(Note: This story was written by Kristin Holtz, a staff writer at the Litchfield Independent Review, where the story first appeared.)

In a classroom with no mirrors, local belly dancers sway their hips to the sound of music from the Middle East radiating off the walls.

They roll their shoulders and feel the dance floor with their bare feet. They’re getting in touch with their bodies.

Local yoga instructor Alisha Stallsworth is bringing the exotic dance form to Central Minnesota and encouraging local men and women to get in shape by shaking their hips.

“It’s really good exercise. It’s really fun, so you don’t realize how much you sweat,” she said.

Stallsworth, who taught English at Litchfield High School last year, was introduced to belly dancing in college. Having used yoga as a stress reliever for years, the jump to belly dancing wasn’t much of a leap, she said.

In June, Stallsworth was teaching yoga classes at Birdwing Spa when she suggested the spa offer belly dancing for a fitness class. Birdwing manager Linda Jaquith said the class has been a hit with guests. Stallsworth teaches regular yoga and belly dancing classes at Genesis Spa in Hutchinson, too.

“I have always liked teaching people, watching other people through their self-discovery of themselves,” Stallsworth said.

Belly dancing is much more than the flirty, cabaret dance most people conjure. Officially known as “oriental dance,” belly dancing has a history as a folk or social dance performed by people of all ages and both sexes during festive occasions, such as weddings and the birth of a child.

Every Middle Eastern country has its own style, she said. Stallsworth’s favorite style of belly dancing is American Tribal Style belly dance because it is all improvisation. It is mainly performed by women and requires the dancer to listen to the rhythm of the music.

The biggest misconception regarding belly dancing is that it is stylized stripping meant to seduce men. While some might use it that way, belly dancing actually originated in the home as a way for women to strengthen their childbearing muscles, Stallsworth said. It was also a social activity when female friends gathered.

Today, it’s about people refiguring their self-image, as they get in touch with their body and build self-esteem.

“With belly dancing, you can be any shape, size. Everyone has something to shake,” Stallsworth said.

At Birdwing Spa, Stallsworth teaches belly dancing for fitness. It’s an excellent workout geared at the core muscles and cardiovascular fitness.

“I think we look at it as a fun way to get your cardiovascular workout in,” Jaquith said. “It doesn’t have to be going out running or walking vigorously or having a step aerobics class. You can have fun while you’re working out.”

Stallsworth leads a workshop the first Saturday of every month, specializing in a particular style of belly dancing: introduction to tribal belly dancing, zils (finger cymbals), cabaret and advanced tribal belly dancing. She also teaches five-week sessions of belly dancing for fitness and hopes eventually to add an intermediate class.

At the end of the session, the women have a recital, among themselves, to show off their newfound talents.

The freedom and unstructured nature of belly dancing was a highlight of the class, said Litchfield resident Anne Ross, who attended one of Stallsworth’s workshops at Genesis.

While most dance requires specificity and exact movements, belly dance is freer. “You don’t have to fit a mold,” Ross said. “You just have fun.”

Stallsworth teaches the classes in a non-threatening and comfortable manner, Ross said, which allows students to feel at ease. She willingly adapts the classes to her students’ interests, and there are no mirrors in the classroom and no one chastising for a wrong move. Stallsworth’s goal is that every student walks away with a feeling of success and accomplishment of having tried something new.

“You do it for yourself,” Ross said. “You do it to your level and ability and where you want to take it to.”

While she has had men take her belly dancing classes at Birdwing Spa, Stallsworth said, it’s typically geared toward women, encouraging them to connect their bodies, minds and spirits.

She said, “It’s more about honoring the female form and empowering women to feel their female goddess selves."