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How to Belly Dance

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  • 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.The Mayo Clinic: Belly-Dancing: A Good Exercise for Weight Loss? 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.

  • Background and Culture

    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.Learn to Belly Dance: Belly Dancing Timeline and History 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.Wellesley College Belly Dancing Society: A History of Belly Dancing

    • 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.How to Belly Dance: Do You Need a Stage Name?

  • 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.Jasmin Jahal: Belly Dance Egyptian Style

  • 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.Learn to Belly Dance: Styles and Other Names for Belly Dance

  • Tribal

    1. Tribal belly dance is a type of dance that evolved in America, and it's largely improvisational.How to Belly Dance: How Can I Learn to Improvise?
    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.Tribal Bellydance: About Tribal Bellydance

  • 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

    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. Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: How to Belly Dance
    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.Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: Learning to Belly Dance: Where to Find Instruction

  • Self-Teaching

    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.How to Belly Dance: How to Structure a Belly Dance Study/Practice Session at Home

  • Other Methods

    • 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.Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: How to Belly Dance

  • 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

    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!Atlanta Belly Dance: Why Belly Dance?

  • Posture

    • Proper posture is important if you want to look and feel your best while belly dancing. Belly dancer Portia shows good posture here.YouTube: Belly Dancing for Beginners: Hip Snap Move When dancing, remember to keep your body in certain fixed positions:
    1. Knees slightly bent
    2. Hips tucked inHelenaVlahos.com: Belly Dance Tips & Tricks
    3. Shoulders thrown back and relaxedHelenaVlahos.com: Belly Dance Tips & Tricks
    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.Atlanta Belly Dance: Health Benefits of Belly Dance

  • 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

    • 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.Expert Village: Hip Shimmy Techniques in Belly Dancing

  • 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.Expert Village: How to Do Shoulder Shimmies in Belly Dancing

  • Hip Circle

    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.Expert Village: How to Do Hip Circles in Belly Dancing

  • 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.YouTube: Belly Dance Foundation Drills: Hip Twist

  • 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.Expert Village: [http://www.expertvillage.com/video/110467_belly-dancing-drill-hip-slides.htm Belly Dancing Drill: Hip Slides
    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

    • 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.Expert Village: How to Do Undulations in Belly Dancing

  • 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.Expert Village: Sharp Side Arabic Belly Dance Move

  • 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.Expert Village: [http://www.expertvillage.com/video/9792_learn-belly-dancing-arms.htm How to Do Snake Arms in Belly Dancing

  • Step 4: How to Dress

    • 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.Atlanta Belly Dance: Overview of Belly Dance: Belly Dance Costumes
    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.Atlanta Belly Dance: Overview of Belly Dance: Belly Dance Costumes
    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.Atlanta Belly Dance: Overview of Belly Dance: Belly Dance Costumes

  • 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!

 


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