Girls Raks Rocks La Peña

There's nothing like belly dance to make a woman feel her power.

As the belly-dance team Raks Africa, Etang Inyang and Tammy started Girls Raks (Raks is Turkish for "dance.") in 2010 to bring two weeks of this transformative force to teenage girls. In addition to dance, this year's Girls Raks class received workshops in confidence-building, posture, and physical and mental wellness. 

The young ladies — Jazz, Kika, Shakirah and Guadalupe — showcased the results along with a lineup of well-known Bay Area belly dancers in Saturday's  at La Peña Cultural Center. Much more than a concert, the festivities celebrated the girls coming-of-age and a welcomed them into the world of womanhood.

Girls Raks aims to provide tools for girls aged 13-19 of all shapes and sizes who may struggle with body image and self-esteem, Tammy and Etang explain on their website. It aims to give young women a body-positive experience free of judgment and competition. Course work includes choreography and bellydance history as well as meditation, art-making and writing exercises focused on self-awareness and connection to others. 

In one exercise, the girls created molds of themselves out of duct tape and old T-shirts, then were asked to come up with fabulous adjectives for the bodies they now saw from an entirely new perspectives. These molds were displayed at Saturday's event below headshots of the girls.

Those donating their talents to Saturday's bill included Berkeley  dance teacher Nanna Candelaria, (who not only performed but also sewed the girls' costumes), Concord-based Ahava, and more of the best Middle Eastern dancers in Northern California.

Many, including Ahava and Queenie TT, had struggled with physical debility during their dance careers and so felt especially moved to contribute to an effort enhancing the wellness of young girls.

Educator and plus-size model Tigress Osborn emceed the event, gamely changing into a different-colored jingle skirt to introduce every performer.

Check out our slideshow of the event — and please accept our apologies for the blurriness of some of the photos. If you are interested in taking part or contributing to next year's event, please contact Raks Africa at raksafrica@yahoo.com.