At-Home Practice

  Beginning Bellydance: Drills and at-home practice

Written by Nancy McAndrew; do not redistribute without author consent

Always practice good dance posture: feet no wider than your hips, weight in the heels, knees soft, tail bone tucked, ribs lifted and head balanced on top of the spine. Maintaining your posture will make the movements easier and help prevent injury to your joints and/or lower back. It may feel awkward at first, but as you continue to practice, it will become second nature. Check your posture periodically as you dance.

Upper Body: While practicing these movements aim at isolating your upper torso and minimizing movement below your waist. You can imagine yourself in a block of concrete from the hips down. If imagination and willpower aren't doing the trick, have a seat on the floor or a backless stool (the couch is not ideal, but sitting on the edge and maintaining a very straight back will suffice). Keep your weight evenly distributed on your sit bones and drill the following movements;

Rib cage slides: side-to-side, keep the shoulders parallel to the floor, no leaning!

Rib cage squares & circles: clockwise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW); ribs move to the side, front, side, back-- in a diamond shape. Make the movement continuous for a circle

Rib cage lifts: practice both soft and sharp; practice emphasis on both the up and down

Snake Arms: let the shoulder power the movement.  Keep it strong, not floppy.



Lower Body: A strong upper body position will allow your hips to move more freely. Keep the arms active and alive, don't let them wilt into Sad Tree Position. Remember to keep your feet right under you, a wide stance will strain your hips. Your knees should remain nice and soft.

Hip Circles: start big and get smaller & faster; both CW & CCW.  The knees move together, not opposite one another.

Taxeem: the hip scoops up and toward you. Try to keep the heels down and pull from the obliques.

Maya: reversed Taxeem: start up, hip moves out and down

Singles: one hip “bumps” up on the beat. Repeat on both sides

Pivot-Bump: go around in 4 bumps and then in 8; go full time (bump on 1, 2, 3, 4) and double time (bump on 1, and, 2, and, 3, and, 4, and).  Use both the Right and the Left hip

Choo-Choo: Hip bumps as you travel to the Right, then repeat to the left

Basic Egyptian: Try it in place, walking forward and backward; in a 1/4-turn, and then a 1/2-turn

Hip locks: using the gluts, alternate contractions while standing.  Keep the knees really soft and be sure you aren't pushing from the knee!





  Moroccan Wedding Dance

Once drums begin, take 1 count (4 beats) for nothing, then begin

2 count - Basic Egyptian, in place

4 count - Traveling combo, Left (combo= choo choo, bump, pivot-bump, bump)

4 count- Traveling combo, Right

4 count- Moroccan Hop

2 count- Hip circle, Clockwise

4 count- Moroccan Hop

2 count- Twisting pivot, on the Right

1 count- Basic Egyptian, in place

2 count- Twisting pivot, on the Left

1 count- Basic Egyptian, in place

2 count- Basic Egyptian, quarter turn

3 count- Twisting triplets (AKA Pivot Shift Step)

1 count- Basic Egyptian, in place

2 count- Basic Egyptian, Half-turn

2 count- Rib Cage Circle w/ Pivot to finish



Choreographed March 2003

By: N. McAndrew, L. Bennett, D. Bray-Ware

Music from “Passion Sources” by Peter Gabriel