There are many different forms of dancing: ballet, jazz, swing, the waltz. These are all common forms of body movement that most people think of when they think of dance.

However, there is another dance that is starting to make headways these days, particularly in the Northwest.

Belly dancing is a traditional Arabic style of dance developed in the Middle East, but that has recently become popular in the United States. A typical belly dance performance features women dressed in a "bedlah" which includes a fitted top or bra, a fitted hip belt, and leg coverings that include harem pants or skirts. Once dressed in the bedlah, the dancers parade around stage moving their hips and shoulders in circular motions to emphasize the midriff, while their hands float in artistic movements above their heads.

"You have to keep your body moving the whole time," says Adrienne Rice. "(Belly dancing) keeps your body in the best shape. It's abdominal focused and easy on your body."

Rice is the founder and director of Troupe Hipnotica, a belly dancing group located in Ballard. Rice runs the group out of a studio in her Ballard home. The troupe is made up of Rice and six other women who practice about twice a week. Troupe Hipnotica is one of the many different belly dancing groups in Seattle.

"Seattle has a huge belly dancing community," says Rice. "When I moved here it was easy to dial into the community. Being a part of belly dancing allows you to meet people everywhere you go. It's like having an instant set of friends."

Rice is a native of San Francisco, which is where she first started getting into the art. She used to be a frequent patron of a caf/ in San Francisco where this one belly dancing group called Fat Camp Bellydance performed. After watching them a couple of times, Rice was inspired. Fourteen years later, at the age of 39, Troupe Hipnotica was found.

While Rice may have found her inspiration later on in life, Petite Jamilla found hers at a very young age. Petite is just 25 years old and is already one of the best belly dancers in the country. She performs for the highly acclaimed group Bellydance Superstars, which is headed by Myles Copeland, the manager of Sting. Petite was introduced to the art from her mother, who was a belly dancer herself.

"My mom and dad were living in Maine and my mom was a nanny for a family there," says Jamilla. "The mother couldn't pay my mom but she taught belly dancing lessons at her home, so she offered to teach my mom belly dancing lessons instead of paying her."

Jamilla was hooked to belly dancing after taking lessons from her mother, and began to make a name for herself at an early age. By the age of 15, she was a professional belly dancer and was touring the Southeast putting on performances. Two years later, Jamilla was a seasoned instructor, and by the age of 19, she had two instructional DVD's on the market.

"It's always kind of a struggle to be so young and get respect," says Jamilla. "Belly dancing has always had this kind of negative stereotype around it, but a lot of things are changing that. Myles (Copeland) is changing that and a lot of mainstream artists such as Hillary Duff and Fergie are incorporating belly dance into their routines."

Jamilla says that joining Myles and the Bellydance Superstars is what really changed her life. When she was seventeen she knew she wanted to take belly dancing seriously but knew it wouldn't pay the bills. In her first audition with the Superstars she didn't get the job. The choreographers said she was only seasoned in belly dancing and not any other dance forms such as jazz, which they incorporate into their routines as well. However a year later, the producers overrode the choreographers and offered Jamilla a chance, saying she could learn the other styles of dance.

Belly dancing is growing rapidly these days, and people like Adrienne and Petite are only making it stronger. The Bellydance Superstars tour nationwide for 10 months out of the year. A typical day for Petite and the Superstars includes waking up, driving five hours on a bus, arriving at location and having one hour to get dressed and do make-up, a two hour performance, and then back on the bus again. While Troupe Hipnotica may be less intense they still take the art very seriously.

"(Belly dancing) is a celebration of femininity and strength," says Rice. "It feels great to be a woman, great to be curvy, and great to be strong."

You can find out about Troupe Hipnotica online at their Web site, www.troupehipnotica.com, or look into the many other Washington and Oregon belly dance groups at www.nwbellydance.com.

Rebecca Rogers is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory and may be reached via bnteditor@robinsonnews.com