About Beledi
Main Dance Floor
Dance room #2
Our Mission
Beledi is committed to empowering the feminine spirit through the ancient art of dance. Bellydance was developed by women for women in a supportive, caring environment. In its earliest form, it was an exercise to prepare the body for childbirth and speed healing afterwards. It was truly the world’s first women’s fitness program. Over many centuries and cultures, it became a fertility dance, and later a form of entertainment. At Beledi, we teach the art of bellydance in its purest, most ancient form. Our goal is to inspire confidence and empowerment through the beauty of movement. We believe that through our uniquely developed class regiments, we can encourage women to feel beautiful in the diverse bodies they inhabit - and remember that women’s bodies are supposed to jiggle.
While some professional bellydancers have started at Beledi, most of our clientele is the every day woman looking to have fun and celebrate herself and her body through regular dance classes. We are not in the business of training professional dancers - although they certainly inspire us! Beledi is a community of women who support and encourage each other to bring out the beauty within.
Our History
‘Beledi’ is an Arabic word meaning “of the country,” and is the origin of the word “bellydance.” Beledi Global Dance & Boutique was founded in 2005 to serve the needs of the growing bellydance community in Northern Michigan. Owned and operated by Penny Morris since 2006, Beledi has grown massively since its inception to include many other forms of dance, including Zumba, Argentine Tango, Burlesque, Polynesian and Hula, and couples’ classes such as Waltz, Swing, Slo-Blues, and Two-step.
In February 2007, Beledi moved from a small location on the outskirts of town to a retail space in downtown Traverse City, where we built both our local and national reputation as a professional dance studio, an authentic retailer of world dance products, and the exclusive Michigan retailer of Melodia Designs’ dance and yoga wear.
We moved to our beautiful, peaceful setting at Logan’s Landing in March 2009, which boasts a sprung bamboo dance floor and wraparound mirrors overlooking the Boardman River. Our new location offers a second dance floor, showers, and massage -everything our clients need for a beautiful experience.
Beledi is home to many talents, including rising stars Raks Incendia and the award-winning Dancers of the Rising Phoenix. The professional dancers and performing students are a regular fixture in local events such as the National Cherry Festival, Friday Night Live, and Taste of Bethlehem. Beledi has hosted celebrity guests such as Bellyqueen, and workshops by Ultra Gypsy, Aegela, and many other bellydance legends.
Come and experience all that Beledi has to offer, and find the art that speaks to you! Our latest lineup of classes includes global dances such as salsa and Masala Bhangra, Middle Eastern drumming, and the hot craze all of Traverse City is talking about: Zumba!