I ran across the original list given here by Cherie Dawn on her website, Cherie Dawn Loves Fire.
- Dancing barefoot
- 20-yard skirts
- Tapping into mysterious roots of feminine movement
- Using ankle bells, coin belts and coin bras to contribute to the music/percussion
- Attending classes to learn new combinations
- Bindis and tribal markings
- Earthy, heavy drum beats
- Incredible melodies from string and wind instruments
- Community – close/local and national
- Individuality through personal costuming
- The spirituality, akin to yoga practice (the focus/be here now)
- Zils
- Sword work
- Sweat
- Haflas
- Sewing miscellaneous jewelry onto belts and tops to create costuming
- Ankle bells
- Playing with eyeliner
- Communication with other dancers and musicians
- Coming or going during any song as you please
- It just feels good!
- Finding, using, training new muscles
- Using intuition while moving to improvisational music
- Masculine (usually musicians) and feminine (usually dancers) energy, balanced and combined
- All the color seen while dancers twirl and move
- Dreadlocks and tattoos
- Learning to breathe with the movements
It got me thinking about other reasons I love ATS® specifically and bellydance in general:
- Working seamlessly within a group
- It’s all about the flow
- The women with whom I dance
- Laughter!!
- Losing my fear of performing
- Making my left brain & my right brain work together
- Having something to fall back on during open dancing at haflas & parties