Body: Dorine Hickey, 49, 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, mother of three grown kids, a new grandmother and a belly dance teacher at the Greater Hollywood YMCA Family Center.

Why it motivates her: ``Belly dancing gives me the juice -- what I need to survive, besides prayer. I need to have something to keep my body moving.''

What it works: ``You have to tuck your pelvis in and chest out. It makes everything in the pelvis area look long. You are using muscles you usually don't use, but you don't realize it because you're dancing and don't even watch the clock. Your posture totally changes. You realize how beautiful you look when you tuck in. You look like a dancer.''

Dancing daily: ``Right now I only teach once a month because I've gone back to school full-time, and I'm getting a degree as an ESE teacher in July. I've been teaching for the last seven years at the Hollywood YMCA; I also have a dance room at home and teach there. If I have school in the evening, I'll dance there for a half-hour to get my blood flowing.''

Style: ``I teach Egyptian style, which is different from Turkish. The dance is much more regal; not as many jumps.''

Behind the veil: ``The veil is probably one of the best props a belly dancer has. It's three yards of material, but it's not heavy. We make a lot of movement with it around the body and head, so your arms can hurt after awhile.''

Dance as recovery: ``I am a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed in April 2008 and had chemo until June. I had reconstructive surgery in November. They used skin from my stomach. It feels tight on my tummy, and I'm still a little swollen. I have to take it slow, but getting back into dancing kept me motivated. It makes me feel good. I put on dance videos or music all the time.''

All ages apply: ``You can dance until you're 100. I have a woman in my class who is 80. My students range in age from 8 to 80.''

Creative urges: ``A lot of sewing is involved. It helps you be creative.''

Young. Old. We'd love to hear about how you get in shape. Send your story to jmailander@MiamiHerald.com.

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