Bellydancing is an elegant and interesting folkloric dance. Bellydancers mainly use their hips, core, and upper body to make isolated movements. The dance is difficult to define in one way. There are many different styles and ways to do bellydancing. It probably began in the Middle East, but now there are US based styles of the dance! One of these is tribal, which is very earthy and feminine.

Some people might be scared to try it because they think it is too “sensual.” It is also very difficult and takes a lot of practice. They may never even drop in on a class. But really, bellydancing is great exercise. Bellydancers of all shapes and sizes will look great for bathing suit season. One can always ask for tips and pointers. But the best way to find out is to try!

Jordin is thinking about taking a bellydancing class. Listen as Marni explains the dance in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Trying to be a good person isn’t always easy. You might focus on someone too much and make your other friends angry, or you might try to be sweet and accidentally lead someone on. This can be a difficult situation. What happens when you are just being nice, but the other person falls in love? Do you tell them that you don’t love them, too? They might think that’s a low blow, but it might be necessary.

A low blow literally means getting hit on your lower body. Think about this. How does it feel to get hit in the stomach? It hurts a lot! As an expression, a low blow happens when someone says or does something that is really mean. They act in an unkind way and hurt another person’s feelings. Even if someone acknowledged that their action was a low blow, you would probably still feel bad.

Sheila calls Dominique while Andy is away. Watch today’s English soap opera to find out if she knows that breaking up with him was a low blow. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Imagine you are on a boat out at sea. You are floating along, when suddenly, you hear a shout, “Whales!” You grab your binoculars and hold them up to your face. Far off in the ocean, you can see the huge whales surface and breach the water. They make big splashes with their tails and send up a big spout of water every time they breathe. How exciting to be so close to these behemoths!Whale watching is a popular hobby in the United States, especially for people who live on the coast. Sometimes, you can see whales from the beach, but usually, people go out in a boat to try to spot them. Many people love getting up close to to these big mammals, but other people think it is a little bit scary. What if the whales get too close and tip over the boat?Andy has an anniversary coming up with his girlfriend, and Romeo suggests they go whale watching. Listen to the dialog to find out what Andy decides. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Subway is a fast-food chain that sells submarine sandwiches. Submarine sandwiches are sandwiches made with a long piece of bread. They are filled with meat, lettuce, tomato, and other toppings. A few years ago, a man named Jared Fogle lost over 200 pounds by eating healthy sandwiches at Subway. He was in many television commercials. Then, there was a weird scandal involving Jared Fogle. He did some bad things, and Subway fired him.

Now, Subway has a new scandal. A news report said that the chicken used at Subway is only 50% chicken. The other half is soybean filler. Soybean filler is gross. Subway is denying the scandal. They say it is fake news. Meat filler lowers the cost of meat. It helps the fast food restaurant make money. It does not help the fast food restaurant make friends.

Listen as Jordin tells Kelsey about the recent Subway chicken scandal in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I have to ask myself, ‘How am I going to create real change and not just… preach to the choir anymore?’”—Singer Miley Cyrus, speaking about political involvement (Billboard) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Earthquakes! Floods! Fires! It’s the end of the world as we know it! So, you better be prepared. Doomsday is scary to envision. The end of the world will probably be pretty ugly. We might run out of food or water. We might get very sick. Maybe, there will be a nuclear war. Maybe, there will be zombies. Many people believe if you are not prepared, you will not survive.

A prepper is a survivalist who thinks doomsday is coming soon. It might be tomorrow. There are many websites and television shows about preppers. Preppers spend a lot of money preparing for the end of the world. They stock up on canned food, water, and candles. A prepper might build a bunker in his backyard or basement. His neighbors will think he is crazy. Preppers might worry and overreact, but it can’t hurt to make friends with a prepper.

Listen as Marni tells Kelsey about how she is preparing for doomsday in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Did you ever say something mean about another person? Although we all want to answer “no,” we have probably all said something that was mean at some time. For example, maybe you planned a wonderful weekend for your girlfriend. But when you got on the road, she dumped you. This would be a bad way to begin a romantic weekend! You would be very hurt. And you might want to bad-mouth your girlfriend when you talk to your other friends.

To bad-mouth someone is to talk about them with other people in a bad way. You might say, “My ex-girlfriend is so mean and rude!” You may want other people to be mad at her, too. You say these things even though you loved your girlfriend only days before. Often, people bad-mouth others when they are angry. Usually, they bad-mouth because of their own feelings and not because the other person is truly bad.

Andy, Kelsey, Jordin, and Dominique are trying not to bad-mouth Sheila, but they are all a little mad at her. Find out why in today’s soap opera. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

The internet is a different world. When people talk on the internet, they can hide their identity. They can say mean or hurtful things that they would never say to someone in real life. No one is there to step in and hold them accountable. This is why teenagers have a lot of trouble feeling safe and secure on the internet.

Cyberbullying is when someone harasses or attacks a victim online. They may spread rumors, gossip, say hurtful things, and more. Over half of all teenagers have been a victim of cyberbullying. Since teenagers care a lot about their peers, cyberbullying can have a negative lasting effect on their self esteem. They may feel very lonely or depressed.

Jordin’s cousin was a victim of cyberbullying. Listen as she talks about his experience with Kelsey in today’s English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you like goats? Do you like yoga? Then you might love goat yoga! Goat yoga started in the state of Oregon when a woman named Lainey Morse had an epiphany. Lainey’s epiphany combined two things that people love. Yoga and goats!

Many people feel distracted and stressed out. Yoga is helpful when people are stressed out because it calms your mind. Doing yoga can be very relaxing. Goats can also be very helpful when you are stressed out. They are warm and sweet, and you can snuggle up with them. Who knew that goats climbing on your back would feel good?

Goat yoga might sound silly, but it has become very popular. People from New York and London have come to Oregon to try goat yoga. People love it and find it very therapeutic. However, other people think it is just a fad. Listen as Marni talks Kelsey into trying goat yoga. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I know I’m just in the middle of this thing now. and I’m not at the beginning of it or at the end of it, just … smack-dab in the middle.”—Actor Brad Pitt, speaking about his journey in life (GQ) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com