Rania talks about her life as a belly dancer

When a friend of mine suggested I interview the beautiful belly dancer Rania Bossonis, I said oh hey, why not! Practically every belly dance learner has some of her videos and yet, we know nothing about her. Yes, she’s made a ton of videos on dance and fitness and she’s won Belly Dancer of the Universe awards…  But what does Rania think of her life as a belly dancer and fitness instructor?

There’s so little about Rania the person on the internet that I’d really like to start with that. When did you first get into dancing and what is it that made it happen?
I saw my first belly dancer at a Greek restaurant when I was 8 years old. I will never forget her. She was beautiful and had amazing rhythm and control. She wore a light blue costume. In all my 20-something years as a dancer, I have owned hundreds of costumes, but never a light blue one, because none would compare to that first one that I saw on that dancer when I was 8 years old.

I began taking Bellydance classes, as well as African, Ballet and Modern, when I was 13 years old. I also was a gymnast from age 8-12.

You’re basically Greek, right? Did you grow up there? Do you go there often? And do you do any Greek style belly dancing?
Yes, I am Greek, but I grew up in New York. I go to Greece every few years. I love Greek style Bellydancing, it is somewhat similar to Turkish, but with a different attitude and flair. I love the speed, endurance and skill of the Greek and Turkish styles. I have won awards for both Greek/Turkish and Egyptian styles.

What does your family think of your dancing?
My dad passed away before I did my first show. My mom was really proud of me; when she saw my videos in a store, she would move them to the top shelf… The rest of my family gave me a hard time for obvious reasons, but they did respect the fact that I only accepted shows in nice theaters and events. Now I no longer do regular performances, I only perform at special events, videos or when I teach workshops.

Do you have a job besides all your dancing-related work?
Yes. I have an MBA in Marketing and do Marketing and Business Development.

How do you get time for anything else, what with dancing, fitness, making videos, traveling, teaching?
Yes, Yes, and Yes. Time flies. I am a personal trainer and work out with clients in the mornings. I create choreographies and take dance classes in my spare time, I teach weekly classes, and travel to other countries to teach the various ethnic dances, choreography and fitness.

What do you like to do to just chill!
The beach. Cooking Greek food. Painting. Yoga. Talking to old friends on the phone.

Was it fitness first for you or dancing?
I think that because Gymnastics was the first discipline I trained in, it is a combination of dance and sport. I did study dance first, but also became a fitness instructor at age 17.

Who inspired your dance most?
Wow.. Difficult question. I think that changes with time. Early on I went through my Suzanna Del Vecchio phase, my Eva Cernick phase, my Ibrahim Farrah phase, the Mona El Said phase, Samia Gamal, Dina, Mahmoud Reda & Farida Fahmy, and Zahra Zuhair.

And what sort of music do you really really love?
More difficult questions!! I love Classical, Opera, Heavy Metal, Greek, Egyptian, Lebanese, Hip Hop…. All music is fantastic and is nourishment for the soul. I am also listening now to some popular Bollywood numbers, like songs from Dhoom II…

What style of dancing attracts you the most? You look as if you enjoy Turkish the most…
I wanted to play the piano since I was 5 years old, but my parents did not want me to study music. Therefore my passion for music is reflected in the dances. So, to answer your question, the style of dance has to fit the song. If there is Classical Egyptian music playing, the music begs me to dance the Egyptian style and interpret the music. If there is fast Greek or Turkish music, of course I will put on my finger cymbals and go full speed ahead… But it is always about the music first.

You have 16 or so videos… a lot by any standards! Do you conceptualize them yourself totally?
Twenty videos. But who’s counting. Some were my idea, like Too Hip and Hipper Than Hip, but mostly I was hired to do what the producers wanted. This was difficult because often I could not choose my own music, I had to use whatever music they had the rights to. Sometimes the producers placed harsh restrictions on the content. For example, in my first video series, they said they had to be beginner videos, and each move had to be so basic that someone could learn it the first time they saw it. Then they called all the executives in a conference room and made me show them the moves used in the routine. If the executives couldn’t do a move the first time I showed them, they removed that move from the program. I felt like I was in some bizarre comedy movie, watching executives in suits trying to bellydance, and then being told that if they couldn’t bellydance, the moves would be removed. Weird.

For you, what are the highlights of your dance life?
Making the first videos, winning the competitions, going on the first tour with the Bellydance Superstars, opening for Dwight Yoakam, going on MTV, writing a book, and having the amazing opportunity to travel to other countries and make friends. But the biggest highlight is the reward of being a teacher and watching students progress and achieve.

One of the complaints that your DVD buyers have is that there is often a lot of repeated material across videos and no indication of that in the marketing literature. So, they end up buying a video only to find that the material’s been covered on something they have already. What would you say about that?
There was one video company that I no longer work with (Natural Journeys/Goldhil) that would release a DVD consisting of footage from other DVDs. Or, they would shoot a new DVD, and use older footage as the DVD ‘bonus’ material. I have no control over this; they make these decisions without speaking with the artist, and to be honest, they treated me VERY poorly.

You’ve tried different blends on your fitness videos – which one do you think works best?
Of the videos that blend styles, I think Belly Yoga works best. But otherwise, my favorites are Cardio Shimmy, Hipper Than Hip and Too Hip, because they are just Bellydance, but very effective workout routines.

Do you really think belly dancing can bring about weight loss?
Yes. Absolutely. 100%. The whole thing started when I was a working dancer doing 6-10 shows per week, and teaching 3 hours per week. People used to ask me if I lifted weights or ran marathons, why was I in such good shape… I would reply that I just bellydance A LOT. Bellydance movements are gentle on the body, and are very good for the spine (if performed correctly). They stretch and strengthen the muscles at the same time, as does Yoga, but with the added benefit of Cardio. During the video shoots I had a big bowl of M&Ms and was eating constantly, but still lost weight during the shoot.

I receive emails from people all over the world who do the workouts once per day and have lost a lot of weight. My friend Kristina lost 34 lbs. in one year, and my friend Jaclyn lost 50 lbs. These were both people that lost the weight and then emailed me to tell me they lost weight, and we ended up becoming friends. Life is cool like that.

Now M&Ms, I could not mind at all! I have to step up my bellydancing if you’re saying it definitely makes one lose weight. I notice from reviews of your videos that it’s belly dancers that are the most critical of your fitness DVDs. Why would yo think that is?
I think they are looking for Bellydance instruction and upset to find that it has been fused with fitness.

Would you think of making an advanced yoga video?
I would love to, however I would want to continue further in my Yoga studies before even considering this idea. I am in awe of Yoga, it is such a beneficial discipline for the mind and body. Amazing.

Do you think yoga would work better than belly dancing to shape, sculpt and bring about weight loss?
I think that Yoga builds more strength and muscle tone, whereas Bellydance is more of a gentle toning combined with Cardio. They both boost metabolism. I do notice that people who consistenly do Yoga have better muscle development in the upper body (shoulders, arms and back). I also strongly believe that bellydance is also great for stress relief because of the element of self expression. Because the movements are small, isolated and internal, all the women learn the same moves, but the dance seldom looks the same on two people.

What’s next on the video scene for you? Are there any more in the making?
I don’t have any video plans in the near future. The ones I really would like to make, such as an in-depth instructional dvd, are out of my budget at this time. And my real joy is in teaching. Videos are good for working out or as a supplement to taking lessons, but there is no substitute for the classroom environment where the teacher and student can interact. So I prefer to teach classes more than to perform or make videos.

Some of Rania’s paintings: