When I'm performing I let my body express the feeling of the music to the audience. Belly dancing has fewer constraints than other dance forms and for that reason it's very liberating, very creative. For me, it is not just coming out to show my body or for the money, it is about giving my audience a feeling of happiness.

I started belly dancing back in California when a friend and I took an introductory course together. After the eight weeks of classes were finished, she gave it up ; I didn't. I've been performing for 18 years now and have danced in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Egypt and most memorably in the Seychelles near Madagascar, my husband's home. He arranged a charity performance there to raise money for the Seychelles' Special Olympics Team to travel to the international games in Canada. Some of the children danced with me on stage and it brought tears to my eyes.

In Tokyo, I am always busy. I got my first dancing job in response to an ad in Tokyo Classified. Now I perform at places like Asena in Akasaka, Alla Din in Chiba and Al Ain in Yokohama or at private parties and cultural events. I also perform at weddings involving a Japanese person and an Egyptian or Turk because it is a tradition in Islamic cultures to have a dancer. I also teach belly dancing classes in the afternoons and spend the rest of my time listening to music or working on choreography for those classes.

Most belly dancing music is from Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey, and is almost always about love. Separation, perfect love, bitter sweetness are all classic themes. Each culture has its own musical character -- Egyptian music is very strong, Turkish lively, and Lebanese lyrical. The contemporary cabaret costume comes from Egypt, which has the strongest dance tradition. Of course, in Egypt, under Islamic law, the women have to cover their bellies, but they simply wear a very sheer fabric.

My students include both foreigners and Japanese. Japanese women today want to explore ways to express themselves. It is much like America in the '50s. Belly dancing gives them a special opportunity because it is physical, emotional and spiritual. And it is a women's dance. Though men in the Middle East do dance, belly dancing is very much the realm of women. That's what makes it so special.

INFO. Sa'dia 3364-1626.