Belly Dancing, Can’t Move More Than Just Your Hips?
Question:
I really want to learn how to belly dance but from what i’ve seen you only move your hips and stomach. They say you have to stand a certain way and I do that, but when they say you use certain stomach muscles to move your hips, I just can’t do that. Can someone please explain do me how I can do this?
View Answers Below…
One Response to “Belly Dancing, Can’t Move More Than Just Your Hips?”
You really need a class with a good teacher, and to do some Yoga and/or PIlates.
Different teachers have different methods, and completely different styles of dance. This is my take on it coming from a tribal/tribal fusion background.
Legs hip width apart – that’s quite close together, legs under hip sockets – no riding horses.
Bend the knees slightly. Tuck your tailbone in. Suck that belly button back against your spine. At this point you can push your hips around with your legs but that’s ugly, and limiting.
Instead, concentrate on holding your chest still. Put your hands either side of your ribs if it helps. The lower part of your body should hang loose from your ribcage. Move your hips from the muscles below your ribcage. Just keep playing with it.
Shift weight slightly from one hip socket to the other. Visualize that slippery glistening globe at the top of your thigh bone and how easily a small internal muscle twitch can move you around on it.
Work on isolating the rib cage by holding everything still apart from the rib cage and use those upper stomach muscles to move your ribcage around.
Over time you will find all sorts of internal muscles – between the hips, waist, inner backbone, under the shoulder blades…
If you can’t get to a class, look for tutorials on youtube or some DVDs.
Lots of info on http://www.shira.net/ (although it’s not my style of belly dance)