How to Belly Dance

• by Carly Schuna

Introduction

• Belly dancing is a fun, active way to work out, stretch new muscles in your body, bond with others, appreciate yourself and have fun.¹ Many people consider belly dancers to be sensual or provocative, but belly dancing isn't about come-hither looks or desire--it's about having fun and exuding confidence in yourself. If you're having a great time while belly dancing, others will have a great time watching you, too.

• Read on to learn about the best ways to pick up the basics of belly dancing, from the background and culture of the dance, to fundamental moves and proper attire.

How to Belly Dance with Mahalo Daily

• 
  
  
• YouTube: Belly Dancing with Jillina and her Sahlala Dancers (Time: 5:53)

Background and Culture

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by fossilmike)
  Belly dancing is thought to have originated as early as 5000 B.C., and many people think it was one of the earliest forms of dance.² The styles of belly dance that we know today are thought to have evolved from various regions in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa.³

• Much of the culture still surrounding belly dance classes has evolved from original forms of the dance. Arabic culture is closely entwined with some forms of belly dance, and many performers choreograph pieces to traditional Middle Eastern music.⁴

• Many North American belly dancers use a stage name or dance name under which they perform. The names chosen are generally Middle Eastern, and performers can choose their own names or adapt names given to them by instructors.⁵

Types of Belly Dance

• When starting with belly dance, you're likely to run across three main types. All have some moves in common, so starting with any one of them is likely to give you a good basic education.

Egyptian

1. Egyptian belly dance is a very traditional style of dancing that's conservative and beautiful.
2. Egyptian-style belly dancers have very specific costume styles, sometimes including veils, and their dances generally involve a lot of shimmying moves.
3. The music accompanying Egyptian belly dances is traditionally Arabic music.⁶

Cabaret

1. Cabaret is the most popular style of belly dance in America.
2. If you've seen a belly dancer at a bar or a club, she was probably a cabaret dancer. Cabaret belly moves are flashy, and they're generally performed by soloists rather than by a group of dancers.
3. Music for cabaret dances can be modern or traditional.⁷

Tribal

1. Tribal belly dance is a type of dance that evolved in America, and it's largely improvisational.⁸
2. Usually done with a group, tribal belly dance can be a drum circle type of dance experimentation or a more structured routine.
3. Costumes are generally more casual than those for Egyptian or cabaret belly dance.
4. The music is often experimental, and fuses different genres.⁹

Step 1: How to Learn

• There are several ways to learn how to belly dance: through a teacher and classes, by watching videos, or by reading and researching books and articles.

Classes

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by lookster61)
  If you're just starting out, learning from an instructor will likely be most helpful for you.

1. Regularly attending a class or private lessons will help you practice regularly, see the moves performed by a professional dancer, get one-on-one help and ask any questions you have about dancing. ¹⁰
2. An instructor can help even experienced dancers improve problem areas and grow more confident about their dancing.
3. Good places to look for a teacher include the phone book, the Internet, cultural centers or nightclubs/other performance venues.¹¹

Self-Teaching

• If you can't take lessons, consider setting up practice sessions for yourself at home.

1. Establish a regular schedule so that you can consistently work at improving your dancing.
2. Incorporate videos and multimedia whenever possible so that you can watch the moves and then imitate them.
3. Treat these sessions just as seriously as you would treat a class with a teacher.¹²

Other Methods

• Articles, books, the Internet and instructional videos are also great ways to learn.

• They should be supplemented with direct instruction from a teacher, but if that isn't possible, you can find a wide variety of belly dance resources to help you learn moves by yourself.¹⁰

Step 2: Feeling Comfortable

• Belly dancing isn't just about your moves--it's about how you feel, too. You should smile and have a good time when you're dancing. Most of all, you should feel great about yourself. If you're doing cabaret or tribal dancing and exposing part of your belly while you dance, don't feel self-conscious!

Confidence

• If you don't feel good about your body, belly dance is an excellent way to boost your self-confidence.

1. There are plenty of opportunities to express yourself and your personality in belly dance, and you should try to communicate your feelings to the audience whenever possible.
2. When you dance, relax and let go of your stress.
3. Focus on what you're doing, but enjoy it. Smile!¹³

Posture

• Proper posture is important if you want to look and feel your best while belly dancing. Belly dancer Portia shows good posture here.¹⁴ When dancing, remember to keep your body in certain fixed positions:

1. Knees slightly bent
2. Hips tucked in¹⁵
3. Shoulders thrown back and relaxed¹⁶
4. Spine straight,
5. Abs in
6. Head up
7. Arms out to the side at shoulder height

• These aspects of dancing posture may not feel natural at first, so make sure to practice them until it's second nature for you to do those things when dancing.

Control

• Muscle control and core isolation are both extremely important in belly dancing.

1. Your dance will look sloppy if you don't hold your posture at all times or if you don't hold the right muscles tight.
2. Though many of the moves in belly dance are slow and look relaxing, a dance lesson is an intense workout! Strengthen the muscles you use in belly dance so that you'll feel comfortable when performing.
3. Focus on your core, and try to draw energy from it.
4. Control your breathing.¹⁷

Step 3: Basic Moves

• Shimmies, shoulder shimmies, hip circles, hip twists, slides, undulations, Arabic walks, and snake arms are the most common moves in many styles of belly dance.

Shimmy

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by fossilmike)
  A shimmy is a quick, up-and-down movement of the hips. To shimmy:

1. Make sure you have proper belly dance posture.
2. Slightly raise your right knee and let your right hip snap upward.
3. Lower that knee again and raise your left knee, letting your left hip snap upward. That is a shimmy.
4. You can shimmy one hip over and over by lifting and dropping just one knee, or you can shimmy both hips one after the other.
5. Shimmying can be done very quickly or very slowly, and it can be done in conjunction with almost any other belly dance move.¹⁸

Shoulder Shimmy

• A shoulder shimmy is just what it sounds like--a shimmy for your shoulders.

1. In good belly dance posture, your shoulders should be thrown back and down.
2. Lean slightly forward and pull your right shoulder up, then dip it down in front of you.
3. Let it fall back to where it was before, then repeat the same move with your left shoulder.
4. The shoulder shimmy is not about moving your chest; it's about isolating and moving your shoulders.¹⁹

Hip Circle

• A hip circle is simply one full rotation of your hips. Though it can be either large or small, the hip circle must be be fluid and controlled. To do a hip circle:²⁰

1. Make sure your hips and abs are tucked in.
2. Take a small step to the right, and push out your right hip.
3. Smoothly move it back on the path of a big circle, and lean forward slightly.
4. Then push out your left hip, continuing the motion of the circle.
5. Finish the move by gently pushing both hips forward and leaning back slightly.²⁰

Hip Twist

• A hip twist is done by twisting one hip toward the front of your body--consequently, the other hip moves back. To do a hip twist:

1. Tuck in your hips and abs.
2. With proper posture, twist your right hip forward as far as it can go comfortably (about a quarter of a revolution).
3. Let that hip come back, and twist your left hip forward.
4. It's important to remember that the hips stay level during this move--they don't go up and down like they do in a shimmy.²¹

Slide

• To do a hip slide:

1. Pretend as if your hips are on a horizontal plane.
2. With your knees slightly bent and your hips and abs tucked in, slide your hips to the right, then to the left.
3. Your hips should not move up and down--only from side to side; they should be level at all times.¹⁹
4. A slide can also be done with the chest or the head in the same way, sliding evenly and levelly from one side to the other.

Undulation

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by Andrew Mowat)
  The two basic types of undulations are up undulations and down undulations. To do an up undulation:

1. Start by tucking in your hips.
2. Bring your hips and stomach in slightly, then push out your ribcage and your chest, thrusting them forward.

• For a down undulation, reverse the move.

1. Bring in your chest.
2. Slowly slide down the hips and stomach.
3. End with tucking the hips.²²

Arabic Walk

• The Arabic walk is a common way to move in group or individual belly dancing. To do an Arabic walk:

1. Snap up one side of your hips (keeping the other side steady) and let that motion allow your opposite leg to move forward or to the side.
2. You will always be stepping with the leg opposite the snapping hip.
3. You can go forward, backward, or from side to side with the Arabic walk.²³

Snake Arms

• Snake arms are elegant arm motions that can accompany any belly dance move. For snake arms:

1. Hold both arms out at about shoulder height.
2. Make sure your shoulders are tucked in and back.
3. Move your right arm up and back, starting at the shoulder, moving to the elbow, then to the wrist, and finally the fingers on your hand.
4. Repeat the motion with your left side, starting with the left shoulder. The move should be fluid and smooth.
5. When done continuously with alternating arms, the move looks a little bit like a slithering snake.²³

Step 4: How to Dress

• Dressing properly is a big part of belly dancing.

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by Jason Burrows)
  You may also see dancers using props such as finger cymbals, veils, or even swords.²⁴

• For a regular belly dance class, it's usually fine to wear a tank top and exercise pants or a long skirt. For performances, costumes are generally used.

1. Cabaret belly dance costumes are flashy and usually brightly colored. They can include either pants or a skirt, but most cabaret dancers wear hip scarves or belts and a colorfully decorated bra.²⁴
2. Egyptian belly dance costumes are elaborate, yet more conservative than their cabaret counterparts. Egyptian dancers generally cover their stomachs when dancing, and many use veils as props.²⁴
3. Tribal costumes are generally simpler and less ornate than cabaret or Egyptian belly dance costumes. Most tribal dancers wear a long, flowing skirt and a tank top or bra/belt combination. Many tribal dancers also wear costume jewelry.²⁴

Conclusion

• As you can see, belly dancing can be a fun activity which celebrates the natural curves of a woman's body. Though most belly dancing moves don't come naturally, beginners can easily pick up the basics, which help tone muscles, work the whole body and increase self-confidence. A huge variety of resources are available in libraries, on the Internet and through multimedia to help both beginning and advanced belly dancers. It's a great and fun dance for almost everyone!

References for How to Belly Dance

1. ↑ The Mayo Clinic: Belly-Dancing: A Good Exercise for Weight Loss?
2. ↑ Learn to Belly Dance: Belly Dancing Timeline and History
3. ↑ Wellesley College Belly Dancing Society: A History of Belly Dancing
4. ↑ How to Belly Dance: Middle Eastern Music--A Very Brief Introduction
5. ↑ How to Belly Dance: Do You Need a Stage Name?
6. ↑ Jasmin Jahal: Belly Dance Egyptian Style
7. ↑ Learn to Belly Dance: Styles and Other Names for Belly Dance
8. ↑ How to Belly Dance: How Can I Learn to Improvise?
9. ↑ Tribal Bellydance: About Tribal Bellydance
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: How to Belly Dance
11. ↑ Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: Learning to Belly Dance: Where to Find Instruction
12. ↑ How to Belly Dance: How to Structure a Belly Dance Study/Practice Session at Home
13. ↑ Atlanta Belly Dance: Why Belly Dance?
14. ↑ YouTube: Belly Dancing for Beginners: Hip Snap Move
15. ↑ HelenaVlahos.com: Belly Dance Tips & Tricks
16. ↑ HelenaVlahos.com: Belly Dance Tips & Tricks
17. ↑ Atlanta Belly Dance: Health Benefits of Belly Dance
18. ↑ Expert Village: Hip Shimmy Techniques in Belly Dancing
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Expert Village: How to Do Shoulder Shimmies in Belly Dancing
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Expert Village: How to Do Hip Circles in Belly Dancing
21. ↑ YouTube: Belly Dance Foundation Drills: Hip Twist
22. ↑ Expert Village: How to Do Undulations in Belly Dancing
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Expert Village: Sharp Side Arabic Belly Dance Move
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3} Atlanta Belly Dance: Overview of Belly Dance: Belly Dance Costumes

• 
  
  

Get Ready for Thanksgiving with Mahalo