The 13 women vibrated their hips and waved their veils to the pulsating beat of Middle Eastern music.

The gold-colored coins on the instructor's orange, hand-crocheted hip scarf jingled as she moved, brushing against her Spandex pants that flared below the knee. Her top glittered with gold sequins and revealed her midriff.

But this wasn't a scene in Egypt or Turkey, countries where belly dancing is common. It was a class at Bunten Road Park --- the first session of a four-week series offered through Duluth Parks and Recreation.

"Who'd have thought Duluth had such crazy notions?" asked Linda Russell, one of the participants.

Maybe it's not so crazy. Belly-dancing classes already were being offered through Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation and were very popular, said Beth Anne Woodruff, special events facility coordinator for the park.

Bunten Road Park began offering a belly-dancing class last year in response to public interest, she said. Since then, she said, it is rare that classes don't fill up.

"We've had nothing but absolute positive reviews on it, " she said, adding that in the fall, more advanced classes will be available.

The aerobics room floor shook slightly as the women practiced the "hip shimmy" --- a movement that involves quickly vibrating the hips back and forth.

The music conjured up images of genies and snake charmers as belly-dance instructor Ramona McConney showed the new dancers how to take a single move and create a dance out of it.

McConney said she started belly dancing in 1986 and has been teaching for about 10 years. She trained with local instructors wherever she was living at the time and now attends belly-dance workshops to hone her skills.

Belly dancing has been around for thousands of years. The exact date of its origin is unknown, but scholars say it started in Egypt before 1500 B.C., said Barbara Siegel, a fellow of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania who studies and performs the dance.

Siegel, known as Habiba in the belly-dancing world, said no one knows whether the dance was used for entertainment or had some other significance, but some have theorized that dancers would perform to help an expectant mother give birth.

Most recently, belly dancing has become a fad, and women dance for exercise, entertainment and sensuality.

"It's definitely going wild, " Siegel said.

She said belly dancing has gained popularity because pop stars like Shakira and Britney Spears use some of the moves in their music videos.

That's how Roseann Perez, 22, became interested in belly dancing.

She said seeing Shakira belly dance made her want to try it herself.

"I like the movements --- the way you use different parts of your body, " she said.

But the women in the class still had some basics to learn.

The students laughed at their initial lack of coordination needed for a move dubbed "Minnie Mouse, " which resembles the way the animated character walks. They awkwardly moved their hips and their shoulders, unsure of the right combination of movement.

McConney demonstrated the move again.

"It takes some thought to get, " she told the class.

McConney said belly dancing is low-impact, compared to a lot of exercise programs. The dance tones muscle, particularly in the hips and abdomen, and enhances flexibility, she said.

"It exercises the entire body from head to toe because everything is involved, " she said. "Even though it's called belly, it's a total body dance."

McConney taught the women a move called "the butterfly, " an action that makes the veil fall along the back like the wings of the graceful insect.

The students, who all wore exercise clothing, practiced the move, sometimes catching the veil on their bodies, entangling the women in a cocoon-like wrap.

Despite the troubles, several women said they enjoyed the class.

"The class is wonderful, " said Velma Evans, 48. "For me, right now it's pretty difficult because I thought I was coordinated, but I guess I'm not."

Claudia Suggs, 32, said she came to the class to help with her grace.

"And it's kind of feminine, " she said. "I don't see any guys over here dancing."