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"  Hey girls, Taylor, Seventeen health intern, here. Recently I&amp;#039;ve been getting a bit bored of going to the gym and doing the same things over and over again (treadmill, elliptical, sit-ups, blah). So when Kim Kardashian tweeted last week that she tried a belly dancing class and had a blast, I knew that I needed to find a class near me and give it a try. After a little web research, I signed myself up for a basic beginner belly dancing class atSerena Studios in NYC&amp;#039;s Hell&amp;#039;s Kitchen, tied my gold coin embellished hip scarf around my waist, kicked off my shoes and was ready to go. Here&amp;#039;s the skinny:  The Workout: Belly dancing is a traditional form of Middle Eastern dance done to music. My instructor, Rayhana, said that this dance is all about isolation \u2014 moving certain areas of your body while keeping the rest very still \u2014 and focusing on one part of your body at a time. The Promise: Supposedly you can lose weight, gain muscle, work on your cardio \u2014 and feel sexy, too! Belly dancers say it helps to define your abs, whittle your middle, and tighten up your hip area.  The Real Deal: From the belly rolls that tone your abs to the hip shimmies that work your waist, belly dancing isn&amp;#039;t your grandma&amp;#039;s hokey pokey\u2014it&amp;#039;s tough! Holding up your arms for long periods of time (while still making it look graceful and effortless) makes you feel the burn in your upper body, too. Two other things I loved:  Rather than putting stress on your knees by running on the treadmill and straining your back by doing sit-ups on the floor, belly dancing is a fabulous alternative to get fit without the pain. (Who wouldn&amp;#039;t be game for that?)  I got so entranced by the sultry Arabic tunes and the hypnotizing movements that I didn&amp;#039;t even realize that I was actually working up a sweat!   Find a Class Near You: Belly dancing has become quite popular, so many gyms have started to offer it. But if you can&amp;#039;t seem to find anything, try checking online to find a class near you. Want to try it at home? Try searching through some YouTube videos that can help you learn how to learn to belly dance and take you through the moves step-by-step. Ouch Factor: 6/10 Fun Factor: 10/10 Overall Rating: 8/10 Have you given belly dancing a shot? Would you? Tell us about it below! \u2014Taylor Chang, Seventeen Health Intern "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/fitness/advice/a14025/belly-dancing-workout/>