UF’s Department of Recreational Sports has added belly dancing back to its weekly group fitness schedule after a one-year hiatus.
RecSports first offered belly dancing during the 2010-2011 academic year, but the class wasn’t renewed last year due to a scheduling conflict with instructor Paige Rechtman, a 27-year-old mental health counseling graduate student.
However, Rechtman’s class is back on the Fall semester schedule. The class meets at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center on Tuesdays from 8:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
“My favorite part of teaching the class is being able to be myself,” she said.
Pharmacy graduate student Ashley Arenson, 23, was excited when she heard Rechtman would be teaching again this year.
“A lot of the moves are pretty awkward the first time around,” she said. “But Paige is very encouraging.”
Arenson said she enjoys belly dancing because it changes her workout’s pace. The time passes quickly, because students need to concentrate on moving individual muscles, she said.
Rechtman said the class also allows women to celebrate their bodies by moving in a way that is natural.
“Expect to be challenged and move muscles you’ve never moved before,” Rechtman said. “Also, expect to have fun and laugh at yourself.”
