One-Sided Hip Horizontals?

achilles007

New member
Does anyone have a link of where i can see a one-sided hip horizontal movement (circles/figure 8's, etc.)? I've been searching all across youtube and can't seem to find any.

Thanks!
 

Darshiva

Moderator
If you could be more articulate or descriptive about what you're looking for, it would be easier to point you in the right direction. Actually, it'd probably make it easier for you to find instructionals.

Unfortunately for you, the moves you describe are more advanced and so more likely to be on a dvd or part of an online course that you pay for instead of a free youtube instructional. The reason being that the moves you request can be tricky or hazardous without the correct posture and most teachers would prefer to be there in person to give posture correction or to at least be able to assume you already are at a level advanced enough that posture correction isn't required. One can't make that assumption with a youtube video.
 

achilles007

New member
If you could be more articulate or descriptive about what you're looking for, it would be easier to point you in the right direction. Actually, it'd probably make it easier for you to find instructionals.

Unfortunately for you, the moves you describe are more advanced and so more likely to be on a dvd or part of an online course that you pay for instead of a free youtube instructional. The reason being that the moves you request can be tricky or hazardous without the correct posture and most teachers would prefer to be there in person to give posture correction or to at least be able to assume you already are at a level advanced enough that posture correction isn't required. One can't make that assumption with a youtube video.

Okay... specifically one-sided hip circles, but horizontal though. There seems to be plenty of videos showing vertical one-sided circles but rarely any showing one-sided horizontals. I wonder if there is another term for this move that I seem to be missing in the search bar?
 

Kashmir

New member
Do you mean a whole circle but over one leg? Or do you actually mean half a circle ie an arc? Any reason why you don't just adapt a normal circle? Not sure where the problem is.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
I think the op is talking about cutting a figure 8 in half and only doing it on one hip - the problem that may be being encountered is that the opposite hip moves (because it's all connected).

So achilles, to get the move you're after you want to put strong muscular emphasis on one hip & just accept that the other hip will come along for the ride as to do otherwise is biomechanically unlikely to move your hips in two different directions at the same time. (I'd say impossible, but stranger things have happened)
 

BeatriceC

Member
I did a mini video for my students*, demonstrating a single sided circle, horizontal, on the "empty hip", i.e. the non-weight-bearing side.
Single Sided Circles - for Beginners - YouTube
It's nothing sophisticated, just videoing myself so they had something to follow along to, if they were practising at home. There's no breakdown of the move, because I'd already taught them the breakdown. Basically the breakdown goes: from your basic starting position, lift one heel, and shift all your weight into the flat foot; then imagine using the hip on the non-weighted side to draw a circle around the footprint of the foot with the heel lifted. Keep the heel lifted high, keep the ribcage lifted to maximise your range of hip movement, and keep the circle as flat as possible.

* I teach this move early on to my Beginner students- although it requires good posture to look good, it's *not* hazardous if done with poor posture, nor is the posture essential to the mechanics of the movement.
 

Amulya

Moderator
Do you mean 'drawing a figure 8 with one hip'? Or a circle, square? They are quite easy to learn (if you are talking about what I think you are) by visualising having a pencil attached to one hip (on the side) and trying to draw a figure 8 (square, circle) on the wall with it.
 

AndreaSTL

New member
I do them exactly opposite of Beatrice. I do them flat footed with my weight on the accented hip side. Once my hip comes back to the center point where I'd normally slide through to the other hip and finish the figure 8 I just stop it or send it back around again.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
* I teach this move early on to my Beginner students- although it requires good posture to look good, it's *not* hazardous if done with poor posture, nor is the posture essential to the mechanics of the movement.

I know this part was directed at my comment. Any move that rotates through the hips can be hazardous with poor posture. How do I know this? Experience. Firstly I've done damage to my pelvis (not permanent but definitely painful) as a result of being taught figure 8s without the teacher having any regard for posture. Secondly, I had a student quit on me because posture wasn't her strong point and she overdid the practice at home to the point she couldn't walk without assistance. (she's better now, happily)
 

BeatriceC

Member
I know this part was directed at my comment. Any move that rotates through the hips can be hazardous with poor posture. How do I know this? Experience. Firstly I've done damage to my pelvis (not permanent but definitely painful) as a result of being taught figure 8s without the teacher having any regard for posture. Secondly, I had a student quit on me because posture wasn't her strong point and she overdid the practice at home to the point she couldn't walk without assistance. (she's better now, happily)

Well, I'm truly sorry that *your* body didn't respond well to a simple beginner move. And I'm sorry that your student didn't respond to your warnings to her (because I assume you make sure all your students know to listen to their bodies, and not to carry out a movement if it hurts). But really, what can you possibly teach beginners if you won't do any rotational hip movement until they demonstrate perfect posture? If I waited for students to demonstrate continuous good posture before I allowed them to do anything more complicated than hip circles, horizontal 8s and hip hits, then nobody would ever do more than 3 classes.

I've got a load of ladies in my classes, who've got osteoporosis or spinal problems or just plain poor posture that's been ingrained for 50 years, and they are never going to be able to practise "good posture", so we work on getting them to practise the best posture they can manage. And I don't criticise them or stop them from doing what everyone else is doing, though I will make sure that they are doing moves as safely as *they* possibly can, or find a more comfortable way for them to do it, and if they are doing the move in an unsafe way I warn them of the risks, and work to correct them, as far as they'll allow me.

And yes I make beginners start to learn Camels. Not immediately, but I feel that by the end of one year of classes, they should know about this move, and have started to work with it. I don't throw them in the deep end, we do a lot of prep with abdominal muscle work before even thinking about camels. No, they don't generally do them very well to start off with, but we'll work more on them when they move up to the Intermediates class.

We're teachers. We need to teach our students, not hold them back.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
Beatrice, that was really uncalled for, incredibly rude and an attitude I really do hope you don't take into your classroom. It's unprofessional to not accept that what we do can be damaging without proper instruction.
 

BeatriceC

Member
My professional attitude is just fine thank you.

Read what I wrote about teaching students to the best of their personal abilities. I'm well aware that there are things we do in class that may be potentially hazardous, and I think I made it quite clear that I instruct my students accordingly.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
Not at all, Beatrice, not at all. If that was your meaning what you said was almost completely the opposite.

Also, you have made your distain for me quite clear in your post, although I have no idea what I have done to encourage it. I think it best if we no longer interact with each other since we both have very poor opinions of each other.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Woh, woh, ladies, please! Any conversation re: professional disagreement needs to be conducted with social hypocrisy skills (aka good manners) firmly in place. Differences of opinion are welcome and often educational; personal sniping is not.

Pax or take the unpleasantness to PMs.

Thank you.

So sayeth Shanazel, moderator of Instruuctors and Students sub forum.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
To be fair, when I said the moves were advanced I was assuming the op was referring to something quite different to the horizontal classical hip circle deomonstrated on the video offered up thread. From my reading of other posts in this thread, I assume I am not the only one who did. And yeah, THAT is a basic move. But what I interpreted from the op's original post wasn't a basic move.
 

Amulya

Moderator
I interpreted the first post as a whole different thing than was showed in the video clip. What I thought this thread is about is a hip movement that's only visible if you see the dancer from the side.
 

Kashmir

New member
Safety with Students

OT - but I wonder if there is also a cultural and training issue involved. My professional training included Safe Dance Practice under the Australian Guidelines for Dance. This strongly stressed assuming the worst with students until they have proved they have the strength and control for more difficult moves. So, yes, in the first 8 weeks the only rotational move I teach is a horizontal eight. Vertical eights and camels are months further down the track. And with safe moves there is plenty of belly dance to do!
 

Darshiva

Moderator
That's pretty much what I was driving at Kashmir. :)

Wanted to give your post a like but likes have disappeared for this thread only - wonder why?
 
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