Dancers swayed their hips and undulated their torsos at a program last night in the K-State Student Union.

The program, "Belly Dance Your Way to a Better Body Image," featured performers from the Maya Zahira School of Belly Dance.

The five dancers, wearing brightly colored costumes, performed three pieces. The first was to a traditional belly dancing song, the second to a modern song and the third was to a drum solo. The dancers said they consider belly dancing to be positive for female body image.

Mika Selm, sophomore in education, said she loved the belly dancing community.

"There is always an aura of acceptance," Selm said.

Amanda Ratzlaff, junior in apparel and textiles, said one of the main reasons she was drawn to belly dancing was the pictures she saw on the Zahira School's Web site.

"Our school promotes not only healthy body image but also cultural awareness and education," said Gaitri, assistant director to the Maya Zahira School and K-State graduate.

Belly dancing has a long history, she said.

"It emphasized the the movement of the womb," she said. "They were moves that were practiced to help prepare a women for giving birth," she said. "Keep in mind they didn't have epidurals back then."

The program was sponsored by Sensible Nutrition and Body Image Choices, or SNAC. It is the first of a series of events for Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

"With all the negative images people see in the news and media daily, its refreshing to get a reality check on what's really important," said Zoe Gill, vice president of SNAC and senior in dietetics.

Other events include "Real Women, Real Curves," a presentation by a model from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, the Food and Mood Workshop and Fearless Friday: A Day Without Dieting.