The Bellydance Hangover

Reginald J. Cross, Galt Museum

You wake up, the morning after a performance, and everything hurts. Your head is pounding with the beats of last night's music, your feet are cracked and swollen from when you stepped on someone's beads, your eyelids are stuck together from the eyelash glue you were too tired to clean off, and you can't stop phantom zilling, even though you have carpal tunnel.

You have a bellydance hangover.

Yes, a bellydance hangover actually exists. It's not recognized in the medical world, but ask any bellydancer and they'll tell you that they've experienced this at least once before.

At best, you'll just need a good soak in the tub to take care of sore muscles. You'll also want to make sure you've given your face a good scrub--that stage makeup will clog your pores faster than you can shimmy! However, if you've actually injured yourself, whether it's an injured muscle or a cut foot, you'll need to take things a little more seriously.

For pulled muscles, ice and heat are your best friends, and try to get in an appointment with your massage therapist as soon as possible (you do have a massage therapist, right?). Don't forget a trip to the doctor to make sure you didn't do any serious damage, and take it easy for the next week. If it's an open wound, clean it out, remove any debris that might be stuck in there (glass, dirt, sequins, beads), and bandage it up. You'll also want to check that your tetanus shot is up-to-date, and make an appointment with your doctor.

As for taking care of the phantom zilling and the headache from the music, spend a quiet day catching up on your favorite television series or reading a book. Relax and stay hydrated. You deserve it, after a great show!

A little overindulgence in bellydance isn't a bad thing every once in awhile, but like any indulgence, make sure you don't do it every night, or you'll burn out fast than you can say "hip work". And, if you've got a lot of dance sisters and brothers, a bellydance hangover is a great excuse to spend some more time together, and maybe even plan the next event!