please
2007-01-04 15:04:32 · 4 answers · asked by sharon 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Dancing
If your an absolute beginner I strongly recommend you use a live instructor to learn. There is no substitute for a real live teacher and the resources I list below are all meant more as supplemental material than to be stand alone instructions. Please if you can find an instructor near you as they are your best option for learning. Learning from videos, websites, books, etc... can be dangerous since there is no profesional to help you correct posture and positioning, this may lead to injury (maybe not short term but, more long term damage). So without further adeu here's a (condensed, not even close to complete, but great start) list of bellydance resources to be used as supplemental learning material to live lessons
WEBSITES (for finding teachers/classes)
http://www.shira.net - probably the most extensive directory
http://www.middleeasterndance.net - my site which has a decent sized directory as well.
http://www.bhuz.com - another large directory as well as a great forum which can answer pretty much every question you will ever have about bellydance since it's comprised of bellydancers from all over the world.
If you can't find lessons looking on these three sites there may not be any in your area.
WEBSITES (for learning moves on-line)
http://www.middleeasterndance.net - my own site look under the movements section, there will be enough to keep you busy for a long time. Also please read the before you begin section with the disclaimer, warm-up, cool-down, and basics about posture.
http://www.shira.net - don't mind what the other person said about this site I doubt she even knows how to bellydance. Shira's site is an extensive collection of articles written about and for bellydancers and can provide you with a wealth of information that will be very beneficial. It's one of the oldest and most respected sites on the Internet and is referenced by bellydancers world-wide. She has a specific page which tells you how to do some moves as well as extensive links to other sites that offer on-line lessons as well.
http://www.venusbellydance.com/vocabulary.htm - More movement descriptions.
http://www.aleena.com/miramar/ - go to on-line dance lessons there are several articles about dancing there.
http://www.zilltech.com/onlinelessons.htm - Another old, well, respected website full of information you should check out. She offers a few instructions for several basic moves.
http://www.kawakib.com/page-30.html - more of a technique lesson but might be helpful after learning some basics.
http://www.raqs.co.nz/moves.html - has some descriptions of select movements.
BOOKS
Belly Dancing Basics by Laura A. Cooper (ISBN: 140271078X) - newer book, not great but not bad either.
The Art of Belly Dancing by Dahlena with Dona Z. Meilach - This book is out of print but shows up on amazon and e-bay from time to time. It's ok but it's written for a different time the history part is especially questionable but the moves are pretty straight forward.
Grandmother's Secrets by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi (ISBN: 1566563267) - An interesting read has several descriptions of dance moves as well.
A lot of books have been coming on the market recently and most of them (excluding out of print books) are available at Barnes and Nobel or borders books as well as other chains and smaller stores.
ON-LINE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
http://www.trybellydancing.com/ - Like a mini instructional video available online. It's not bad quality.
http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/egyptian-belly-dancing.htm - Several mini instructional segments on various moves as well as zills, costuming, and musicality.
VIDEOS
Precision Motion Workout Series by Suzanna Del Vecchio - offers good posture basics as well as quality instruction on many moves.
Bellydance for Fitness Series by Neena and Veena Bidasher - this series is very cheap and available from major retailers like target, walmart, borders, and Barnes and Nobel but the quality of instruction is low. This is more of a workout for beginner dancers who already have had some training. The videos are a good quality as far as picture and sound but these are not good for an absolute beginner.
If you have any questions about bellydancing please feel free to contact me through my site http://www.middleeasterndance.net
I've been a bellydancer for over a decade and have done extensive research into the history of middle eastern dance as well as in middle eastern history and culture.
2007-01-04 15:52:53 · answer #1 · answered by cassandra581 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1
2016-05-19 05:39:40 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As someone who has studied belly dance for over six years, I absolutely agree with Cassandra that studying with a live instructor is your best option.
Getting supplemental information online is fine, but there are things that are really best learned in a live class. I have assisted my instructor at times with beginners by taking them aside and having them imitate certain movements as I describe them while they have their hands on my hips to feel the movement. Just seeing the movement doesn't always translate correctly through your brain and come out being executed correctly. Combining the visual, verbal, and physical "hands on" techniques of learning not only makes the movements easier to learn properly, but helps them stay with you longer. If you learn the movement incorrectly, it is move difficult to re-learn it correctly, than learning it correctly right away.
I too find http://www.shira.net/ to be great for alot of useful dance information.
Kawakib is a wonderful dancer that I have taken a workshop with and seen perform. She is very knowledgeable about the dance. http://www.kawakib.com/page-30.html
http://www.kawakib.com/index.html
Kawakib also says "And they're NOT meant to take the place of a real, live teacher!"
I have used Cassandra's site - http://www.middleeasterndance.net/ - as a resource for supplementing my dance knowledge as I find it very useful.
"there will be enough to keep you busy for a long time." This is absolutely true... it has kept me busy for a long time. :-)
My instructor has been dancing for well over 20 years, and even she takes workshops regularly to keep her knowledge fresh. The dance is a living thing, evolving and changing over time. Even if you can't manage to take classes regularly you should try to take a few classes to get started. Perhaps you could find a workshop geared toward beginners to attend. Another facet to attending a class regularly is the connection with the other dance students. In addition to learning from our instructor, we often learn from each other, and we support one another as well.
2007-01-05 01:44:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dom Deluise's dancing school of dancing.
2007-01-04 16:34:23 · answer #4 · answered by robert m 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
watch the shakira video, her hips don"t lie
2007-01-04 15:13:59 · answer #5 · answered by bleu t 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋