Not all exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other exercise
program may result in injury. Any user of this exercise program assumes the risk
of injury resulting from performing the exercises. To reduce the risk of injury,
consult your physician before beginning this or any exercise program. The
instructions and advice presented are in no way intended as a substitute for
medical counseling. The creators, producers, participants, and distributors
of this program disclaim any liabilities or loss in connection with the exercises
and advice herein.
Hi, I'm Mara. Welcome to Belly Dancing 1 Beginning Instruction. This video is
designed to introduce you to the art of belly dancing. Belly dancing or oriental
dancing has been practiced for centuries and has been influenced by many cultures.
As people have come together, the dance form has changed and grown with each
encounter. This type of blending of styles continues today in many
different schools and studios. Because there are so many different styles and
approaches to belly dancing, I encourage you to supplement your learning by
seeking lessons from a local instructor. This video presents 12 basic belly
dancing moves. The video is divided into three sections of four moves each. Each
section is followed by a dance sequence where I will show you how to set the
moves you've just learned to music, as well as show you some simple variations
of the movements. Just a few guidelines before we begin. Don't feel you have to
complete the entire video every time you watch it. Spend some time with each of
the moves and get comfortable with them. The instrumental music used in the dance
sequences is played on an oud, which is a traditional Middle Eastern instrument.
Once you have learned the moves, feel free to practice to your favorite music.
This will help you build on your personal style and you'll become more
comfortable with the moves. Because belly dancing is a very personal art form and we all have
different bodies and capabilities, the movements will look somewhat different
on everyone. While I will show you the correct posture and explain to you how
to do the move, don't feel discouraged if you don't dance exactly the way I do. Just
dance the way you dance. One tip before we get started, I would like to suggest
you take a scarf and tie it around your hips. This will help promote awareness of
that area. What I'm wearing is called a belt and if you would like to get a belt
after you've been practicing for a while, you can find them at belly dance sites
on the internet. Remember, think hips not waist. Now let's get started. Remember
that I am mirroring you so that when I say right or left, I mean your right or
your left. Let's talk about correct posture. I'm going to turn myself to the
side so you can see what I'm doing. I'm starting with my knees soft and I'm
going to tuck my tailbone under. What I mean by that is that you don't want a
suede back. You want a nice flat back. So you're tucking your tailbone under, yet
your chest stays lifted as if with a string. Your feet are about shoulder
width apart.
Let's start with the upper body movements. Now remember, even though we're doing the
upper body, you want to maintain the correct posture, that bent knee tucked
position. The first thing that we're going to do is a rib slide. I'm going to
start by sliding my rib cage to the right and then to the left. Right and then
left. Notice that while I'm doing this movement, my lower body stays very
isolated. All the movement is in the rib cage. Right, left. Right, left. Right, left.
The next movement I'm going to show you is a rib lift. We're going to start by
lifting the rib cage to the right, come back to center, lift left, and then center.
Right, center, left, center. Notice how my lower body is staying isolated. Right,
center, left, center. You lift the rib cage and each time come back to the center.
The next movement is chest drops. I'm going to start by lifting the rib cage as
before, but then I'm just going to drop. It's very sudden and it's as if you have
a line stopping your chest from going below this point, the upper abs. We're
going to lift, drop, lift, drop, lift, drop, lift, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop. It's a
very small movement. You're using the upper abs and you're trying not to use
your back. In other words, you're not going like this. It's a small movement
and it's in the upper abs.
Drop, drop, drop.
Now we're going to do a rib circle. Remember that your shoulders are relaxed
and the movement is going to come from your rib cage. I'm going to focus on my
upper abdominals. From this center point, I'm going to lift my rib cage up, slide
to the right, release back, and then slide left. Up, right, back, left. Up, right, back,
left. Up, right, back, left. Up, right, back, left. Remember these two side points are the
rib slide that we were doing earlier. Let's try it again. Lift up, right, back,
left, up, right, back, left. Up, right, back, left. Relax your shoulders. Now let's do the
same thing, but we're going to smooth it out to where it's smooth and continuous
rather than choppy. We're going to go up, right, back, left. Up, right, back, left. Up,
right, back, left. Up, right, back, left. Notice how there's little movement in my
shoulders and my lower body stays isolated. Let's try the same thing in
the opposite direction. We're going to start from the center point. Lift up, now
slide left, back, slide right. Up, left, back, right. Up, left, back, right. Up, left, back,
right. Up, left, back, right. Now smooth and continuous. Rib slides. The next upper body
movement is called an undulation and how you begin the undulation is you're going
to focus on your upper abdominals. From this center point you're going to lift
the rib cage and then you're going to roll to the back. Lift the rib cage, roll
back. Lift, roll back. Lift, roll back. What you don't want to do is you don't
want to over exaggerate the shoulders and you also don't want to involve the
lower body. What you want to do is just use your rib cage. Lift, roll back. Lift,
roll back. Lift the rib cage, roll back. Lift the rib cage, roll back. This
movement can also be done on a diagonal. I'm going to lift right and then left.
Lift, roll back. Lift, roll back. Relax your shoulders, relax your hands. Lift,
roll back. You can also add a step. Step, roll back. Step, roll back. Lift, roll back.
Lift, roll back. Now let's try walking with the undulation. How we're going to do
that is as I contract my upper abdominals I'm going to lift my foot and
when I set the foot down then I begin the undulation. Change feet, lift, step,
roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step,
roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll
up. Now when we move backwards nothing changes just the direction of your step.
I'm going to lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, back, roll up. Lift, step, roll up.
Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Relax your shoulders.
Lift, step, roll up. Lift, step, roll up. Now let's set the movements to music.
Let's begin with a rib circle. Feel free to use your arms in any way that feels natural.
However, if it becomes difficult to you just keep them placed at your sides.
Undulation on a diagonal. You can add a step if it feels comfortable and add your arms.
Rib cage lifts into a rib circle.
Moving up and down with your body and a rib circle.
Undulation with a step.
Undulation walking forward on a diagonal and walking back.
Rib circle. Remember to relax your body and end with chest drops.
The next movements involve the lower body and we're going to start with just a simple hip slide.
I'm going to take my hips to the right and then I'm going to slide across to the left.
Right, left, right, left. Legs are straight this time and upper body is isolated. Right, left,
right, left, right, left, right, left. All of the movement is below the belly button.
Right, left, right, left. The next movement is a large hip circle. Now remember,
large hip circles are one of the only belly dance movements done with straight legs.
I'm going to start with my hips to the right, everything back, everything left,
and then forward. Right, back, left, forward. Right, back, left, forward. Right, back, left,
forward, right, back, left, forward. Let's try the same thing but smooth and continuous.
Right, back, left, forward. Right, back, left, forward. Remember your upper body is just kind
of floating above your lower body. All of the movement is below the belly button. We can do
the same thing going to the left. Left, back, right, forward. Left, back, right, forward. Left,
back, right, forward. Left, back, right, forward. And smooth and continuous.
Left, back, right, forward. Left, back, right, forward. Left, back, right, forward. Left, back,
right, forward. Now we're going to do a large hip circle circle change. Remember legs are straight.
Take your hips over to the right, back, left. Now bring it around and stop on the right. You're
going to come up on the ball of the left foot. Now slide everything left, back, right, and come
around and stop on the left. Now you're up on the ball of the right foot. Slide to the right, back,
left, and around. Pause. Slide left, back, right, and around. Pause. Slide right, back, left,
and around. Pause. Slide left, back, right, and around. Pause. Now we're going to do small hip
circles. And for small hip circles, we're going to go back to our posture of the bent knees,
pelvis tucked under. I'm also going to show you this move from the back so that you can see what
I'm doing. I'm going to start with a glute contraction on the right side. I'm going to release
back. Now I'm going to contract the left glute. And then everything squeezes forward. I'm going
to squeeze right, release, left, forward. Right, release, left, forward. Right, release, left,
forward. Right, release, left, forward. Now I'm going to do the same thing hitting those four
points, but I'm going to do it smooth and continuous. Right, back, left, forward. Right,
release, left, forward. Right, release, left, forward. Right, release, left, forward.
We can also go to the left. Contract left, back, right, and forward. Left, back, right, forward.
Left, release, right, forward. Left, release, right, forward. Now smooth and continuous.
Left, release, right, forward. Left, release, right, forward. Left, release, right, forward.
Left, release, right, forward. Circle to the right, and to the left. Right and left. Right,
right. The next movement is a figure eight. Remember, you want to keep your knees bent,
pelvis tucked under. What I'm going to do is I'm going to turn my hip at an angle. This
is my left hip. At this angle, I'm going to push the hip out, bring it around to the back,
and as I do so, my right hip now is at an angle. I'm going to push that hip out, bring
it around to the back. Now the left hip and the right. Left hip and right. I'm drawing
a large eight with my hips. You can turn into it a little bit. Keep your knees bent. Don't
worry about your feet. It's a hip movement. Right and left. Right and left. Right and
left. Right and left. Now we have eight movements to set to music. We're going to begin with
a figure eight. You can use your arms, whatever feels natural and comfortable to you. Remember
for this movement, your knees are bent, pelvis tucked under. You can turn into the movement
a little bit, whatever feels right to you. Coming up with a rib circle and stepping
into a large hip circle. Remember your knees are straight, yet soft into a circle change.
Circling around, come up on the ball of the foot as you change to the other side. Keep
the movement smooth and continuous. Circle stepping around. This is a more advanced movement
into a small hip circle. Knees are bent, pelvis tucked under. Rib circle. This is
a hip circle, rib circle change, spiraling from lower body to upper body. Down and up.
Undulation on a diagonal with a step. This is undulation two on each side. Figure eight.
Figure eight to the back. Your arms are comfortable and doing whatever feels right to you. Undulation
walking forward and backwards. Undulation on a diagonal in place. Rib circle, hip circle,
change. Hip circle, rib circle, spiraling up. Hip circle to the back. Remember your
knees are bent, pelvis tucked under. Circling around to the front. Undulation on a diagonal,
arms come up. Undulation coming forward on a diagonal and moving backwards into a rib
circle, hip circle change. Figure eight. This is a large movement. Keep your knees bent
and ending with a rib circle. Now we'll begin our final four movements. I'm going to start
with the reverse figure eight. Make sure your knees are bent, pelvis tucked under. Just
like the regular figure eight, I'm going to angle my hip on a diagonal. This is my left
hip, but I'm going to pay attention to my right hip, which is behind me. I'm going to
take the hip out and around to the front. Stop right there. Now notice your left hip
is behind you. You're going to push it out and bring it around to the front. Out and
around. Out and around. Left and right. Left hip and right hip. Left and right. Now don't
be afraid to turn into it a little bit. Left and right. Left hip and right hip. Now let's
try a Serena. Now like the figure eight, Serena is also an eight, except this time Serena
makes a vertical eight, whereas figure eight is horizontal. Start with your knees bent,
pelvis tucked under. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to draw up my right hip. And
as I do so, I'm going to come up on the right ball of the foot. Draw the hip up. Now from
this highest hip point, I'm going to slide down to the other side. So I'm going from
right up to left down. And as I do so, I'm going to lower the foot. Now that I'm at left
down, I'm going to bring my left hip up. And as I do so, I come up on the left ball of
the foot. Now from left up, I'm going to go to right down on the diagonal. Slide, slide.
Notice how my foot lowered. Now I'm going to come up and slide. Draw the hip up and
slide. Up, slide, up, slide, up, slide, up, slide, up, slide, up. Notice how I'm making
eight. Slide, up, slide, up, slide, up, slide, up. The next move, Maya, is also a vertical
eight. It starts the same as Serena. Start with your knees bent, pelvis tucked under.
I'm going to draw up the right hip as well as the ball of the right foot. And instead
of coming in like Serena, I'm going to push the hip out and then lower the foot. Now I'm
going to go from right down to left up on a diagonal slide. Slide up. Right down to
left up. Right down to left up. Now with my hip at its highest point on the left side,
I'm going to push the hip out and around. Lower the foot. I'm going to go from left
down to right up on a diagonal slide. Push the hip out and around. Slide up, out, around.
Slide up, out, around. Slide up, out, around. Slide up, out, around. Left and right. Left
and right. Remember to come up on the balls of your feet. Left and right. Left and right.
Left and right. The last movements will be involving your arms. I'm going to start with
just a shoulder roll. Right and left. Right and left. Now you're going to bring your shoulders
up to your earlobes, but you don't want to hunch into it. You want to bring the shoulders
up. Right and left. Right and left. Right and left. Now from this shoulder roll, I'm going to
bring my arms up while I'm still rolling my shoulders, and I'm going to do snake arms.
These snake arms stay about chest level. Try not to drop them. In other words, don't come out
below or above your chest. Try to keep them about chest level. We're working right in this
plane. Right and left. Right and left. Relax your hands. Everything just goes together.
Right and left. Right and left. Now let's set everything we've just learned to music, beginning
with the shoulder roll to the back and come up into snake arms. Remember, these snake arms stay
about chest level. Energy carries all the way out through your fingertips. And layering
figure eight with snake arms. Don't worry about your feet. Just do with them whatever feels natural
and comfortable. Figure eight. Figure eight from back to front. Do with your arms whatever feels
comfortable. Undulation. Undulation on a diagonal. Remember to keep relaxing. Rib circle. Maya. Arms
come up. Maya, two on each side. Feet are step together, step, step together, step. Traveling with
the movements is a bit more advanced. Serena, Maya, change. Maya and Serena. Change to Maya. Now Serena.
Rib circle. Figure eight from back to front. Circling around to the front. Snake arms. Serena. Serena
moving around. Changing to undulation on a diagonal. Undulation in place into snake arms.
Maya. Using your arms as an accent into figure eight. Figure eight from back to front. Maya, two on each
side, moving forward. You have now learned more than enough moves to be able to perform a very nice dance.
I hope that you have enjoyed learning this style of dance and I hope that this video will be your first step in what will become a lifelong love of belly dancing. Thanks for joining me.
Remember to keep practicing and each time you do the video it should get a little easier.
And I'll see you next time.
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