Learn belly dancing
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Belly dance comes from the Middle East and North Africa, and beginners' classes cover footwork, basic steps and combinations, sometimes with skirt work or a prop. Classes are low-impact and usually danced in bare feet.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130MonthsIndoorsWith othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
What you learn
Surrey Adult Learning describes belly dance as the dance of the Middle East and its class as low-impact, covering basic moves, steps and combinations, body awareness and general dance skills; you may learn a choreographed routine, freestyle or dancing with a prop. The City of Santa Monica's beginners' class calls it a folkloric dance form of Northern Africa and the Middle East, and covers footwork and skirt work.
Mesa's Belly Dance Basics, in Arizona, teaches the moves of the MENAHT region and how they developed into belly dance and are performed on stage, and says students will be shimmying from the first lesson. Surrey's class says bare feet are usual, though soft-soled shoes such as ballet pumps are fine, and a hip scarf is optional.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Academy, Farringdon and Sadler's Wells, London | Weekly beginners' course, 6 or 7 weeks of 75 or 90 minutes; no dance experience needed | £135 a course |
| Surrey Adult Learning, Woking | Belly Dance, All Abilities; one two-hour Saturday workshop for beginners and returners | £24 |
| City of Mesa, Arizona | Belly Dance Basics; Monday class at Red Mountain Center, October to November 2026 | $54, plus a $2 to $10 administrative fee |
| City of Santa Monica, California | Belly Dance for Adults (Beginner), Wednesdays, ages 18 to 89, with an end-of-session recital | $25 material fee to the instructor; tuition not listed |
How to start
- Try a one-off workshop or a short course from an adult-learning service, dance school or parks department.
- Wear clothing you can raise your arms and crouch in, and dance barefoot or in soft-soled shoes.
- Add a hip scarf once you have started; your teacher can suggest where to buy one.
Where to go
- City Academy, London: Belly dance classes for beginners UK
- Surrey Adult Learning: Belly Dance, All Abilities UK
- Mesa, Arizona (ActiveNet): Belly Dance Basics US
We opened these links on 10 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
Show the links
Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What do you wear to a belly dancing class?
Surrey Adult Learning asks for comfortable clothing you can raise your arms and crouch in, says bare feet are usual though ballet pumps are fine, and calls a hip scarf optional.
Can complete beginners do belly dancing?
Yes. City Academy's beginners' course needs no prior dance experience, and Surrey Adult Learning's workshop is for complete beginners as well as returners.
Where does belly dance come from?
The City of Santa Monica's class describes it as a folkloric dance form of Northern Africa and the Middle East.
How much are belly dance classes?
As last listed, City Academy's 6 or 7-week course in London is £135, a single Surrey Adult Learning workshop is £24, and Mesa's parks class in Arizona is $54.
Where this comes from: City Academy, Belly Dance Classes for Beginners; Surrey County Council, Belly Dance - All Abilities; ActiveNet, Belly Dance Basics (Mesa, AZ); ActiveNet, Belly Dance for Adults (Beginner) (City of Santa Monica). Opened 10 November 2026.
Read next
Twenty-three hours across three Hawaiian channels made Ted Lomicka the first man to finish the Maui Nui swim
How a Tennessee healthcare executive who came to open water through triathlon swam three Hawaiian channels non-stop, through a night and alongside a young humpback, and how to start swimming in open water or build towards a long swim yourself.
No one left behind on the Expresso trail: fifteen years of Tuesday rides with Girls Outside
How a group of women in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley turned a Tuesday mountain bike ride into a 15-year habit: the motto, the tailgate and why the group keeps them riding. How to start mountain biking on easy graded trails, or ride harder terrain with a group if you already ride.
More like this
Moderate
Learn flamenco dancing
Moderate
Learn to dance salsa
Moderate
Learn Argentine tango
Moderate
Take an adult ballet class