AMHERST – The Amherst Senior Center will host a new six-week dance program called “Sampling The Divine,” teaching Egyptian dance, sometimes referred to as “belly dancing.” The class will begin on Jan. 10 from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center, and will run there every Tuesday at the same time for the duration of the program.

A press release from Senior Services Director Hayley Bolton describes the program as “an expressive dance course, designed to awaken our spiritual, sensual and emotional potential through belly dance-inspired and creative movement.” Program instructor Madelyn Farr found that Egyptian dance rekindled her love of dance, and she hopes to be able to provide that to her students.

“This is a belly dance class designed for older folks. I myself am older, and I have danced all my life, but I have found that belly dance is a wonderful dance style to pursue as an older person, and I’ve practiced many dance styles. I fell in love with it three years ago … I thought I wouldn’t dance much anymore, that I wasn’t going to be dancing as an art…it was a life-changing moment, I saw it and I said ‘I’m going to learn that dance’ … That led me to where I am now, wanting to teach others,” Farr said.

She feels that the style is a great fit for senior citizens due to its loosening of the body and low impact.

“The reason why I think it’s so beneficial for the elder community is it’s an extremely organic dance, in that there’s a lot of circular movement. There’s a lot of undulating movement, which of course takes skill to learn, but for the body itself, there’s a lot of swaying and types of movement that are very lubricating for the muscles and the joints. As an expressive vehicle, it’s wonderful,” Farr said.

She said that the program’s name derives from the spiritual awakening which occurs while performing Egyptian dance, a feeling which she hopes to guide her students to as well.

“The reason why I call it ‘Sampling The Divine’ is because I think one discovers the spirituality of sensuality, and the sensuality of spirituality … It’s kind of become meditative practice for me … It connects me to a higher sense of self that I’m able to surrender to when I’m in the flow. It’s a dance form that very much invites flow … There’s really a sense of getting in touch with inner pleasure, and that’s the ‘divine’ feeling,” Farr said.

The class is geared towards seniors but is open to people of all ages. Farr said that “[those interested in attending the class] can call the Amherst Senior Center. They make it very affordable; there’s a suggested donation of $10 for every four classes.”

Although the program may be new and potentially intimidating for beginners, Farr said that she encourages everyone to take a chance and have some fun, as well as enjoying the socialization and community that comes with its group setting.

“I would love people to give it a try, because I’ve discovered that the people who come, they took a risk and they enjoyed it. My ultimate goal is for people to really enjoy themselves and to feel good. That’s my end goal as a teacher, to promote that…And it’s also a sense of community with the peers in the class. There’s community, and it’s super fun to dance,” Farr said.