Television and Print
Hood County News, Feb. 1, 2014 ~ Special Feature by Kathy Cruz, Staff Writer
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To Heather Wayman, a waist is a terrible thing to mind – especially when it keeps a woman from enjoying all the benefits that belly dancing has to offer.
Over and over again, Wayman, who runs Belly By Heather (www.bellybyheather.com), has seen women become transformed when they let go of their inhibitions – and their hips. See, it’s not about the belly. And, despite the costumes and the sensuous moves, it’s not about being sexy. It’s about tapping into something for which there are no words. Well, actually, there is a word – “tarab” (ta-rob). It’s Arabic. There’s no translation, really, says Wayman, but it refers to the feeling one gets when listening to music that causes one’s hairs to stand up. Wayman speaks with emotion about the Middle Eastern art form of belly dancing. She became hooked on it seven years ago in Okinawa, Japan, where she and her husband Don were stationed. Don, now retired, was a colonel in the Marine Corps. It was at the PX that Wayman spotted a kiosk with a display of coin belt scarves – the kind used for dancing. She asked a PX employee whether anyone nearby taught belly dancing. Turns out, an officer’s wife was offering lessons. From that point forward, a passion was born. Wayman, who moved to Hood County four years ago, said she realizes that Granbury leans toward the conservative, so she bears that in mind when performing at events such as the Harvest Moon Festival. She often wears a body stocking, or even a long dress. Her stunning belly dance costumes come from exotic locales such as Istanbul, Turkey and Cairo, Egypt. They typically cost between $500 and $1,000. Wayman recently gained eight pounds on purpose just so she could wear a beautiful costume that turned out to be a tad too large. Wayman and her students have brought in donations of cash and food items for local charities. Her classes are taught at the Langdon Center by the square. To get an idea of the benefits of belly dancing, perhaps one need only look at Wayman. Not only is she a mother of five, here are their ages: 28, 26, 25, 21 and 17. The line to sign up forms to the left. [email protected] | 817-573-7066, ext. 258 |
Hood County News online...March 30, 2014 ~ Mayor Pratt benefit Fish Fry
Photos by Mary Vinson ~
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Hood County News, September 15, 2012Granbury's premier professional middle eastern dance performer and instructor, Heather was featured in the "Business Briefs" column of the September 15, 2012 edition of the Hood County News (Hood County Texas).
Click here for the online synopsis from the HCN or download the full text at right |
For the full text of the article featured in the September 15, 2012 edition of the "Business Briefs" column in the Hood County News, download the Word document below.
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"An Evening of Oriental Dance, Vol. II" at the Granbury Resort Conference Center
benefiting Kids' Armor of Hope, May, 2012
Interview by David Wood of Granbury TV ~ Hood County Texas with Heather Wayman (Belly By Heather) and Jeff Jeffries (Kids' Armor of Hope) promoting "An Evening of Oriental Dance, Vol. II", a benefit showcase at the Granbury Resort Conference Center in Granbury, Texas on May 10, 2012. For photos of the festivities, please visit the May Showcase, 2012 page.
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May, 2011 Showcase "An Evening of Oriental Dance, Vol. I"
at Celebration Hall benefiting Ruth's Place food pantry