Belly dance class starts at Kwantlen

Kwantlen’s Surrey campus is getting a little exotic with the addition of a belly dance class.

Starting Oct. 15, the six-week course will teach participants moves such as wrist rolls, snake arms and hip shimmys, as well as the culture of belly dance.

The class is taught by Annyse Rayne, a belly dancer for six-and-a-half years. She got into belly dance when she saw it at a multicultural festival.

“The way they were dancing, the way that they were so confident, they were having so much fun,” said Rayne. “It was just so beautiful to watch the dance.”

After that first glimpse, she joined a local belly dance class and never stopped dancing. Now she is a performer and teacher in the Lower Mainland.

Kwantlen’s Department of Athletics and Recreation approached Rayne with the idea of starting a belly dance class suitable for beginners at the school. Over the next six weeks, she will lead the class to Middle Eastern music and give handouts detailing dance moves and historical information on belly dance.

The class is held every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the gymnasium and runs until Nov. 23. The cost to join the course is $63, though drop-ins are welcome for individual classes at $8 per class.

Rayne recommends the course to anyone who wants to try a new form of fitness, explore creative expression or improve their self-confidence.