On the Rack Now - July 2010

It's time to check out the latest issue of Bella Magazine! It's full of summertime articles, products, and interesting news! Look for it at any of our carefully selected locations in Central & Southwest Virginia. What is there to look forward to in this issue?

• Lynchburg Fashion Scene: An article about Lynchburg's rising designer stars - Chromat, Storm & Stress, Maverick Bean, Sauvage, and Born Rogue
• Chef John's Find Your Flavor describes a couple of business women who deserve recognition - Patty Trostle, owner of the event venue Sundara, and Bayla Sussman with her simply delectable Baylee's Best Chocolates
• An article on Primland - A 14,000 acre resort in Southwestern Virginia
• The inspiring stories of Second to Nature Boutique and Jim "The Boob Guy" Thomas
• Business Profiles giving information on some of Southwest & Central Virginia's finest local businesses
• As always, Bella's incredible monthly columns contributed by local writers - Women @ Work, Manage This, DWF Seeks, An Everyday Bella Girl, Welcome to My World, Life on Mars, Off the Beaten Path, and The Bella Bookworm
• And SO much more!

Please pick up your copy of Bella Magazine today!

Ballroom Dancing

American Dance Center
4002 Brandon Ave . Roanoke
540.777.0727

Ok, we confess... by the time out third dance lesson rolled around, we were all danced out. (Apparently anti-aging face cream only works on the face!) So we sent two of our interns, Emily and Jessica over to American Dance Center for a latin ballroom lesson with owner/instructor Kenneth Kinchen, who gave the girls a mini lesson in the art of Cha Cha and Tango. They learned that the little things count, like the difference between turning your foot in vs. out, correct arm placement, and how to count, step correctly, where the turns based on body movement, etc. etc. etc.

They will be the first to tell you that ballroom isn't for wussies! It takes quite a bit of mind/body coordination, and a presence on the dance floor. Jessica was graceful and caught on quickly, while Emily... well, let's just say she accidentally brought two left feet with her that day. They spent some time talking to Kenneth after the class and found out that American Dance Center has so much to offer for both the beginner, and the advanced. Packages can be totally customized based on the client's need, and are really designed to help dancers concentrate on their favorite styles. (And there are so many: Salsa, Tango, Swing, and Mambo just to name a few!) After they came back to the office and showed us their new moves, we're pretty sure they both got on Facebook to talk about their crazy internship adventures.

Ballet & Hip Hop

Valley Dance Productions
17 Elm Ave . Roanoke
540.344.5633

Next, we headed over to Valley Dance Productions for a private lesson with owner/instructor Leslie Arthur. Valley Dance has been serving the Valley for over 10 years now, and offers several adult classes such as ballet, tap, jazz, and different yoga and pilates classes. What we love about the idea of adult classes is that you don't have to have a degree in dance, or be a retired Broadway dancer to take them. They offer a casual environment that allows you to move at your own pace, and be surrounded by adults who are there for the exercise, stress relief, or even just for fun. We started off with some bar work for ballet. Wow! No wonder ballerinas have such long and lean bodies! We were really impressed by the strength it took for what looks like such effortless movement. Amy had a slight disadvantage when it came to stretching on the bar, (after all, she isn't that much taller than the bar to begin with) but she hung in there. (Literally!)

Once we were warmed up and ready to hit the stage for our version of Swan Lake, Leslie switched it up on us and we started learning a hip hop routine in the middle of the floor. Joey lasted all of two minutes, and decided to watch for the rest! Hip hop isn't easy - it requires a dancer to be able to move off beat, on beat, be fluid, then sharp, loose, then harsh all within a matter on an 8-count. (Which is where we lost Joey.)


Trust us; it's not just booty shakin'! Amy was able to keep up for the most part (show off), but she  doesn't plan on trying out for So You Think You Can Dance anytime soon. We really enjoyed our time with Leslie; it has inspired us both to look into some classes for the fall! The ballet class is perfect for anyone looking for a strength and stretching class - think yoga, but "prettier" - and hip hop is an excellent cardio workout while learning a few new moves to impress the kids. (Of course, Joey will have to impress the youngsters with something else because her "hip hop" won't impress anyone!)

Belly Dancing

Uttara Yoga Studio
112-B Kirk Ave . Roanoke
540.309.0071

Now, in all fairness to Joey, Amy (up until children) had danced all her life and even taught for several years. But dance isn't like riding a bike, especially with an extra thirty pounds to carry around... so she encountered just as many challenged as Joey (aka "Stiff as a Board Sally")! We weren't exactly sure how four left feet could make a right, but we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and a lot of sore muscles!

We went to Uttara Yoga Studio for a belly dancing lesson with Kimberly Vest, a seasoned belly dancing and yoga instructor. Kimberly was even gracious enough to bring us some fabulous hip scarves to let us play with! We learned that belly dancing has really been "jazzed up" by Hollywood over the last half century. The costumes, glitz and glam that you see in the movies today didn't look like genies from a bottle, they remained covered up. In honor of that tradition, (and to not scare our readers) Amy kept her clothing traditional, while Joey and Kimberly bared their bellies!


There are many different styles, but we focused on Tribal, which isn't as structured, and uses stronger upper body movements to portray the strength of women. (Girl power!) Belly dancing may look easy, but it's really all about core control. We didn't realize how much effort and technique it took to jiggle and shake - but Kimberly helped us to concentrate our movements and by the end of class we were able to [belly] roll with the best of them! (P.S. This is one of the best an workouts we've had in a long time.)

July Cover Sneak Peek

Here's your July cover sneak peek! The July 2010 issue will be out next week for all to enjoy. Make sure to pick up a copy!