‘You can just do it forever’: Belly dance classes and shows grow steady local following

Elizabeth DeNeeve, center, teaches a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26.

Elizabeth DeNeeve, center, teaches a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Participants dance with scarves at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls.

Participants dance with scarves at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Participants dance with scarves at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls.

Participants dance with scarves at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Participants at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls.

Participants at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Elizabeth DeNeeve teaches a belly dancing class in the dance studio at the Brick House in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26.

Elizabeth DeNeeve teaches a belly dancing class in the dance studio at the Brick House in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Elizabeth DeNeeve, left, teaches a belly dancing class in Turners Falls.

Elizabeth DeNeeve, left, teaches a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Elizabeth DeNeeve teaches a belly dancing class in the dance studio at the Brick House in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26.

Elizabeth DeNeeve teaches a belly dancing class in the dance studio at the Brick House in Turners Falls. DeNeeve and fellow belly dancer Emily Gaylord are co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center,” which takes place July 26. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Participants dance in a circle at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls.

Participants dance in a circle at a belly dancing class in Turners Falls. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Staff Writer

Published: 06-20-2025 10:24 AM

Modified: 06-24-2025 10:33 AM


Greenfield business owner and belly dancer Elizabeth DeNeeve and South Deerfield belly dancer Emily Gaylord having been co-producing a belly dancing showcase called “Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center” where the two aim to not only entertain, but educate audiences on the Middle Eastern style of dance. 

DeNeeve, who goes by the stage name Eshta Amar, has made a name for herself in the belly dancing community as an internationally renowned costume designer for belly dancers and dancers alike. At her peak, she says she was making 100 handmade costumes in a year using materials she sourced from markets in Los Angeles and in Egypt to create intricate, tailored pieces.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, DeNeeve said many costumers and belly dancers have had to change course. Now that she is winding down her work as a designer, and managing her new business The Sparkle Cave in Greenfield, DeNeeve has found that belly dancing never leaves her.

“It doesn't seem to want to leave me,” she said. “And that's the thing, unlike ballet and other forms of dance, you can just do it forever, and that's wonderful.”

As she makes her transition into this new phase of her belly dancing career, DeNeeve has been teaching classes weekly at The Brick House Community Center in Turners Falls in addition to the belly dancing showcases with Gaylord at the LAVA Center in Greenfield.

“I wasn't even thinking of having a belly dance show, although I don't know why I wasn't, because I've always had a belly dance show,” she said. “So I couldn't believe that LAVA was just like, ‘Yeah, you could just rent our space and do this,’ and then to run into [Gaylord] … to have her help to connect me to all these dancers that I had been friends with on social media for so many years, but haven't actually danced with in person till I moved here, is really special.”

Belly dancing as a practice originates in the Middle East, with the style of dance varying between regions. Egyptian belly dancing and Turkish belly dancing are examples of the way different cultures have created their own variations, and the LAVA Center shows seek to illustrate the different styles.

Gaylord, who goes by her stage name Aralia Pearl, said she’s been belly dancing for the last 15 years in the Pioneer Valley, and she became connected with DeNeeve when she moved to Greenfield. On her own quest to rediscover belly dance on a personal level outside of her dance troupe, The Crescent Dancers, who she danced with for a decade, she says the partnership with DeNeeve came at a valuable time.

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“It felt really serendipitous at this time where I wanted to be a student again, and kind of reground myself in dance,” she said, “And Eshta walked into my life and here we are co-producing this show at the LAVA Center.” 

The most recent show at the LAVA Center that was hosted was in March, and now the pair are preparing for their Saturday, July 26 performance. This summer, the lineup with feature both DeNeeve and Gaylord performing, alongside Victoria Farasha Raqs, Salazar Meda, Fady Dance and Bryaim and Em Hayam. To continue with the educational and entertainment goals, the show provides a presentation on the dances and music, and the dances are interactive with the audience as part of the belly dance tradition. 

Both Gaylord and DeNeeve say western Massachusetts has an interest in belly dancing in part because many performers live and perform here. They also both recognize how they are “guests” within the Eastern tradition and origins of belly dancing. Accordingly, they aim to keep their shows culturally relevant and educational to pay respect to the history and culture behind belly dancing.

Gaylord also noted the importance of immigrants and cultural exchange, emphasizing the importance of honoring cultural differences.

“At a moment in time when people are literally being disappeared from their workplaces and we're in a political moment that's trying to sow a lot of fear from people who just don't look like us, don't sound like us,” she said, “I do feel an added weight to making sure that we're doing our best effort of pointing out that — and I said this at the last show — that magic and art and dance and science happens when you embrace difference, not when you try and avoid it.”

“Molten: An Evening of Belly Dancing at the LAVA Center” will take place Saturday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. at 324 Main St. in Greenfield. Doors open at 5 p.m. for this all-ages show, and there is a suggested donation of $10 to help pay the artists for their labor of love, although nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/27zcntv9.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.

An earlier version of this article included an incorrect address for The LAVA Center, which is located at 324 Main St. in Greenfield.