New to belly dancing
- Thread starter Chloe2
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Mosaic
Super Moderator
Yes the only way to build up speed/stamina is practice. Just keep it slow to med to begin with. If you do a search here on the forum for shimmies I think there was a thread with tips and advice sometime back. Check out the instructors & Students forum, that is where you will find it probably.Keep at it, it does all fall into place eventually.
~Mosaic
PS: Found one thread: http://www.bellydanceforums.net/instructors-students/10888-shimmies.html
Last edited:
Maria_Aya
New member
Welcome in the forum ! and enjoy being around
Unfortunately there is no short way in any dance form.
Its needed a time of learning practicing, working, continuing, wanting to stop, feeling useless, etc to achive your goals.
But this is the beauty of oriental dance it keeps us motivated.
Continue exploring this wonderfull dance !
Maria Aya, Greece
Unfortunately there is no short way in any dance form.
Its needed a time of learning practicing, working, continuing, wanting to stop, feeling useless, etc to achive your goals.
But this is the beauty of oriental dance it keeps us motivated.
Continue exploring this wonderfull dance !
Maria Aya, Greece
Prusilusken
New member
Welcome!
Actually, there are so many different kinds of shimmies out there to learn - not just the super fast one. Take it easy, practice, practice, practise, and try to relax a bit, pursue the feeling instead of the speed, maybe.
I got a hold on a small, fast shimmy as the first one - learning almost every shimmy since then has been about slowing down.
But really, patience, practice, and the feeling will come to you.
Learning how to shimmy is actually a lot to ask of your neural pathways and muscles - it's kind of a paradigme shift for your whole body, and probably to some parts of your psyche too.
I know it was for me - the "Wow! Oooooh...this feels weird, oh, no, the fat on my lower body is going berserk - I can FEEL my own fat!?" feeling alone made me tighten up unitentionally and *Poof!* the shimmy is gone. :lol:
Keep at it, try not to get discouraged if the shimmy is hard to come by for you - don't forget to enjoy everything else about this wonderful dance, because the shimmy is far from the only thing that makes a bellydancer. Some hardly use it at all.
Me, I love all sorts of shimmies, but what I really fell in love with to begin with were the different figure8s and the beautiful armfigures used for certain types of BD. Luckily, I had a knack for those right from the start.
The shimmy came along at some point while I was obsessing about something entirely else.
Actually, there are so many different kinds of shimmies out there to learn - not just the super fast one. Take it easy, practice, practice, practise, and try to relax a bit, pursue the feeling instead of the speed, maybe.
I got a hold on a small, fast shimmy as the first one - learning almost every shimmy since then has been about slowing down.
But really, patience, practice, and the feeling will come to you.
Learning how to shimmy is actually a lot to ask of your neural pathways and muscles - it's kind of a paradigme shift for your whole body, and probably to some parts of your psyche too.
I know it was for me - the "Wow! Oooooh...this feels weird, oh, no, the fat on my lower body is going berserk - I can FEEL my own fat!?" feeling alone made me tighten up unitentionally and *Poof!* the shimmy is gone. :lol:
Keep at it, try not to get discouraged if the shimmy is hard to come by for you - don't forget to enjoy everything else about this wonderful dance, because the shimmy is far from the only thing that makes a bellydancer. Some hardly use it at all.
Me, I love all sorts of shimmies, but what I really fell in love with to begin with were the different figure8s and the beautiful armfigures used for certain types of BD. Luckily, I had a knack for those right from the start.
The shimmy came along at some point while I was obsessing about something entirely else.
Farasha Hanem
New member
Welcome, Chloe2, hope you enjoy being a part of us.
Fire Lily
New member
First off, WELCOME!!!
It has often ben said to me, that if you don't think about a move, then it tends to happen more naturally.
I have to agree that while the Figure8's came more naturally to me, I absolutly LOVE the shimmys.
Small tip. Keep your knees slightly bent. It's a lot easier to do a shimmy with soft relaxed knees then it is with legs that are as stiff as a board.
Another poster mentioned also, to start off half time. Get the feel of the move first. Become familier with the sensation by breaking it down. The more you practice, with time you can pick up speed and stammena.
Don't feel like you need to rush.
Becoming a skilled dancer like someone at the level of a bdss, takes years of determination, dedication, and over all, a absolute love for what they do.
I've been dancing 9 years now. And there are still moves that challange me
It has often ben said to me, that if you don't think about a move, then it tends to happen more naturally.
I have to agree that while the Figure8's came more naturally to me, I absolutly LOVE the shimmys.
Small tip. Keep your knees slightly bent. It's a lot easier to do a shimmy with soft relaxed knees then it is with legs that are as stiff as a board.
Another poster mentioned also, to start off half time. Get the feel of the move first. Become familier with the sensation by breaking it down. The more you practice, with time you can pick up speed and stammena.
Don't feel like you need to rush.
Becoming a skilled dancer like someone at the level of a bdss, takes years of determination, dedication, and over all, a absolute love for what they do.
I've been dancing 9 years now. And there are still moves that challange me