I wasn’t ready to become a spectator in my own life
For most of my life, movement was simply part of who I was.
I performed and taught belly dance, worked as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, gardened, fished, hiked, ran, backpacked, and generally preferred being in motion.
Then injuries forced me to stop.
What I thought was going to be a temporary interruption turned into years of stepping away from nearly everything that had made me feel strong, capable, and independent. I wasn’t only missing belly dance. I was watching more and more of my life from the sidelines. I no longer felt like myself.
Coming back has not meant trying to become the person…or the body… that I was before. It has meant learning how to participate in my own life again, one piece at a time.
Belly Dance Practice Studio is one of those pieces.
My name is Leigh, and Safira is the name I have used throughout my belly dance career. Now I am bringing my experience as a dancer, instructor, and personal trainer together as I begin teaching again.
I am not approaching this from the perspective of someone whose body has always cooperated. I understand what it feels like to question what your body can do, to feel uncertain walking into a movement space, and to wonder whether you still belong there.
You do.
You do not need to arrive confident. You do not need to be flexible, coordinated, thin, young, or comfortable showing your belly.
We start where we are. We laugh when human bodies do human-body things. And we leave perfection at the door.
What you can expect from me
Because I’ve had to rebuild my own relationship with movement, I teach with patience, clarity, and respect for where each person is starting.
I will explain what we are doing and why, break movements down into manageable pieces, and offer realistic options when something needs to be adjusted. I will never expect you to arrive already knowing how to move like a dancer.
My classes are welcoming, practical, and built with room for questions, imperfect attempts, laughter, and human bodies doing human-body things.
You do not have to get stronger first. You do not have to lose weight, become more coordinated, or wait until you feel confident enough.
You are allowed to start now.
Follow the wider story
Belly Dance Practice Studio is one part of a much larger return to the parts of my life I had to set aside.
On Instagram, I share more of that process: rebuilding strength, returning to dance, gardening, hiking, rural life, and the occasional questionable decision made while left unsupervised.
Ready to try it?
You do not need to feel ready before you begin. You only need to choose a date and show up.