Belly Dancing Said to Ignite the Soul

By Kerri Lanae Gaither 

As a girl, Westminster resident Dannette Tillery loved karate, reading and checking out materials from the library. She also loved to dance.

Often finding Tillery dancing around the house, her mother signed her up her for a modern dance class at the age of 10. Then one day at the library, Tillery came across an instructional DVD about belly dancing.  She checked it out, tried the dance at home and her love affair with belly dancing began. 

While Shakira and Beyonce may be helping to promote belly dancing across the country and on TV, locally belly dance instructors like Tillery are promoting the love of the dance in their own city.  

Over the years, Tillery says belly dancing has helped her through tough times, even helping her cope with the death of her father when she was a teenager.

“I needed something to latch onto,” she explained.  

At the age of 12, Tillery took up belly dancing with an instructor and dancing became that lifeline. She went on to study seven more styles of belly dancing over 15 years. 

“I don't really dance one style any more these days," she explained. "I created my own belly dance fusion style I call 'Modern Art Dark Fusion.'" 

Tillery has also developed her own belly dancing persona; to most who know her in the dance world she goes by the name Yasaman Vrd'dhi. 

When asked what she most enjoys about belly dancing, Vrd'dhi explains that her love for books as a little girl grew into a passion for writing and storytelling as an adult.

“Belly dancing allows me to write a story and then communicate that story through my dancing,” she said. 

Vrd'dhi began teaching private belly dancing classes in 2006. She has gone on to teach group classes at the new age gift shop “Mystickal Voyage” in Nottingham. 

She also offers free online lessons through YouTube and found a belly dancing group on meetup.com. In addition, Vrd'dhi has begun to perform regularly at Birdie’s Café.  

When asked what types of people typically take her classes, Vrd'dhi says, “Women most of the time, though men do sometimes as well. It can go either way for students who want to learn to become professional or just for fun. I do have a lot of students that want to take my classes for weight loss and even sometimes just to feel sexy.”

But for Vrd'dhi the dance has a deep meaning. Not only did belly dancing provide her with a spiritual and emotional "lifeline," but a physical one as well. In her years of belly dancing, Vrd'dhi has lost more than 135 pounds.  

However Vrd'dhi is not the only city resident who has fallen in love with the dance locally. 

Roberta (Bert) Kratz, another Westminster belly dancing instructor, explains that she got into belly dancing for health reasons. 

“My doctor was concerned about some of my stress-related health problems and said, 'Roberta, I want you to sign up for a yoga class, and a dance class.’ So I did. I went to the YMCA and signed up for a yoga and the two dance classes offered were salsa and belly dancing,” Kratz explained.   

And while she admits that it was pure curiosity that made her choose the belly dance class, after her first session, she was hooked. Her curious outlet for stress relief has since developed into a lifetime passion and vocation. 

Kratz now teaches classes at the YMCA to women of all walks of life. She admits that often people take a first class for the same reason she did; curiosity.  But also as she did, a large majority of them become hooked.  

Kratz calls belly dancing a great activity to do with family and friends. She adds that it can even help with back pain.

“I know many people with bad backs that have said belly dancing helps to ease the pain.  My own back pain has greatly decreased since I have been dancing,” Kratz said. 

Beyond teaching, Kratz meets with her own dance troupe called Sindyanna.  The group of six meets once a week to choreograph dances; they perform everywhere from colleges to festivals. They are currently scheduled to perform at the Westminster Fall Fest and are planning a breast cancer benefit for the fall.

Vrd'dhi and Kratz are hoping to share their love of the dance with those locals interested to learn more. 

"I am the dance and the dance is me," says Vrd'dhi. "We are one never to separate and always to be." 

Correction: A change was made to show that Vrd'dhi found a group on meetup.com, not founded as it originally suggested.