Belly Dance was a complete surprise to me.  I had no idea it was coming.

Working out had never seemed like fun to me.  

But after gaining 50 pounds from an overeating habit, I was constantly feeling lethargic, cranky, and embarrassed.  

I wanted desperately to feel good again.  

I had been dragging myself to a circuit-workout facility and trying really hard to like it, every single time.

(Years later as a Certified High Performance Coach, I understand how to “Bring the Joy!” to such endeavors, but at the time, it felt like utter misery.) 

I've also since learned that there is absolutely NO shame in my body, whatever weight or shape it takes.  In fact, I hesitate to share how judgmental I was of my body at that time, for fear of reinforcing that feeling or any stigma around body type for anyone else. 

But I want to be honest about my mindset at the time.  I judged myself harshly and now as a coach and instructor I help others who may be doing the same, to move more quickly into self-love and healing. 

You are beautiful EXACTLY as you are.  You are a gift.  You are a dream.  You are a treasure on this planet.  

 

An old friend recently said it best in a comment on my Before & After photo on Facebook: 

"Carla no matter your weight you will always be gorgeous because of the person you are. đź’Ż"

We ARE so gorgeous, friend! We are preciously BEAUTIFUL.  We are MIRACLES on Earth.  

How I wish I could have said more of the same things to myself back then.  And I tried.  Sometimes I knew and felt this truth intuitively.  But it wasn't until my later shift into a High Performance mindset that I began to embody unconditional self love.

Until then, belly dance would be the step in the right direction I needed.

From my very first random belly dance class, I understood that this dance was a way to workout - but to actually ENJOY the process! 

I had wanted cardio, but as a creative I really needed a workout for both my mind and creativity AS WELL AS for my body.  

Of course I didn’t know this was what had been missing from my life - until my dear friend brought me to that first class on a whim, and the rest was history!  

My journey to health & vibrancy:

50 pounds lost and maintained for now over a decade and counting. 

Wonderful growth friends gained over all these years in dance.

A body free to move effortlessly, breath easily, and think clearly  - no longer weighed down by the emotional baggage you would have found in the extra pounds I carried. 

I founded Lake Erie Belly Dance, now celebrating our 10th year anniversary!

Countless challenges overcome, new movements studied and mastered, and high energy maintained.

Collaborations I'll forever cherish, charity events, certifications, awards, performances and workshops all over the world.

A surge in confidence from the freedom of moving my body and the liberation of creative expression.

And most exciting of all, the pure JOY and PRIDE in my students as I witness them working hard, loving their exercise, and experiencing the above benefits.  

In honor of the fresh new year, I'm offering NEW STUDENTS a chance to join the Belly Dance Maven Community we've created over the years - for an entire month - for just $1 Trial.

The Benefits of Belly Dance

I’ve shared my personal journey through belly dance with you, and I cannot guarantee your specific results as I don’t know you yet, don’t know how committed you’ll be as a student, or many other factors which would contribute to your goals or outcomes of belly dancing.  

But I can list a combination of possibilities and benefits that may be in store for you - as shared by my own students and a featured Huffington Post article:  

  • Increased self-confidence
  • Full body workout
  • Certified, professional instruction
  • Girls day out
  • Stress relief
  • Exciting new music
  • Increased energy and stamina
  • Friendly and encouraging classmates
  • Motivation to workout. . . 

Benefits, Continued. . .

  • Mindfulness / presence
  • Gorgeous outfits
  • Toned and defined muscles
  • Ability to modify movements to fit your needs
  • Always something new to discover or level up
  • Creative workout for the mind and body
  • Adrenaline rush at (optional) performances
  • Encouragement to live into your fullest potential
  • Awesome party / dance moves
  • Feeling younger, healthier, sexier

 

"“While performing the ancient movements of belly dance, Carla strives to portray that we can own and enjoy our sassiness and sensual side. ”"

Eri Jams Magazine
Erie's Arts & Entertainment Magazine

"“The most wonderful thing about Carla’s dancing is that she celebrates the uniquely original and beautiful essence of Carla Fleming - dance is just one of the many vehicles she uses to showcase her most beautiful self with effortless joy, courage, and celebration, and inspires us to do the same. This is why she is my mentor!”"

Karla Hartzell
Belly Dance Student

"“Carla is always in motion, and forever a teacher – and student – at heart.”"

The Erie Reader
Erie PA's News, Arts, & Entertainment

How to describe this exhilarating and inspiring form of human art, creation, and celebration?  

You simply have to try a class and experience it for yourself.   Or how about, you try a whole month for just $1?  Give yourself the chance to dance.

Was it easy for me to get started?

No, actually. I had to battle quite a fixed mindset in this area.

At first I worked through thoughts that I wasn't "in shape" enough to be going to this class.

Like many women I had been affected by a stigma depicting certain acceptable body types for belly dance.  Being 50 pounds heavier than I had ever been, my mind told me I didn't belong, but my heart said I was right where I needed to be.  I'm so glad I stayed.  

I began to understand: this class is the means to becoming healthy. So if I must attend class while feeling overweight in order to reach that goal, I will do it.

I soon realized that feeling amazing - physically, mentally, emotionally - is really the first goal we need to set when it comes to exercising.  It's not about a number on a scale or how we think we look on the outside - it's about how we feel.

Research shows that we feel phenomenal in our human bodies when we perform cardio activity regularly.

And, when we do things we absolutely LOVE.

Belly dance for me and for so many, is the combination of both.

Then there are the added benefits of community, laughter, mindfulness, not taking ourselves too seriously, and newfound friendships.

Lake Erie Belly Dance strives to continue dissolving stigmas around this professional and respected world-wide dance form.

Because there simply is no right or wrong style of dance, body type, or gender.  There's no right or wrong anything when it comes to human expression.  Every one of us is gorgeous, exactly as we are.

I believe the body we have been blessed to inhabit is a miraculous gift, and we can love it and ourselves unconditionally.

Some are blessed to receive that unconditional love from birth, or to remain unaffected by negative messaging around them.

Some must make it an intention to unlearn self-talk that no longer serves them, to give themselves the unconditional love they perhaps have not received enough of from others, or to grant themselves permission to show up in this world, just as they are right now, as their glorious and unique and unabashed selves.

After all, most religions, scientific theories, and personal development hypothesis point to an important philosophy:

That we are only here on this Earth, at this time, as this entirely unique version of our consciousness, for this one magical moment of existence.

I believe if this is true, as such, we must celebrate this very body we’ve been given. Honor this body and this mind and this awareness.

Belly dance, like all dance, is a dance for the body. Every body. It’s a dance for the soul. Every soul.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from women over the years, in response to an invitation to come and dance with us:

“Oh, you don’t want to see this belly dance!”

And I remember thinking in a similar way, all those years ago.

And so I reply, “Yes, actually, I do! Your belly is no different than any other belly on the planet. I want to see every belly dance!”

I think the time has come to get over ourselves and have more FUN!

Imagine what the pure joy of dance would mean to the energy of the world around us, if every person gave themselves permission to dance. . . 

 

. . . Whether belly dance, or hip hop, or jazz, pole, country, ballet, tap, twerk, or any other dance form imaginable.

We think it’s okay to be sassy and sensual. We didn’t invent sexy and it will be around long after we are gone.

Dance of every kind uplifts the heart and feeds the soul.

“If spirit is the seed, dance is the water of its evolution.”
― Shah Asad Rizvi

It’s also proven to be astoundingly good for your health.

So if this beautiful ancient art form has been on your bucket list, I want to make it easy for you to try it out and see if you love it as much as I did -

How does $1 sound for an entire month of LIVE belly dance classes?

It’s not too good to be true.

It’s a new year, and a new you.

Whether for fun, or fitness, or both -  and whatever your goals, I believe in you. You can do it!

I invite you to come join the community and make belly dance a part of your process for 30 days.

With Belly Dance Maven, we’ve created a fellowship of support, love, positivity, and growth for your mind, your body, and your spirit.

 

Carla Fleming (Carlaquarius) is a Certified Belly Dance Instructor, Certified High Performance Coach, and the premiere American Tribal Style FCBD Sister Studio in Erie, PA. She's the Founder of Lake Erie Belly Dance - Erie's only professional multi-genre belly dance troupe, The Fleming School of the Arts, and The Mindful Maven Global Community. Carla is an Erie's 40 Under 40 award recipient given by The Erie Reader.

“Carla is a master communicator. She inspires me constantly. I’m grateful to have the advantage of being in her circle.”
--Mike Pettigrew, Dublin Ireland, #1 Best-Selling Author

“Carla has an innate ability to “see others’ and honor their soul. I am GRATEFUL to have found her. She inspires me. I want to be her, with her spiritual self, when I grow up!”
--Heidi Parr Kerner, Erie PA, Coffee Club Divas

“As usual, Carla Fleming does the best masterminds in Erie. She’s about to BLOW UP!”
--Ben Henry, Erie PA Make It Great Media

“Follow people who have what you want and are willing to teach you how they got it. Thanks, Carla Fleming!”
--Roy Williams, Chicago IL, Personal Trainer + Online Coach

For $1, you can experience the benefits of this entire community, for one full month - limited time offer!

So, just to recap, it’s $1 trial for 30 full days of LIVE belly dance classes and online training, Facebook community, and all the BONUSES you see below.  Then, if you decide to stay on as a student after your 30 day $1 Trial is up, it just goes to $37 a month.

This program is normally $47 / month - you'll save $10 every month with this New Year's special offer, for as long as you're a member!

Then I continue training you LIVE each week as your certified professional belly dance instructor - plus you’ll have your private online members area to review class tutorials at home or from your phone if you ever need to miss a class or from wherever you travel.  

You’ll know if it’s right for you once you’ve tried it out for a single $1.   

Of course it’s a huge deal. 

And I know you’ll love it.

But I want you to see for yourself.

HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU GET:

Join Belly Dance Maven for $1 now and you receive instant access:

Instant access to Carla's signature online workshop- Begin dancing today!

Practice in the convenience of your own home with Carla's "The Art, Joy, and Empowerment of Belly Dance" workshop.  This 72 minute full dance workshop is inside your members' area and is yours to keep as part of your Belly Dance Maven membership.

Instructor:  Carla Fleming
Class notes:
0:00    Slow Lead and Follow warm up with Carla
5:10    Belly Dance Posture Drill
10:55  Puja (Moving Meditation)
14:10  Stretches
15:00  Slow Vocabulary & Partner Drills
47:00  Fast Vocabulary & Partner Drills

Be sure to stretch out before and after your practice, both in studio and at home!   And remember to bring that belly dance spirit into your daily life this week.  The Art, the joy, the empowerment, the feeling.  Congrats on all of your hard work, dancer!!  

Professional videography by Jesse Olszewski of The Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania & The Greater Erie Film Office.

 

 

LIVE Weekly Belly Dance Classes with Carla!

  • Weekly LIVE hourlong belly dance classes at our Erie, PA location - or learn entirely online from anywhere in the world via the online private members area and tutorial videos! 
  • Take your dance practice to the next level, receive an amazing fitness workout for both your body and mind, and experience the Art, Joy, and Empowerment of Belly Dance!
  • Learn belly dance professionally - even if you're just dancing for fun - with Certified Belly Dance Instructor, award-winning team leader, and founder of Lake Erie Belly Dance, Carla Fleming!
  • Current class times:  Saturdays, 12:00 - 1:00pm EST at Spotlight Dance Studio, Erie, PA.  Class times may vary occasionally and are announced in advance inside your private members area.
  • ***Class size is limited - register today to secure your space!***
  • Need to miss a class?  No problem.  Practice with a bonus tutorial from home, inside your members' area at your convenience!  
  • Class dates and times will always be announced in advance inside your members' area!

Private Facebook Access to Carla and Your Fellow Maven Classmates

You're invited to our private Facebook group for our registered Belly Dance Maven Monthly members only! 

This priceless bonus is where all the EXTRA fun and support take place!!  Connect, inspire, participate in belly dance discussions, and ask Carla any questions, any time.

Got belly dance questions about the ancient history?  What to wear?  Need to review a move or ask about class details?  We've always got your back!

This group is FUN, supportive, and will escalate your social learning of the belly dance  material exponentially.

(Please note the facebook group is optional and not mandatory.  You can participate in the entire program without joining Facebook if you prefer.)

2019 holds massive potential for you.

It can be the year you said yes to something new, exciting, and liberating. 

As a Certified High Performance Coach, and as someone who has experienced the benefits of belly dance and shared them with countless students -

I know that getting your health and fitness and energy dialed in is KEY for your best year yet.  Achievers who want to live from and into the highest version of themselves, know this secret, too.  

They're people who know they want to strive satisfied, end the burn out, and DO MORE of what they love and find truly meaningful.  

Because Energy is everything.

And if you've read to the end of this page, and you know the value of $1 and what this month could do for you, I believe that describes you, too.

In the Belly Dance Maven Community, art, joy, and empowerment is our mantra.  And we're waiting to welcome you at your first class!

But spaces in the live classes are limited - if you are able to click on this page and register, you are IN for this crazy $1 special month - congrats and welcome!!  

Join me today by clicking the purple button below.  

There’s no limit to what we can do, together.

Don't wait.  $1 for 30 days is pretty nuts!  

I don't want you to miss my New Year's special and I look forward to getting to know you better in class!

xoxox

~Carla

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