Alternate name for the "X-Step"?

tim ema

tim ema

New member
Hello All!

I hope I am posting in the right place for this question... if not, please forgive me!

I am starting my second session of beginner level BD, (classic Egyptian, leaning toward shaabi) and tonight we were introduced to the "X-step".

I watched and watched and tried and tried... I am baffled, my hips are baffled, and I am starting to get a hate-on for this move... but it's only been a few hours! LOLOL!!!

I wanted to check out the move on Youtube and hoped that seeing a variety of dancers do the move might help my brain un-kerblooie, but my search brings up nothing!

Is this move known by another name?
It's.... okay, I don't know if I can explain it on account of the kerblooie-factor, but it's.... right hip drop, make a "U" with your hips (like the back-half of an Umi), then left hip-drop, "U" back to the right side - repeat... all the while sweeping your foot in graceful arcs out to each side as you walk backwards....
~sigh~
...................... I KNOW I will get this move - I just don't feel it yet...

Any help in finding this on Youtube would be HUGELY appreciated!

Thanks!
Tim'ema
 
Amanda (was Aziyade)

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
The X-Step name comes from Jamila Salimpour. It's a backwards traveling step, but what you describe sounds more like what some dancers call "horse shoes."


In Jamila's actual "X-Step" you have two variations - one is very sharp, and the other is more like a wobbly soft figure eight.

Basic version:
1. Your hips are tracing a vaguely "X" shape into horizontal space. Lift your left hip at a diagonal so that you are facing more to the right. Now can step back on your right foot, at a slight diagonal out and back, and slide the hips to that back "corner." You can count this as "And-Slide" where the "and" is the lift.

Now you are going to repeat this on the other hip, turning slightly and pivoting yourself around to lift the right hip on the "And" or on the lift. Now slide the hips through to the other side.

This version is very sharp, and the Slide would be on the downbeat, with the "and" or lift on the upbeat.


Softer version:
2. You remove the sharp quality. So the and-slide is much softer, and ends up looking like a very round movement. Although it is still done in horizontal space, it has a vertical quality to it because of the hip lifting. A lot of dancers call this version "Cairo Figure 8" because it's very popular among some Egyptian dancers like Fifi Abdo.


As for the Horse Shoes, don't think of doing a pelvic circle or umi -- that will mess you up. You drop the hip, but then arc it back up and around like a bicycle hip, where it softly lands in the back of the body. The first drop in front is pretty sharp and that's where the musical accent would be. Think Drop, arc around. Drop arc around. Up and over. Get the hips first and the feet will follow :) That help any?
 
Darshiva

Darshiva

Moderator
Yes, that helped plenty Aziyade! I had no idea what the op was describing, but your explaination made it suddenly make sense.

What I know as a cross step is a travling move - a cross of one foot in front of (or behind if traveling backwards) the other and a point out to the side. Moves (such as the others you described) get layered over the top of it for fun & variety.
 
Last edited:
Farasha Hanem

Farasha Hanem

New member
Aziyade said:
The X-Step name comes from Jamila Salimpour. It's a backwards traveling step, but what you describe sounds more like what some dancers call "horse shoes."


In Jamila's actual "X-Step" you have two variations - one is very sharp, and the other is more like a wobbly soft figure eight.

Basic version:
1. Your hips are tracing a vaguely "X" shape into horizontal space. Lift your left hip at a diagonal so that you are facing more to the right. Now can step back on your right foot, at a slight diagonal out and back, and slide the hips to that back "corner." You can count this as "And-Slide" where the "and" is the lift.

Now you are going to repeat this on the other hip, turning slightly and pivoting yourself around to lift the right hip on the "And" or on the lift. Now slide the hips through to the other side.

This version is very sharp, and the Slide would be on the downbeat, with the "and" or lift on the upbeat.


Softer version:
2. You remove the sharp quality. So the and-slide is much softer, and ends up looking like a very round movement. Although it is still done in horizontal space, it has a vertical quality to it because of the hip lifting. A lot of dancers call this version "Cairo Figure 8" because it's very popular among some Egyptian dancers like Fifi Abdo.
Click to expand...

oO??? Video, please? :pray::pray::pray:


Aziyade said:
As for the Horse Shoes, don't think of doing a pelvic circle or umi -- that will mess you up. You drop the hip, but then arc it back up and around like a bicycle hip, where it softly lands in the back of the body. The first drop in front is pretty sharp and that's where the musical accent would be. Think Drop, arc around. Drop arc around. Up and over. Get the hips first and the feet will follow :) That help any?
Click to expand...

:think: I think I get this one...I think... :confused:
 
Last edited:
tim ema

tim ema

New member
Thank you !!
I am going to check out "horse shoes" and "cairo figure eight" on Youtube and try and figure this out!
Sorry about the weird mixed-up description, but it's hard to describe something you don't "get"!!

:)
 
Darshiva

Darshiva

Moderator
tim ema said:
Thank you !!
I am going to check out "horse shoes" and "cairo figure eight" on Youtube and try and figure this out!
Sorry about the weird mixed-up description, but it's hard to describe something you don't "get"!!

:)
Click to expand...


Hi sweetie. Sorry if I implied that your description was poor, that wasn't my intent. Aziyade's description just made it gel in my head. I hope it did the same for you.
 
Amanda (was Aziyade)

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
If I can, later today I'll try to make a short video of what I'm describing, and then you can let me know if either one is the move you're looking for. If so, we can probably give you some tips on making it a little easier to do. :)
 
tim ema

tim ema

New member
Okay!

I'm glad others could describe better than me - it's hard to describe something you don't actually understand!! LOL!!

On my next class I approached my teacher afterwards and asked her to show me one-on-one. She's such a sweetie! She broke it down for me - and at first I was NOT getting it STILL... until she said "twirl your hips! it's all about the twirl!" I was... doing a hip drop, then moving my hips around back, then dropping the other hip - like it was three moves. But as soon as she emphasized the "twirl" factor.... shazaam!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find anything on Youtube with any search terms that I tried! I'm glad she was able to show me though!

Thanks everyone!!
:)
 
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