How to Move Like a Belly Dancer

Belly dancing is an ancient art form.

Belly dancing is an ancient method of expressing emotions, thoughts and feelings through the movement of the body. Dancers often have shapely curves combined with lower body muscles that give more control and freedom to the movements. Moving like a belly dancer requires some effort on your part as you learn the basic steps. Once you know the basics, add embellishments and hand gestures that complement the movement of your body.

Instructions

1. Stand in one spot, keeping your feet hip width apart, which is known as the basic stance. Bend your knees slightly, pull your shoulders back and keep your body centered. Inhale and exhale several times, letting your body adjust to the position.

2. Twist your right hip forward, moving just your hip and not any other body parts. Push your hip forward and roll it slightly. As you roll your hip back toward your body, push the left hip forward. Alternate pushing one hip forward at a time, doing the hip twist movement.

3. Move your hips in the figure 8 movement, keeping the rest of your body isolated. Push forward with your right hip, then down to the left, up to the left and back to the right, creating a figure 8 motion with your hips. Repeat the motion with your left hip.

4. Isolate your ribcage, letting only that area of your body move. Make a box motion with your ribcage, pushing it to the right, then back, to the left and then up. Once you feel comfortable with the movement, smooth out the motion, moving your ribcage in large circles.

5. Lift your left shoulder lightly, making sure that your body is perfectly straight. Rotate your shoulder in small circles, pushing forward and then back. Practice rotating one shoulder at a time and both shoulders together, making the movement dancers refer to as shoulder rolls.

Tips & Warnings

• Belly dancers know hundreds of different movements, and most use these basic techniques. The more you practice and make the movements, the more you can incorporate those subtle movements into your daily life.

References

• Magical Motion: The Core Belly Dance Moves and Steps
• Shira: How to Belly Dance
• Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing: How to Belly Dance