Belly Dancing – A Guide For Beginners

Belly dancing has roots as old as the first human civilizations. It is very good for the mind and the body; it helps you to achieve a good level of fitness and at the same time it relieves stress and tension. So if you are looking to start a new hobby, belly dancing may just be the perfect thing for you.

Belly dance has many names. The term was invented by the French in the 19th century, who called this type of dance ‘Danse du ventre’ (belly dance). In some Arabic countries it is known as Raqs Baladi. The word Baladi in Arabic means ‘of my country’ and the word Raqs means dance. Hence, Raqs Baladi is usually the folkloric version of belly dance, danced by local people socially and informally. Another expression used to refer to belly dance in Arabic countries is Raqs Sharqi, which means Oriental dance. This is usually known also as cabaret style and danced by professional dancers.

Belly dancing involves a lot of hips and belly movements, but these are not the only parts of the body that move. Belly dance also involves traveling steps and arms, hands and neck movements. The key about belly dancing though, is muscle control and isolation. For example, you may move you upper body but keep the hips still or vice versa. This may seem difficult to begin with, as we do not usually move in this fashion, but with a bit of practice it becomes second nature.

A lot of people may think that belly dancing is for women only. However, this is not the case as there are a lot of male belly dancers and some of them are very good. While both men and women can belly dance, they will interpret the movements differently. For example, men are stronger and can perform very well energetic movements, while women are generally more flexible, especially around the hips, and can create more fluid and sensual moves.

If you are interested in learning belly dance, the best thing to do is find a teacher in your local area. There are also various resources available, such as websites, instructional DVDs and interesting books on the subject. Even though it originates from the Middle East area, nowadays it is famous all over the world and you will be able to find good teachers wherever you are based.

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