Belly Dance Terminology

gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
I learned the downward vertical fig 8 as "butterfly".

The ugliest move I have been taught is "the panther" :lol: supposed to be elegant but no... A camel alternate on toes and bent knees(that can be really nice though) but at the same time doing some weird claw movements up and down with the arms in front of you. It might have something to do with the skills of that teacher though, I'm sorry to say.
 
janaki

janaki

New member
hi gisela,

This is the first time I have heard of panther. Weird claw movments. OMG!!!!It sounds scary!!!!:lol::lol::lol:

Cheers
Janaki
 
sausanacademy

sausanacademy

Premium Member
Camel Walk....

Well, .......I don't like to use the term "camel walk" in my classes, so I don't. We aren't camels; we are lovely, graceful, and beautiful dancers. Camels cannot possibly be lovely, graceful, or beautiful dancers; well, they can to one another camel, I suppose....:think:

In my observation of the dance (35 years), I've been able to come up with three dimensions of body undulations, both "regular" and "reverse". For these three dimensions, I use the terms Upper One, Upper Two, and Upper Three for the "regular" (upper body undulations) undulations, and for the "reverse" undulations (lower body undulations), I use the terms Lower One, Lower Two, and Lower Three -- the numbers One, Two, and Three referring to the dimension of the undulation. None of these dimensional undulations are done with claws for hands because I also show how they can be done using what I call "the wrist action" where the flip of the wrist is done within the movement.

Hope this helps.

-Sausan
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance
 
Mya

Mya

New member
hmmm...i learnt the vertical 8 as the over-8 and its reverse as the under-8, i also learnt the "washing machine shimmy" as the Tunisian Twist.
the butterfly i learnt as a shimmy of sorts; like a fast but soft hip snap, so that the hips appear to be fluttering up and down.
regarding the 3/4 shimmy and the hagala - i know of them as being within the same family of moves, but not the same move; my understanding of the hagala is that there is a vertical hip circle involved while there isn't in the 3/4.
 
sausanacademy

sausanacademy

Premium Member
3/4 Shimmy...

I also have an aversion to the term 3/4 shimmy. The way this "shimmy" is taught in the dance schools today just doesn't work in the scheme of authentic Egyptian dance movement and the way the Egyptian dancers dance it. 3/4 shimmy, which is a term originated by Jamila Salimpour, puts the emphasis on the wrong part of the movement or the beat than the Egyptian use.

Just another observation. :cool:

-Sausan
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance
Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance
 
Moon

Moon

New member
Sausanacademy said:
We aren't camels; we are lovely, graceful, and beautiful dancers. Camels cannot possibly be lovely, graceful, or beautiful dancers; well, they can to one another camel, I suppose....
Click to expand...
But they are lovely graceful creatures, very important in a lot of Northern African cultures. People can't walk that gracefully through the desert.
 
janaki

janaki

New member
Moon said:
But they are lovely graceful creatures, very important in a lot of Northern African cultures. People can't walk that gracefully through the desert.
Click to expand...

I thought so too Moon!!! Camels are very graceful. Camels walk slowly and kinda gracefully. I am trying to picture how I look like if I walk in a desert:lol::lol:
I love camels!!
 
gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
one of the groups I dance in is called "the Happy Camels" which I find utterly stupid and embarrassing every time we perform.:rolleyes: They came up with the name before I joined and I will quit next year so I just keep quiet about it :whistle:. I don't mind calling the move "a camel" though.

Have you heard of a move called kenya, kenja, kenia or something (not sure of the spelling)? It's a back to front fig 8 which involves the legs and feet with a little release of the foot. It's pretty common, I've seen it a lot done by fifi dancing baladi, especially in the vid where she wears the pink tights, remember?
Do you understand which move I mean and do you have another name for it?
 
sausanacademy

sausanacademy

Premium Member
"Jewel"

Are you referring to the "Jewel"?

I call this the "Lower Half and Half" as it is the front part of a mini hip circle from one hip to the other, ending on that other leg using the back part of a "Hip Drop" or "Hip Sit" or "Sit Kick".

Fifi a beautiful doing this. She also tends to put in a "reverse undulation" or a "Lower Two" when doing this move.

-Sausan
 
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gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
No, not the jewel. It bears some ressemblance though, just a lot softer, with out the twist. The foot lifts a little from the floor and almost draws a little circle between each weigth change. I know you will recognize this move if you saw it, it's just my inexperience with describing it in english that makes it weird.;)
 
Moon

Moon

New member
I know the kenia, it's like you described, a little like a smal camel only you change direction with each step and you stay on the same spot.
 
gisela

gisela

Super Moderator
oh wow thanks moon. I study with several teachers and most of the moves they have the same names for. This one only one of my teachers do so I only heard her name for it and wasn't sure if it was a widely known term.

It can also be confusing when they have the same terminology but teach the move in different ways, I guess also a common problem. On monday you are told to do the afrocircle (umi?) with front- sides- and backside muscles and wednesday you are told equally convincing to absolutely focus on the four "corners" of the umi. hmmm...

I do love having many teachers though. Think it helps developing your own style instead of accidentally copying one particulat style, Sorry if this last thing was off topic.
 
Reen.Blom

Reen.Blom

New member
Could anyone please describe 3/4 shimmy for me? And I was wondering why it is caled this way?
3/4 shimmy as I was tought:
Step with one leg bend knee hip down- shift weight and slide hip to that foot- lift the other hip and leg and drop the hip and step on that foot - hold- shift weight ahd slide hip and so on.....

I know we have different terms for the same moves, but do we have the same name for several moves?
 
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