Sensual Belly Dancing: The Smile

Video Transcript

"Let's do an unweighted hip movement called the smile. We're going to have our feet slightly apart. Our weighted leg is going to be bent. Our unweighted leg is going to have the big toe pressed into the floor the heel up and the ankle in. The knee is going to be pointing slightly forward or in. You don't want it to come out. Pull all the way up the center of your body, pulling the belly button in towards your spine. Lift your chest and relax your shoulders. Put your hands out to your side. Now we're going to be twisting the hips slightly on our unweighted leg. So we're going to bring the hip up. Let it drop down in the center and then up and back. So it's going to make a nice little smile. You'll draw one with your hip bone. Up and back. Up and front. Up and back. Up and front. Now you have to be very careful while you do this kind of movement that you keep that belly button pulled in towards your spine and your chest stays lifted. Don't let the shoulders go with it. Otherwise you're going to lose your motion. Also don't let your standing leg go up and down. That'll lose all the action you're getting in your hip. So you go up and back and up and back. And then go a little faster. So practice it at different tempos. And try this in the mirror on both sides to make sure you're keeping your body in the right position."