Diallo teaches belly dancing

By JANICE AUSTIN
For The Salinas Californian

Belly dance has been a form of expression for Mariama Diallo for the past 17 years. She loves the way the dance form communicates a woman's life.

"When a woman belly dances, she's expressing her life story through the movement," Diallo said. "I've never met a woman who isn't a beautiful belly dancer."

She teaches belly dance at Gold's Gym on Constitution Boulevard on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The Saturday morning class is open to community residents whether they have a gym membership or not.

A student of West African drum and dance, Diallo was given her performance name, Mariama, by drummers she worked with during a drum and dance workshop in Senegal. She has formed a dance troupe, Amies Dorée, with her students.

An adventure-seeker, Diallo was a rock climber when she took her first belly dance class.

"I was looking for a dance form that would increase my balance," she said. "A friend told me that in belly dance you dance barefoot and are always relying on the edges of your feet. I stopped climbing and kept dancing."

She trained in Oregon. While living in Switzerland, Diallo taught belly dance.

"In the region I was living, there wasn't another dance teacher," she said. "I started to teach because I needed to dance and I needed to dance with other women. I enjoy the interaction with other women. Belly dance is healthy and empowering for women."

Diallo, 44, shares her home with her husband - an African drummer - mother and cat. She has lived in Salinas for 10 years. She also teaches a muscle-toning class and a spinning class at Gold's Gym.

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