"Society tells you to hold in your belly. But society is outside of this door. So when I say 'release,' you really need to release ." On the word "release," belly dance instructor Jen "Edara" McDonald lets her abdomen slacken, revealing a midsection that is at once muscular and voluptuous. It's a shocking gesture, really, with a rarely seen degree of physical candor. That I'm briefly taken aback by the frankness of this move only shows me how deeply my own programming has been implanted. Here's another measure: if forced to expose either my bits or my belly, on most days I'd probably go with the bits. They've certainly brought me more happiness than the belly ever has. So what am I doing in a class with the word "belly" right there in the name? Mainly, it's because belly is a better fit than ballet. There's certainly no ballerina types in this room, but the variety of women that are here is as curio...
