Wiggle and a giggle

EASTERN glamour... Linda (bottom left) and her Chadderton pupils

Linda’s love affair with belly dancing

A TRIP to Turkey led to the fulfilment of a lifelong love affair with belly dancing for Linda Revill.

She was so impressed with the performers she saw there that she decided to take it up. Now the 61-year-old is helping people in the less exotic surroundings of Oldham to make an Eastern promise to shimmy their way to fitness.

Linda has started running belly dance lessons at Chadderton Reform Club, adding to the classes she already holds in Shaw, Royton and Mossley.

The Eastern Promise sessions are proving a hit with women who like their exercise classes glammed up with shimmery scarves and sparkly beads. And the emphasis is firmly on fun with Linda’s motto “have a giggle while you wiggle”.

“Belly dance is something I have always wanted to do, she said.

“At the cinema it wasn’t Rudolph Valentino, it was always the belly dancer I was interested in,” explained the retired florist who has a grown-up son.

“I went on holiday about 20 years ago and saw one of the top belly dancers in Turkey. She was an amazing old woman.

“I studied in Turkey and I studied over here, and I was asked to do lessons which I have been taking ever since.”

Linda has taught hundreds of women of all shapes, sizes and ages — and has even had mums, daughters and grans and the same class.

Linda explained that belly dance was an all-over workout.

She said: “It’s exercise, it’s confidence building and its friendly, and we have belly dance parties.

“People are shy at first, the first class is the worst, but after that they realise everyone is friendly and they get into it.”

For more information contact Linda on 0161 336 6063.