Having a hobby could mean playing a round of golf on the weekend or collecting stamps on eBay, but one woman found her niche partaking in a hobby of a more unique variety — belly dancing.

In 1993, Lisa Rich-McKelvey attended a belly dancing class for kicks, having no idea what would await her there. Needless to say, she was entranced by what she saw, she says.

“After taking that very first class, I knew that this would be a long-term commitment,” she says. “I discovered that belly dancing is the best way I can express myself — I love the movements, the costumes and the music … it’s very fluid and beautiful.”

Twelve years later, she is still eagerly pursuing belly dancing — with success.

“In 2003, I won the Middle Eastern dance competition for North America,” Rich-McKelvey says.

She says the dance, which is traditionally performed at parties and weddings in the Middle East and has roots in Middle Eastern folk dances, is becoming increasingly popular in the United States.

“Competitions are popping up all over the place,” she says.

Rich-McKelvey travels and performs about once a month all over the country at workshops and seminars. Last year, she traveled to Houston to study with a famous Egyptian dancer who was making a rare stateside appearance.

“I am constantly looking for new ideas to push me forward as a creative individual,” Rich-McKelvey says.

Her desire to improve her skills and learn new techniques has earned her a certain amount of respect in the belly-dancing community, she says, where she is known as “Shiara.”

“Dancers all have stage names … when we’re at home we do laundry and have baggage that we don’t bring with us on stage,” she says.

Since becoming successful as a belly dancer, Rich-McKelvey says her focus has been on teaching others and personal growth. She is an instructor at the Workspace in the basement of the Memorial Union, and she teaches once a week in West Des Moines and once a month in Urbandale.

“I dance as much as my schedule will allow. I have a full-time job, but I either practice or teach almost every night of the week,” she says. “Oftentimes, on weekends, I travel to workshops or have performances.”

Although time-consuming hobbies could cause others to find less time for their families, Rich-McKelvey says she has been lucky that her family is starting to take interest in her hobby.

She says she is especially excited for an upcoming show in which she will be dancing with her sister and two nieces, ages six and eight.

“My nieces told me out of the blue that they were interested in belly dancing,” she says. “I made them hip skirts and gave them music, and so far they’ve loved it. I found an Arabic version of ‘If I was a Rich Girl’ — it’s like that Gwen Stefani song, but without all the rap.”

Rich-McKelvey says musical diversity is one of the things that makes belly dancing so appealing.

“There’s actually a lot of crossover music being used today … it’s like techno-influenced Arabic pop music,” she says. “But I personally love the classic, highly orchestrated Egyptian music.”

She says belly dancing is very different from most dances, as it is actually quite challenging — it focuses more on curved, rolling movements that require the strengthening of muscles most people don’t use otherwise.

Even though “proper” belly dancers must keep their bodies toned at all times, she says the dance isn’t exclusively for people who are.

“Belly dancing can be for anyone — whether it be costumes or music or movement,” she says. “There’s a style out there for everyone,” she says.