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The basic belly dance moves consist of:
1. fast hip movements such as lifts, drops and twists
2. slow hip movements such as hip circles and figure 8's
3. torso movements and undulations
4. head movements
5. step patterns and turns
6. arm and shoulder movements
Fast hip moves
1. Hip lift - When lifting the right hip; put your weight on your left foot, keep the knee
bent and raise your right heel, keeping the right ball of the foot to the floor but no weight on it. (You can also remain flat footed) Raise
the right hip up and release, bringing it back down to “neutral position”---in other words,
don’t drop it down. Repeat on the left side, changing your position accordingly. Don't use your legs to move your hips,
keep the torso still and keep the hip lifting upwards trying not to twist forward.
2. Hip drop - For right hip drops, same position as above. Drop the hip
downward and release to neutral position. Repeat on opposite side, shifting your weight accordingly. Isolation is key; try not to drop the
body with the hip!
3. Hip accents (locks) - pushing your hip out to the side, for example, shifting your weight to the right leg and pushing the right hip out to
the right side; kind of like doing the bump, or trying to close the car door when your hands are full of groceries---sometimes we
use our hips to close the door when it hasn't closed all the way. I call these "hip locks".
4. 3/4 shimmy- There are three basic 3/4 hip shimmy movements – side, up and down. All other 3/4 shimmies are variations of this.
The first movement is always the biggest and the next two movements are smaller.
3/4 shimmies are all about the hips, not the knees. If you haven’t mastered basic hip articulations (lock, lift, drop), these shimmies can
be very difficult.
The movement comes from the hips but you must always keep the knees soft so the hips have maximum range of motion.
Slow hip movements
1. Hip circles - basically, pretend that you have a pencil taped to your tail bone ad draw a circle with it. Keep the knees soft.
2. Big hip circles- like leaning to the side, push your hip out to one side, then to the back (like sticking your butt out, but keep a flat back),
then the other side and return to neutral.
3. Figure 8- twist the hip, in this case we'll start with the right, forward, push it back diagonally, shifting your weight to the left; that left hip
will then twist forward and push back, shifting the weight to the right again...you are making a figure 8 in the horizontal plane (on the floor)
4. inward fig. 8, or "taqsim"- this move is done in the frontal plane and you are making a
figure 8 going inward (towards the midline of the body) * while raising the hip upward and
inward you are also shifting your weight from one leg to the other
5. outward fig. 8, or "maya"- also done in the frontal plane, but making the figure 8 going
outward (away from the midline of the body) *raising the hip up, out and down on one
side, then the other and shifting the weight from one leg to the other
Torso
1. Chest lift- basically a lifting of the rib cage without using the shoulders to help lift the chest. Lift up and then release back into neutral
position.
Chest drop- the opposite; drop the rib cage, or chest, downward and release back up into neutral.
2. Chest circles- visualize that you have chalk taped to your chest and you are leaning up against a chalkboard: now draw a circle!
You can go right to left and then left to right.
3. Belly roll - a smooth 'rolling or waving motion' where the abdominal muscle alone is used
without any movement of the spine. First 'push' out, then 'pull in' the upper part of the ab, then 'pull in' the
lower portion of the ab. *Please note: There is no such thing as upper and lower abs!!!! The abdominals are just one long sheet
that run from your rib cage to your pelvis. I am using the term ‘upper’ and lower to describe how to perform this move, so
please don’t confuse it with there actually being two parts to the muscle. You cannot work one part without working the whole thing!
* Sorry, the Personal Trainer in me just had to make this clear! :-D
Remember to isolate! No shoulder movements, chest or spine movements should be involved!
4. The 'camel walk' - undulating and walking at the same time.
Undulations come from using the abs and leading with the chest, not the legs. When the legs are used, it creates a “momentum” from
the legs out the pelvis, which looks similar to something you'd have seen Michale Jackson do. Moves like this are considered vulgar in
the Middle East and even as an American, I can't say that I blame them. When the move comes from the torso, it creates a beautiful
undulation that is almost snake like and sensual, but not vulgar and sloppy. You are not stepping Right, Left, Right, Left with your legs.
You are creating a circular motion with the rib cage within the sagital plane and rolling the abs as you circle the rib cage, moving forward,
up, back and returning to neutral position.
As you create this undulation with your torso and abs, the weight of your body shifts slightly from the front foot to the back foot, in this case
we'll use the right foot in front and left in back. Once you engage the leg muscles and not the torso, you create the aforementioned
momentum that is not actually any kind of a bellydance movement that you would see in Middle Eastern dance. Remember to contract the
abs as your chest moves forward and relax the abs as the chest comes back.
Head
1. Head slides- keeping your chin parallel to the floor, slide your head to one side, then the other. *It is important to remember not to tilt
or turn the head. Keep the face straight and just slide the chin as if you were sliding it back and forth along a table top.
You can also do this in a circular motion; keeping the chin parallel to the floor, make a circle instead of sliding back and forth. *Again, no
tilting or twisting of the head. Keep the face straight forward!
Step patterns and turns
1. three stepTurn - Start with the body facing the front. The first step is out to the side. Next step you turn to face the back, weight onto
the other foot, your back to the audience. Then step onto the initial foot 180 degree turn (continuously in the same direction) to face
front again. Use the 4th beat to pause.
*This is the easiest and most common turn used and can be done with scissor arms, body waves and other nice additions that give this
move variety and creativity.
2. Karslimar- step right foot front, step in place with the left foot, step back with the right and again in place with the left foot. This basic
foot pattern can be done in a variety of different ways by adding hip locks, hops and shimmies to it!
* There are "L-steps" and "Horse-steps and, of course, the Debke, but we'll learn all of this in class.
Arm and shoulder moves
1. Snake arms - slow, wave like arm movements done with arms out to the side, alternating levels, for example: lift one arm
up while the other is down low and then smoothly, bring the other up while bringing the opposite arm down. *Lift the
shoulder to the ceiling, then the elbow, then the wrist, then the hand; then “swipe” your palm down the side of the wall. Repeat on
opposite side as your arm is swiping down. Make sure you keep your arms to the side rather than pulling them in! Think of it in terms
of “reaching” towards the right wall, then the left wall.*
2. Shoulder shimmy - a rapid, relaxed vibrating move in the shoulders. You can start slowly by pressing one shoulder back as the other
comes forward, and then speed up. Try to keep the hands still and level while the shoulders shimmy. *Think of it as “pointing” at
something with your shoulder rather than your hand.*
A good dancer is a good student.
Be on time for class. 5 minutes early is best. If class starts at 5 and you are there at 4:30, class still starts at 5. If you are there at 5:15,
class has already begun and you have missed the first part of class. Your teacher can not stay after and go over what you missed.
Keep talking, giggling and goofing around to a minimum. We all like to have fun and fun is encouraged, but not to the point where it
takes time away from class instruction.
Be committed, especially if you have become a member of a troupe. If you miss too many lessons, don’t be surprised if you won’t be
allowed to dance at a performance.
You will not be an expert after an 8 week session in dance. Stay humble.
Be Patient... with the teacher and with yourself!
Listen to your teacher and watch when she demonstrates. Let the teacher finish her demonstration. Trying to do the move while she is
explaining it, before you have even seen what it is supposed to look like, will not help you to do it better.
Most importantly;
Attend workshops, especially those that your teacher recommends for you.
Take notes, if you have to.
Team work! Help newcomers with patience and humility. You were there once, too. Being a know-it-all in class does not make you look
like a good dancer, but rather, a wannabe! Students should not be teaching other students. When a student asks the instructor a
question, let the instructor answer it...that is what she is being paid to do. As a troupe member, it is about the TEAM, not about you!
Video taping class instruction is prohibited and showing these videos to people who are not students is something that can cause a lot
of legal problems down the road. Most teachers charge a fee for video taping class time. Asking to video tape certain moves after class
is additional work (and rent) for your teacher. There will be an additional fee, should your teacher agree to videos. This one does not.
Make your payments in a timely fashion.
Teachers have expenses, such as rent for the studio, travel expenses and other things that students are unaware of.
If you make monthly payments and miss classes, you have lost your money. Talk to your teacher ahead of time. We all understand
illness or sudden emergencies. But if you do not show up for a couple of months straight, do not expect your last payment to carry over.
Decide before hand if you really want to learn to belly dance or just pop in for an occasional hour of something different to do. Once you
make your payment, there are no refunds. Good students do not expect special treatment. They should, however, expect their money's
worth. As a student, you have every right to ask about your teacher's qualifications, because if you want to be a good belly dancer, you
have to have a good teacher.
If you belong to a troupe, show up for performances on time, in costume and choreography memorized. Costumes should match and
should include accessories, hair, make up, nails and appropriate costume jewelry. Please do not show up in whatever it is that you
decide that you want to wear. If you do not look like you belong to the troupe, you do not get to perform. Understand that it costs money to
be a part of a troupe, students are not professionals and do not get paid for performing...consider it a recital, which is part of the
learning process. Dancers perform when the teacher decides that they are ready to do so. It is not based on how long you have been a
student, but rather, on how well you are executing the movements and memorizing your choreography!
Students are not required to perform. It is up to the individual student's goals in this genre of dance and the teacher's discretion as to
whether or not the student is a team player and a performer.
The criteria that I look for in a dancer are as follows, but note that these are not the only criteria, just the basics:
Control; a dancer should be in control of his or her body. You should be able to isolate body movements and not move one part of the
body when you are trying to move another. You should be able to feel the music and feel the movements.
Balance is imperative as is strength.
Coordination; a dancer should be able to combine movements to form dance combinations and patterns. You should be able to move
slowly or quickly and adjust to space availability.
Rhythm; An understanding of basic music mathematics is important, along with being able to hear and feel the changes within the
music. You should be accurate in the timing of your movements to the music. You should be able to find the beat!
Focus; dancers should be aware of the others around them as well as awareness of space. You should be able to adjust to the other
dancers and work as a team when dancing with a group. You should be able to remember information, perform without following and
replicate movements accurately.
A dancer practices as often as possible, tries hard to get it right, does not give up easily and improves over time.
Spirit; a dancer shows emotion in movement. The overall feeling of the song is expressed not only through the movement, but through
facial expression. The energy must be felt by the audience. Being scared to death and self conscious creates an uneasy feeling in the
audience. You must show pleasure in what you are doing and draw the audience into your world through the energy, emotion and
enjoyment you project! I call these the Three E's.
HORIZONTAL PLANE: divides the body into
upper and lower portions.(An example of this
would be torso rotation.)
FRONTAL PLANE: divides the body into front
and back. (Abduction & Adduction occur in
this plane.)
The key to using proper technique in bellydancing is to
understand that the HIPS carry the legs, not the other way
around. Most of the hip movements require contracting the
glutes, not bending and straightening the knee. Once this is
established, you will be able to build a solid foundation of
proper technique and from there, learning other styles of the
bellydance will not disrupt the basic movements of the dance.
Styles can change but technique never should!