The Sloping Belly Dancing Move

Video Transcript

"Sloping arms is a great way to claim your space on the stage. The arms are very important in your dancing because you're letting the audience know where to look and focusing on which of your body that you want them to see. Sloping arms--let's begin by lifting one up and angling it away from your body as about a forty-five degree angle. Now match that by brining the other one out at the same angle, so that if you were to take a ball and roll it from the upper arm down to the lower arm, it would be able to roll all the way down the arm, across your back and off the other side, as if you're doing a Frisbee trick or something. So the thumb is going to be tucked in nicely and the fingers relaxed. Keep your arm slightly soft so that you're not locked. That's a real important one to remember. Now this movement can either be exaggerated at this angle or you can bring it straight up and down. The main thing with the sloping arms is to match your angle on both sides. Now switch sides. And always be sure to make sure your posture is pulled in nicely with your feet slightly apart and your knees soft, and your chest lifted. Keep those shoulders down so that you don't crunch up your neck. So sloping arms can be used for traveling movements or dramatic pause in your music, or at the beginning of an introduction. Practice in the mirror."