Here is a guide to the basics of BD that will help to understand how to belly dance! It's a great fun! Don't hesitate to try it out!
Basic BD pose
- Feet shoulder width apart.
- Soft knees are slightly bent (in order to provide a range of hip moves).
- Pelvic tacked under (without any tension of the abdominals). Hips relaxed. The tale bone and nape make one line.
- Chest lifted (imagine cross on your back coming from the right shoulder blade to the left hip bone and vice versa, it will help to keep the back straight)
Note: Chest is the first point to contact the audience, so open chest and graceful posture is vitally important!
- Shoulders open & relaxed
- Arms are soft, follow body moves. Imagine a thread coming from the shoulder blade to the fingertips. Always keep it in mind, that the arm start from the shoulder blade. It will help to keep nice and graceful posture. And will make arms lighter.
Technique Essentials
BD is a very sensual and graceful dance, so being flexible and plastic is an integral part of the dance.
Dance on you toes!
The moves appear to be much more light and graceful if a dancer works on the toes. It makes legs look longer and disciplines all parts of the body.Arms or wings?
Arms should always be under control, either it is following the body or there is a specific arm work. Never let you arms hang uncontrollably.Move your hips properly!
Hip work is the most exciting part of the dance and looks more natural when hips and the lower back are relaxed.Advice: try to keep the mouth slightly open when dancing. The mouth in yoga is connected to hips, and even if it's stiff, by relaxing the mouth dancer can be surprised how easier the hip work can be!
Imagine the crown on your head!
There are many props that a belly dancer wears on a head in order to demonstrate perfect sense of balance. Sward and candelabra or shamadan are not the only one. Keeping the head nice and flat is half the battle.Control of the body
A big advantage of practicing BD is that it gives us more control of the body. When we are dancing with upper body (chest pops, locks, circles) our lower body is steel and vice versa (unless it's premeditated choreography).Facial expression
BD is an emotional dance. There should be a hidden story behind the every performance. The face helps us to express emotions and internal feelings and to engage with the audience.Facial muscles should be relaxed, even if sometimes it's hard, as you have to concentrate on certain body moves at the same time and facial muscles appear to be tensed. Just need to get use to this good habit, that can be applied to the everyday life in order to prevent premature wrinkles. And it's easy to achieve, it's just the matter of practice.
