training the particular muscles required to execute every movement.  

While you may be very familiar with the music, feeling and common rhythms found in Middle Eastern music and have your own way of social dancing, this is much different than the full vocabulary of Egyptian dance movement we teach our students. It is a lot like saying "I'm Russian therefore I'm a Ballerina". We recommend that students no matter what their background, should start with our Foundation Level I and move forward from there. We're certain you'll be challenged throughout the entire session but it is your decision which level you would like to enroll in. And your Middle Eastern heritage will certainly be of benefit to you as you learn a wide variety of moves and steps that come from your dance form.

We are downstairs/lower level and there are no outside windows for people to see through. We also do not permit spectators inside the studio to watch classes. Your privacy is assured. 

You can register in advance for a single class. Cost is $25 plus HST for a 1 hour class. And $35 plus HST for a 90 minute class. No walk-ins. Advance registration only. There are no refunds or transfers on no shows.  

You can register online through our web site. Click on the Register tab. Or register by sending an e-transfer to info@bellyup.ca   Advance registration is required for all courses. We do not offer credit/debit at the studio.  

Absolutely no refunds, transfers, extensions, carry-overs, credits on classes, workshops, or unused classes including drop-ins. Once you are registered all sales are final. You must use your classes during the session which you are registered for or you lose your unused classes.  

If you register for the full 8 week session you're entitled to 2 make-up classes per session. 

Click here for our location info. We are open during our class times. Refer to our current class schedule. 

Downtown Burlington offers free street parking and Green P parking after 6:00pm. and on weekends. There are many parking lots around the studio to access as well as street parking.

Our classes are best suited for adult women however we encourage teens and young girls with a genuine desire to learn this dance form.  Our students are all sizes, ages, shapes and nationalities and we come together to share the universal language of Bellydance. 

Our sessions run between 8 and 10 weeks.
Advance registration is required. You are welcome to join mid-session pending space availability.  

Please refer to our class levels page. We have descriptions and videos to help you understand what you are learning at each level. Even if you've taken another style of dance, we recommend everyone starts at the Beginner level because you need to learn the proper step and movement vocabulary of the dance form. 

A minimum of six students is required for a class to run. BellyUp reserves the right to cancel or change a class that is under-registered. Our studio is large and can accommodate a sizeable class still giving students ample space to move on the floor. 

How long will I have to stay at each level? 

We recommend Beginner students take at least 2 consecutive Beginner courses with us to build a strong foundation of skills that will equip them for more advanced levels. However everyone learns at a different pace and the decision is up to you how long you stay at each level. 

We think it's great that you've studied other dance forms and hopefully that will help you in learning the art of Bellydance. But just like when you were learning other forms of dance you started out as a beginner, you need to do the same thing with Bellydance. Bellydance is a very particular way of movement and even though you may have taken Tap or Ballet for many years, the vocabulary of movement for Bellydance still must be learned from the roots. 

That is totally up to you but if you are able to attend more than one class a week you will certainly see more advancement in your dance skills. 

Your instructor is the best judge of your progress in relation to the rest of the class. If you have concerns or questions about how you are doing, we recommend you schedule a private consultation with your Instructor to go over your progress and map out a plan for your advancement if this is important to you. Your instructor will always over corrections in class to help you improve. 

BellyUp hosts regular "Ladies Night" events at the studio where all our students are invited to perform either a group routine they've learned in their class or solo. or shows each year for our students to perform in. No one is under pressure to perform but we encourage you to attend either way! Students can join classes to learn a choreography that can be performed as a group. Some students like to take private lessons to learn a solo choreography that they can perform. 

This dance is an awesome way to increase core strength, tone and sculpt, improve posture and poise and build your stamina. It is a medium level aerobic exercise. All the upper and lower body isolation work and combinations/sequences of steps are also fantastic exercise for the brain!  Bellydance builds stamina, coordination, grace and poise and so much more.

Before starting any new workout or physical activity you should talk to your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough to start classes. We think you'll find that most physicians will encourage you to start.

That depends mainly on you. Lots of women struggle with this issue and we believe Bellydance is the perfect catalyst to help you love and appreciate your body more. Moving in the Bellydance way definitely builds body awareness and self confidence over time. How quickly that happens is really up to you. Our major message is that you embrace the body you have, honor it and let it enjoy the movements. 

It is a perfectly healthy form of exercise for the mom-to-be, but of course always get approval from your physician. In the third trimester we advise you to exclude shimmies, hip drops and fast travelling steps from your class and stick to the very soft, and soothing movements...figure 8's are great for the reproductive system and your digestive organs. And undulations are wonderful strengthen your abdominal muscles for the baby's delivery. Many of our students who are new moms have told us how useful their belly dancing skills were during labor.