I want to learn to belly dance?

Question

BECAUSE:
1. i love dancing like that but don't know how to do it exactly.
2. i want to shape my belly up (just shape not lose weight)


but i'm not sure, i heard there were bewlly dance classes at chabot and i wanted to take it for summer school. but what if everyone else knows hw to belly dance except rfor me?? does anyone have any tips?

Answer 1

If you have a library card your local library should have DVDs or videocassettes that you can check out and learn the basics with.

I highly recommend "Bellydance for Wimps." It contains the top 10 bellydance moves and after you practice them there is a dance session that you can practice with.

Good luck and have lots of fun with your new endeavor

Answer 2

Belly Dancing is actually a terrific form of exercise because there are lots of muscles in your core area (stomach, abs, etc), that don't get used on a regular basis. There's also a lot of upper arm movement, that will tone you up really quickly if you stick with it.

A lot of people tend to think of belly dance as a sensual form of expression. If you ask anyone (myself included) who has ever danced, you'll find that most of us tend to think of it as an internal celebration of being female that others can view if they so choose.

As far as finding a teacher, there's usually one or two in every major city. You could try googling belly dancing, or even the phonebook. There are several video tapes out there that show you the basics, but it really is easier if you have a real person showing you exactly where that muscle is you're supposed to use to do a flutter, or correct your arm motions, since most private residences don't have the side mirrors of a lot of studios.

If you do want to get a tape, I'd suggest "Suhaila Instructional Series: Beginning Choreography for Belly Dancing.

Have fun and good luck!

Answer 3

Well, first off, don't worry about whether or not everyone else will know how to dance and you won't. Just remember that they, at one time, didn't know how to belly dance either.

Everyone learns at different speeds and you may find that you catch on quicker than those who have had previous classes.

You could try videos or on-line videos, but keep in mind that you really NEED someone who is experienced to check you to ensure that you do not learn wrong or hurt yourself.

I recommend going to class, smiling, and having fun.

Cassiopeia

Answer 4

Maybe you should get a workout dvd and get an idea about the movements and practise it a bit so you feel more familiar to the dance when you go to the class! I'm actually trying to learn to belly dance with a workout dvd and I'm kinda getting the movements now :p It's so much fun!
Good luck ;)

Answer 5

I was always said to be a good belly-dancer so her are some tips
1. Hip up on 1 side ,lean over to the side and drop then do it on the other side
2. Just do some various types of hand motions/movements and guess what ......
YOU'RE BELLY DANCING!!!!!!!!!
3. As long as you follow those instructions you will do fine i should know i'm a belly dance instructor if it doesnt work out add me as a frend and email me at [e-mail]

Answer 6

You can rent the dvd from blockbuster or netflix and practice before you go. Also check with your city to see if they have a recreational program. We have one here and it offers 5 levels of belly dancing classes.

Answer 7

There's a great belly dance video here on how to move your hips. (And the woman is quite attractive too, which makes the video VERY enjoyable to watch!)

http://www.showmehowtodothis.com/dance/basic-hip-movements-in-belly-d.html

Answer 8

It's great that you want to learn bellydance although you should know it probably will not "shape your belly up" in the way you may think. If you take a beginners course you are in a class with beginners. Usually there are a few people who may repeat beginners courses on a frequent basis (it often takes several sessions of beginners courses to become proficient at beginners moves). However there are usually may first time students as well. And you know what? They are all thinking the same thing as you. What if everyone knows how and I don't? Any questions, concerns, thoughts you are having about the course are the same questions everyone else has had or is having. Don't worry about it just go to a class and start having fun. If you've never done it before how could you possibly know how to do it? Nobody will expect you to be proficient as a beginner... that's why you are taking the lessons to... to learn! If everyone knows how to bellydance they probably will not be taking the beginners lessons any more. I've included a condensed list of resources for you to check out as well. Please keep in mind that instructional books, tapes, DVD's, websites, etc... are all meant to supplement live lessons so do not try to learn from them as a primary source. It's not safe and not as much fun. You can injure yourself either long-term or short term by not having an instructor to correct and guide you in your learning.

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 - 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.
http://bellyrolls.com/howtopage.html - more mini on-line instructionals. The video quality is a little poorer and not is clear to see but the instructional quality is decent.

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

Answer 9

imagine you're standing in a huge barrel filled with oil up to your armpits and you have to stir it around with your hips...

around and around

sometimes a leave sticks to your hip and you have to get rid of it without using your hands, just by moving your hips rhythmically up and down...

have fun

Answer 10

they have instructional tapes,