Go to church to learn to belly dance

SPARTA - Belly dancing classes will be offered at 7 p.m. Thursdays by instructor Sherri Van Houten at the Sparta United Methodist Church. Van Houten said she moved her classes to the church because it provides a larger location. “The room there is bigger, the parking lot is well-lighted,” she noted. Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, Van Houten will also be teaching a belly dancing “Jazz-A-Belly” class at Sussex County Community College on Tuesday evenings. Van Houten is the founder and director of the Champagne Girls Charity Belly Dancing Troupe. The troupe offers entertainment for nursing homes and also raises money for charity through its shows and teaching classes. She is also the author of Belly Dance: Motion on the Ocean of Spirituality. The Sparta United Methodist Church is located at 71 Sparta Ave. at the corner of Lafayette Ave./Rte. 181. To register, call 201-247-0897 or e-mail sherri@dancingchampagnegirls.com. For info on the Sussex County Community College classes, call 973-300-2100.