Belly Dancing Shimmy: Horizontal Circle

Series Summary

What does belly dancing bring to mind? Hootchy-kootchy? Shimmy and shake? With a debated origin, modern belly dancing has been adapted from several different historic folk dances. The term itself is westernized, but generally refers to a traditional Middle Eastern dance form. Known as raqs sharqi in Arabic, belly dancing is based on one of the oldest social dances in the world, though its modern theatrics and costume are merely adaptations. In addition to its entertainment value, belly dancing actually possesses some physical and mental health benefits. Dancing in general is not only a good cardiovascular workout, but it also emphasizes muscular isolations. Originally developed for the female body, it is an art that has been perfected for thousands of years. A belly dancing shimmy can be layered with arm movements, hip rotations and footwork. In this free belly dancing video series, a dance director demonstrates layered shimmies. Learn to add figure-8 hip movements, including a forward, backward, upward and downward figure-8. Practice combining shoulder rolls and arm positions with belly dancing shimmies, as well as hip slides and chest lifts. With infinite combinations, layered shimmies add flair and pizazz to every belly dancing routine.

Video Transcript

"Are you ready to add some sexy layers to your shimmy? Let's work on a nice upper body movement. My name's Karen, and this is Johanna. We're with Hip Expressions Belly Dance Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida. Let's do a chest move, that's a horizontal circle. Let's review that first, before we add it to our shimmy. Have your feet slightly apart, knees are bent, bellies tucked in, and we're going to lift our chest in the front, bring it to the side, bring it center, and around and forward. Keep it out there to the side, then center and side. Forward, and side, center, and side. So, your ribs are going to move under your shoulders. So, you're going to have a nice circle there. Good. Now, let's get our shimmy going. Let's put the two together. So, let's go, front, side, center, side, front, side, center, side. Good. Make sure those heels stay on the floor. Now, let's smooth it out. Good. Keep those shoulders nice and still, keep those hips going, and breath. Practice this in the mirror, and you'll have a nice horizontal circle, chest move with your shimmy."