I just joined the community today. I was diagnosed in the early 2000's after having optic neuritis twice. My neurologist thinks I had MS since at least 1995 when I had my son since I had classic post-partum MS symptoms that my OBGYN ignored. (I thought I had a stroke.)
I've been a dancer my entire life and MS and arthritis have made it impossible I used to be a professional bellydancer.
Currently I'm a FT admin asst and a PT editor and proofreader. I'm a nerd and play Dungeons and Dragons. I also host a game group every Sunday afternoon. It helps keep my mind sharp.
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jezebellydancer
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Welcome to the group jezebellydancer , sorry for the reason. This is a great group to ask questions, brag, vent, and celebrate. Look forward to getting to know you!
My son is a 2nd generation nerd. He also break dances. I tried to get him into bellydancing because male bellydancers can make great money since they are rare. I switched to tango for awhile because the close hold helped my balance issues, but now my arthritis is bad enough that I can't really dance anymore.
Thank you for joining this forum. It took me a couple days, but I finally dug out a poem I'd written about my own MS and bellydance journey, that you may or may not relate to:
thank you, jezebellydancer! My MS timeline is pretty similar to yours, though my first unrecognized symptom was in the early 80s. As of 2020 I've had fusion surgeries on neck and left big toe joint, before learning from Dr. David Middaugh that arthritis can be often be reversed... I had stopped dancing for about 20 years, but recently started teaching a minimalist style of bellydance in my local library. Involving all kinds of workarounds to defeat my odd bag of disabilities, arthritic and MS oriented. I use my mideast drumming to alternate between dancing myself and giving students feedback. So far, it's been lots of fun.
I noticed that a couple of male bellydance teachers didn't even dance at all while they were teaching. They sat and directed their classes, at times enlisting an advanced student to demonstrate. They both employed their spacial design skills to develop choreographies without ever trying them out. I'm trying to get better at that.
I've recently gotten in touch with a bellydance buddy who is still teaching. The plan is for me to teach my "vintage" routines to her students and using her as my "body" when I need to rest. I am so happy to be able to pass on my old routines. I learned Greek/Turkish style back in the 80s, then learned a bit of the Egyptian style at Master's classes. I can stand in place and move my body, but traveling steps don't work. Plus I can't stand for long periods of time due to fatigue and arthritis. But I do what I can when I can.
Welcome to the forum, jezebellydancer ! I look forward to hearing more from you! In the meantime, you can go to mymsaa.org to find more resources that are available for people with ‘ms’. Keep Smiling!
oh, I'm so happy to hear you've found a way to teach, too! Bellydance buddies are the best! I don't know about other parts of the U.S., but here in the NYC area, I've seen bdance's popularity fading. Less classes, workshops, teachers, performances nowadays. Live dance bands a rarity. All the more reason to pass the tradition on! Believe it or not, on Spring Break week, I got my first teenage student. She was so inquisitive about everything, and even wanted to try playing my drum.
If you dance Greek/Turkish styles, then you must be very good at Karsilama! (Did you ever see Eva Tzurnick perform?) I've studied Egyptian cabaret and folkloric, Armenian, Persian, Rom styles. One of my teachers specialized in Greek style, but I didn't focus on that. When my MS first stopped me from dancing, I studied Arabic music (oud, ney, drum, accordion). In 2010 when MS half-paralyzed my right arm, I had to stop music and learned Arabic language. Now it is fun to weave some of these strands together in one class.
Much like you, I can do stationary movements, but need to avoid travel steps. Avoid standing and too much walking. Resting 2-3 days ahead of class to be fresh enough to last the hour. I have no idea of how long the era of teaching this class will be in my life, but by now am used to living with uncertainty. Enjoying it while it's here. Hope you get to teach a long time!
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I used to be a professional bellydancer.
Hey, new to community. Just a bit about me. 😎
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