Belly Dance - The Basic Moves

Always warm up before attempting any belly dancing moves!

Quick Warm Up
Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor,(make sure they are pointing forward to protect your knees) bare or in shoes that are flat and cover the complete sole of your foot. Your feet should be hip width apart, with knees nice and loose.
Every time you start to dance you must do some warm up exercises. If you have any injuries, please be very careful, check with your doctor first. Do not start your warm up with strenuous stretching, start gently by feeling the space around you, then give yourself a good shake, stand carefully on one leg and make some small circles with your feet, then travel up to do circles from your knee and then the whole leg. Do this with each leg in turn.
Next make some small circles with your hips, as you are doing this, imagine a cord attached to the top of your head holding you upright. Do the circles each way. Next standing with your feet hip width apart - arms out to either side, lift your rib cage and slide it to the right and then the left. Do several of these.
Next lift and lower your shoulders, do not let them drop, do this several times. Next let your head fall forwards onto your chest, then take it to the left over the left shoulder, then back to the front, then to the right over the right shoulder. Do this several times.
Do not take your head to the back unless you are already doing this as part of a regular exercise programme.
Next still standing with your feet hip width apart - go onto the ball of one foot and raise the same arm in the air close to your head, hold the wrist of that hand with the other and stretch, you should feel a good stretch down that side round the waist area. Do one more on that side, then do two at the other side, repeat two more times each side.
Finish this short warm up with a good shake and smile.

Core Bellydancing Moves

HIPS

Hip circles - small rolling hip circles are done with the pelvis making a continuous circular movement. Isolate the movement, keeping your chest still.

Larger hip circles - similar to the way you would move if you were spinning a hula hoop around your waist...but make the move slower and lower.

The inward figure of '8' requires the verical movement of the hips to create a shape like a number '8' by alternating sides; first the raised toe and straighter leg pushes the same hip upward, and inward. Then this is repeated on the opposite side, in a pendular action. Weight must smoothly shift from left to right. It is quite a contained move.

The outward figure of '8' is a wide horizontal move. Imagine drawing an '8' on the floor by pushing alternate hips first diagonally forward, then tracing half the '8' back. Repeat. Feels flatter in the feet than the inward '8'.

Maya - a vertical outward '8' that is quite contained.

Hip lift - the hip lifts upward whilst the rest of the body remains quite still. Isolation is important for effective fast hip moves.

Hip drop - very Egyptian, it is a deep seated downward hip move. Again make sure the whole body doesn't 'drop' when the hip does - isolation is important.

Shimmy - the most excuberant, fun move of all! A quivering of the flesh on the hips and bottom. You must relax your knees and build up a constant vibration from the knees to the thighs. It also helps get rid of cellulite! In fact, the 'shimmy' was done in the Artemis days in ancient Turkey as a wild, unrestrained fertility dance.

Travelling shimmy - you can walk with a shimmy too! Either with a hip down move as in Egyptian baladi, or with a twisting movement from the waist like the Turkish dancers move when the rhythm speeds up.

Hip accents/flicks - you can push your hips outward to the sides - a bit like a small, sudden 'thrusting' move. Remember to isolate the hips. These look great with drum accents in the music.

TUMMIES

Tummy roll - a smoothe three part belly 'rolling motion' where the abdominal muscles alone are used - without any movement of the spine. First 'push' out, then 'pull in' the upper abs, then 'pull in' the lower abs. Continue this roll.

Undulation - a sinewy swaying motion of the spine and belly. First move the weight of the body forward and then 'pulling back' with the abs and pelvis, like a wave.

The 'camel walk' - a combination of this undulation and a travelling step. It feels quite natural, with a slight 'scooping' effect. Just step on the front foot, then the back in synch with the undulation. You alternate stepping low with slightly bent knees, then high with straighter legs to create an up-and-down camel walk.

ARMS AND SHOULDERS

Shoulder roll - roll the shoulders back and around in a small, smoothe circluar motion.

Snake arms - slow, mesmerising move done with arms out to the side, alternating levels, ie: lift one arm up while the other is down low and then smoothly, swap. Maintain some poise in the arms. You can do this by focussing on the elbows lifting the arms up and down.

Shoulder shimmy - a rapid, relaxed vibrating move in the shoulders. You can start slowly by pressing one shoulder back as the other come forward, and then speed up. Try to keep the hands still and level while the shoulders shimmy.

HEAD

Head slide - The main head movement used in bellydance is the head slide (a gentle continous move from right to left, the head slides horizontally). It is very much used in Persian dance, Turksih and Egyptian folkore.

Head/hair flick - The other head move often seen is the head/hair flicking move like in Khaleegee (Gulf dance) or Zaar (Egyptian ritual dance). It is a wild, exhilarating movement that should be monitored and learnt with a professional teacher as it can be rather harsh on the neck.

STEPS AND TURNS

Step/point - a simple step with a flat foot down then the opposite foot pointing out, thus enabling then hip to come forward and up slightly. Works well with a regular meduim paced rhythm.

Triple/Arabic step - a sprightly, gliding, flowing step with the front foot coming down, then briefly shifting the weight back on the back foot and then shifting weight to the front foot again. Then change feet. Count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc.

Turns - the most simple and effective is the three step turn. You must actually push your body weight in the direction of the turn.
Start with the body facing the front. The first step is out to the side. Next step you turn 180 degrees, weight onto the other foot, your back to the audience. Then lastly step onto the initial foot 180 dgree turn (continuously in the same direction) to face front again.

Once you have practised these moves, you can start to put them together as part of a complete dance - the most important muscles you will use in your dance routine are actually in your face - you don’t have to be able to perfect the moves as long as you look like you’re enjoying it! So always SMILE!!

© 2006, 2007, 2008 Jo . All rights reserved.