How to Use Props in Bellydancing

As if belly dancing isn’t cool enough on its own, you can make it even more memorable, fascinating and colorful by embellishing your dance with a few simple objects. It’s easy, fun and interesting to use props in belly dancing.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Long, flowing scarves
• Finger cymbals
• Long strings of beads
• Feather fans
• Sword (if experienced)
• Snakes (if extra, extra experienced)

1. Add a few extra scarves around your neck or waist which you can untie and float with your arms throughout your routine.

2. Keep a pair of finger cymbals handy and practice putting them on and taking off quickly. If left tucked in your waistband, you can quickly put them on to add emphasis during a crucial point in the song.

3. Wear lots of long, colorful beads which can also be draped, cascaded and swung around you as you move.

4. Instead of hiding coyly behind your veil, have a big, fat feather fan to cover your face and swoop at the audience.

5. If you are really advanced and use a lot of sweeping arm movements, you may as well throw a sword into your performance. It will be sure to make you remembered, in a good way, unless you accidentally slice someone’s face open. Experienced only should try swords.

6. If you really want to wow the crowd, get onstage with one or more snakes coiled round your arms or in your hair to drape about you as you dance.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice, practice, practice. Make sure you are very comfortable and in control of each prop before you use it on stage.
• Make sure you have the art of belly dancing down before you complicate it by adding props.
• If you drop a prop in the middle of an act, just keep going without it, as if you meant for it to hit the floor at that exact moment.