Dancer's Arms

Reen.Blom

New member
My instructor teaches to put your middle finger down to your thumb and relax your hands and arms. Practice in front of a mirror doing circular motions like you are cleaning the inside of a vase, starting high and gradually working lower.

Yeah I think it is a great excersize for the wrists I also do that one side to side...LOL
 

charity

New member
I have seen Rachel Brice has a DVD coming out called smth like "Arms and Posture"... wonder if it is any good...

i did not know that. she has very fluid arms and hands. i might invest in that.

i think so far we have only used arms/hands to emphasize the area we are working. ie if we do hip drops, we do temple arms while looking diagonally down at our hip so the attention is directed right to the hip.

i like the idea of story telling hands and arms though.

neena and veena have great arms. though i am a newbie i like their style for hands and arms the best.
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
My instructor says that arms are UTTERLY the most important part of the dance - and that they're the VERY hardest thing to learn.

I'm beginning to get the idea, right or wrong, that a large part of arms' difficulties lies in the fact that they express our emotions the best, and opening up to that is a scary thing indeed...
 

Kharmine

New member
My instructor says that arms are UTTERLY the most important part of the dance - and that they're the VERY hardest thing to learn.

I'm beginning to get the idea, right or wrong, that a large part of arms' difficulties lies in the fact that they express our emotions the best, and opening up to that is a scary thing indeed...

It depends on what style of dance one is dancing, doesn't it?

I've seen raqs sharqi, baladi, shikkat, etc. without much use of arms -- or maybe it's just not a very theatrical use, as we are used to seeing.
 

charity

New member
My instructor says that arms are UTTERLY the most important part of the dance - and that they're the VERY hardest thing to learn.

I'm beginning to get the idea, right or wrong, that a large part of arms' difficulties lies in the fact that they express our emotions the best, and opening up to that is a scary thing indeed...

i agree with that.

for me i would like the hands and arms to be the defining element of my dance. framing and directing attention looks nice but i like the idea of telling a story best.

it is a challenge to transition beautifully between arm positions without exposing the palm and while maintaining a relaxed, fluid like motion.
 

Moon

New member
Kharmine said:
I've seen raqs sharqi, baladi, shikkat, etc. without much use of arms -- or maybe it's just not a very theatrical use, as we are used to seeing.
I think it's even more difficult to make you arms look "natural" than to make them looks theactrical.
 

Sara

New member
Aye, I agree with that Moon. I think making yur arms look nice and natural is so much harder than making them look theatrical. I think arms are the hardest part of dancing.
 

Reen.Blom

New member
I love it when a dancer can express emotions with arms, not just keepthem out of the way... but suppose one has to go to drama school for that or something.....:(:(:(
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
Anybody familiar with Delsarte Theory? (I know Tarik is, or should be!)

I'm playing around with it. Delilah introduced me to it, and I find it interesting. If you look at the arms in the Delsarte method, they're really one of the most expressive parts of the body.

Here's a thing I just figured out:
In my "studio" (ie basement) The ceiling is a little low, so when I practice in heels, if my arms are over my head, my hands hit the ceiling. I guess over time I adjusted to this by bringing my hands closer to my head. I caught myself in the mirror in class last night with the WEIRDEST hand/arm position -- now I have to unlearn THAT bad habit!
 

Safran

New member
Here's a thing I just figured out:
In my "studio" (ie basement) The ceiling is a little low, so when I practice in heels, if my arms are over my head, my hands hit the ceiling. I guess over time I adjusted to this by bringing my hands closer to my head. I caught myself in the mirror in class last night with the WEIRDEST hand/arm position -- now I have to unlearn THAT bad habit!

I sort of have the same thing... At some point a friend of mine started turning my attention to how crooked my hands are when I dance. I've always thought my hands are a quite ok, so it was such a mystery to me how this had happened... But, I moved and started taking classes in a place which had less space than I was used to. And I remember how in most of my classes I was afraid that I'd smack someone while spinning or stretching, so this is probably how it happened. I am also on the road of unlearning it now...
 

Jazar

New member
Girls...Im a dude, or otherwise non as protector of the harem, even I know how to do snake arms. You see...when the sultan is away, I do practice. Of course I wouln't do it public, expect in the present of the cleaning lady, who I am trying so much to convert.

From shoulder ...to elbow ...to wrist..to finger tips....repeat. Thats all it is. Yourt arm is a piece of rubber. Waves like water ...or a wave. Its all in your mind.
 

charity

New member
oh silly boy there is more to arms than snake arms. ;)

no i got the snake arms, its transitioning arms/the most graceful way to accomplish movement between moves that needs more attention.

its the nile, and the falling leaf, and the waterfall and arm moves i do not yet know...that i would like more guidance with.

though i must say this past two weeks i have gotten the method of "picking up silk and gently releasing it"- neena and veena.
 

KuteNurse

New member
I like working on my finger movements also. I have been doing it in the car whenever possible. (Addict) lol I think I am going to try out my new zills tonight while I am doing laundry. I have a hard time with snake arms because my arms get tired and sore from holding them up. Does anyone have suggestions on how to strengthen your arms so they do not get tired?
 
Top