Dropping the hip down

hi guys....this one thing is really bugging me..I have been dancing for 2 years now and have got to grips with some things failr quickly...some harder things i could do almost instant ie taxeem down with heels on the floor etc however i cannot hip drop down (tac both down one after the other)/ I can do a normal basic hip drop but cant get them going one after the other at the same time.

Its really stressing me out - iI know what my hop has to do but as soon as i stick one hip down the otehr pops up to look like a hip lift....last night after a workshop i practised for 3 hours and it nearly drove me to tears out of frustration (yes i am a self confessed drama queen )

Hi Emma,

Stressing yourself will not help your cause! :lol:

This move is not an easy one, and the hips working upwards is very common amongst many people. People who have nailed it in my classes have been working on it for some time.

Here is a clip of Suheir Zaki and the move comes in at 28 seconds..

YouTube - Bellydancer Suheir Zaki **2 ???? ???

The emphasis is on the dropping hip and that is what you are focusing on. Your opposite hip is bound to oppose your movement (one goes up and the other therefore)but because you are lengthening the muscle on the dropping hip (and that happens more the more you practise) it will not be an equal movement. Believe me you are doing OK
Part of bellydancing is illusion after all and we, the audience watch what we are supposed to be watching if you get my drift.

Caroline_afifi said:

This move is not an easy one, and the hips working upwards is very common amongst many people. People who have nailed it in my classes have been working on it for some time.

Here is a clip of Suheir Zaki and the move comes in at 28 seconds..

YouTube - Bellydancer Suheir Zaki **2 ???? ???

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Ooh.. that one.. When I learnt it, my teacher referred to is as "zaki".

Listen to Caroline and Lizaj:
Don't stress it - just relax, do it slowly at first and emphasize the down. Yes, the other hip will go up, but this is because of the mechanics. Don't bother the up-part, and keep focusing down.

Down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down ...
Right - left - right - left - right - left - right - left - right - left ...
Down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down ...

Yesss! You can do it!

Down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down - down ...

awww thanks everyone. Sorry for awful spelling and dodgy typing but i am in work and have to keep flicking the page off hahaha. It is just so frustrating to know exactly what to do but my body wont do it!!! I am aching today after a 2 hr workshop and 3 hrs at home all night lol

Yeah don't stress you will get it!
The key is in the sneaky hip slide to the side whilst keeping hips level. Without that it will look a normal 'up' hip hit movement.

Imagine you are doing a big ol' side stretch to the left. Subconsciously you will counter balance by sliding your hips across to the right and as you stretch to the left you should feel the stretch in your lower right waist/obliques. That is the feeling I aim for but by still staying upright! To do that and give the illusion of the hip going down you bend your left, heel off ground and straighten your right leg (similar to your normal hip drop movements). You should feel a pull (not a painful one or anything!) on your right side. Alternate between legs.
I think once you know how the move should feel it should click really quick.

My hips will be doing essentially the same as what you are doing, as like Liz said one side will go up! However the one going up will be inline with the torso so you cant notice it as much and attention is drawn more to the one moving down

Emma_Williams said:

awww thanks everyone. Sorry for awful spelling and dodgy typing but i am in work and have to keep flicking the page off hahaha. It is just so frustrating to know exactly what to do but my body wont do it!!! I am aching today after a 2 hr workshop and 3 hrs at home all night lol

Click to expand...

Also known as the Zaki Chonk or Dump. It is a hard one. THe movement also involves pushing the hip down from the waist. When we do hip drops, we place our brain at the ball and socket joint at the top of the leg - that's the actual area that we move. When we do the chonk move, the brain must come up to the curve of the actual hip bone at the top of the pelvis. This vital difference can mean the difference between getting this move right or wrong. Your body can do it. But your brain can't. That's the problem. LIke most things it takes practice. You should feel a stretching sensation on your waist on each side of the hip that drops,, and don't allow your knees to flap back and forth. The minute the knees move, the ball and socket joint gets employed, and move is wrong. Bend knees slightly, stabilise them and push that hip bone down into the floor using your waist muscles.

bellyfester i like your sneakyness hehehe

Thanks for the tips once i am not at a boring desk next to a bunch of toff stock brokers i shall try it....

I know I can do it because I have no problem with a taxeem but its just the staying straight part.

Bellyfester i watched the hafla dvd last night and your so good Cant wait to be at your level Mrs

Thanks Kharis...its good to know its a brain coordination thing and not just me being a complete dumb ass!

Oh stop it Emma! :redface: i need tips off you with your ballet training!

To do that post Ive just been doing the moves whilst in the office kitchen making a nice cuppa. multitasking is the way!

Emma_Williams said:

Thanks Kharis...its good to know its a brain coordination thing and not just me being a complete dumb ass!

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It's nearly always brain coordination. Our bodies can do most moves within reason in this dance, its not like we are asking ourselves to do back flips or cartwheels. It's mostly within our capabilities. It's also about muscle memory, which comes from repetitive drilling. You will get it. It's a bit like those strange puzzles you stare at for ages until suddenly, the image jumps out at you, and you think, 'How come I didn't see that first time, it's so obvious'.

Do you mean a hip drop or rock or a Souheir Zaki chonk? The chonk has a slide - the other two don't. With drops and rocks the down is an illusion built on timing not on what the hips are doing - you go down, pause, then casually sneak it back up. (The other hip is joined - you can't have one up and one neutral!!)

The hardest thing for most students to get with the rock is not to go out to the side. The movement should stay inside the width of your hips so you have to co-ordinate the adductors pushing in at the same time

bellyfester said:

Oh stop it Emma! :redface: i need tips off you with your ballet training!

To do that post Ive just been doing the moves whilst in the office kitchen making a nice cuppa. multitasking is the way!

Click to expand...

Why... are you taking up ballet?:dance:

Caroline_afifi said:

Why... are you taking up ballet?:dance:

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yeah I'm ditching bellydance. fancy something easier!:lol::lol:

Want them elegant arms goddamit! my scrawny efforts just get into creepy positions, not helped by being double jointed in areas.

You seen the film The Ring? I can do an excellent Sadeko creepy crawl. Maybe I can incorporate that into a fusion piece for July....:lol:

Btw isn't this thread just highlighting all the variations that you can have for a simple downward hip movement. 'mazing!

that walk is creepy fester!! I soooo think you should do a horror piece for the fusion hafla...i would pay pretty pennies to see that crawl in a hafla hahaha

hips still aint moving down lol had class last night and it just aint happening. I think I might go back to ballet at this rate lol

Would teaching the muscles on the sides of the torso to simply relax help? My muscles tend to use any excuse to sieze up as if ready to spring into action, no matter how counter-productive that may be. So even if they are flexible enough to get the look you're after, the problem might be that your muscles on the intended "down" side are not simply, literally letting the hip drop. Good luck