How to Do Chest Lifts and Drops in Belly Dancing

A chest lift and chest drop is a basic move in belly dancing. A chest lift basically requires you to sharply lift your rib cage upward using your stomach muscles. A chest drop does the opposite, the rib cage is dropped downward. These motions are both done without moving the shoulders or hips. Here's how.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Stand upright with your stomach muscles relaxed and normal. Keep your shoulders and hips immobile. Only use your stomach muscles to move your chest for both the chest lift and drop. This is the starting position.

2. Use your stomach muscles to pull your abdomen inward toward your spine. This should naturally cause your chest to lift. Pull your shoulders backward for this move, and try not to move your shoulders during this motion.

3. Relax your stomach muscles and return to the starting position. This is all the motion that is required for a chest lift.

4. Push the front of your rib cage back toward your spine. Use your upper stomach muscles for this movement. The lower part of your stomach should push out during this motion. This movement will cause your spine to drop downward. Try not to move your hips with this motion.

5. Relax your stomach muscles and return to the starting position again. Repeat steps 2 through 4 of the chest lift and drop. Keep the movements quick and defined.