Belly Dance Terminology

Shanazel

Moderator
Some names are used for more than one movement. For example, what I learned as classic arms is not at all the same movement that a teacher who shall remain nameless calls classic arms in her videos and book.

There are doubtless endless examples- very confusing. Perhaps we need to develop a taxonomy of movements and label 'em all in some nice dead language like Latin so no one (or rather everyone) can complain about the standardization not being in the venacular.
 

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.....

Still confused about 3/4 shimmy....
 

Recnadocir

New member
Sounds to me like Shanazel has volunteered for the task of codifying belly dance terminology into Latin. Shanazel, I hope I can speak for the entire ME dance community here when I extend a sincere thank you for your offer to tackle this monumental job.


I can picture Shanazel now...

 

Kharmine

New member
Still confused about 3/4 shimmy....

Yeah, well, it looks like you're not gonna get a definitive answer, honey, 'cause there ain't none.

I dunno about the Latin, though. Shouldn't it be in Arabic? "Course then the Turks and the Greeks might argue with that!
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Well, that's the whole point of using Latin- all the native speakers are dead and no one involved with living languages can feel more left out than any other speaker of a living language.

Better be careful about volunteering me for the job of Latinization of belly dance terminology, Rick. I spent a lot of years being an agronomist and range conservationist and my Latin is bastardized with Greek and spoken in a strong Western American accent with Arkansas overtones. I also wouldn't be able to bestow simple graceful names like "The Flower." I'd be tempted by something like Eriophyllum staechadifolium var. artemesiaefolium.

And after an additional 9 years in a legal field, I might also be tempted to name debatable moves "Res ipsa loquitur" and how far would that get us toward globalization of dance terminology?
 
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nightdancer

New member
Shanazel.

I wish we had karma ability on here, that was just fablous. I'm a historian with a few toes in anthropology, and I actually got the Latin joke. The other day I got told (by a 15 year old) that I'm a dork because I dont play World of Warcraft. Does the fact I got the latin joke make me a bigger one :D


Incidently, that's the exact reason why medicine is written in latin.
 

Ecuabellydancer

New member
Terminology in Spanish

Well, in my case, the confusion with the terminology you use is even worse because I am learning it in Spanish and until now, the only ones that I recognize from what I´ve read here are the shimmy and taxim :(

I am going to write some of the Spanish terminology with the English literate translation… it always results kind of weird when you translate like that :D

Golpe de tambor acompañado (Hip movement with accompanying drum)
Golpe de tambor seco (Hip movement with dry drum)
Olita de hombros (Shoulder wave)
Gusanito (Worm) :lol:
Cúpula (Dome)
Ofrezco (Offering)
Escudo (Shield)

Can you identify any movement or position by reading this? :think:
 

Reen.Blom

New member
LOL @ Ecua!

Maybe you can post short descriptions of the moves? Pues no es facil conocer los movimientos con nombres tan diferentes! I like Gusanito- sounds cute!
 

Ecuabellydancer

New member
OMG, it was kind of difficult to describe some of these, specially the arm positions, but here it goes.... :think:

Golpe de tambor acompañado (Twist the hip so it lifts to the front, alternating right, left…)

Golpe de tambor seco (Hip drops)

Olita de hombros (lifting and rolling shoulders while gracefully moving arms)

Gusanito (The worm) -Undulation, can be of the chest (gusanito de pecho), of the hips (gusanito de cadera)

Cúpula (Dome) It is a head frame, not sure how to explain how the hands go….

Ofrezco (Offering) It is an arm position, one of the arms is close to the belly, the other one is stretched to the side you are traveling

Escudo (Shield) is an arm position, the arm that is facing the side you are traveling to is over the chest (elbow facing out), the other one is stretched to the opposite side you are traveling

I had fun writing this :D
 

Reen.Blom

New member
I am wondering why the hip drops are called "Hip movement with dry drum"???LOL

Olita de hombros will be "Snake Arms"
Cúpula will be "Temple Arms" I am guessing

Ofrezco puzzled me most... is the arm in front of the belly?
 

Reen.Blom

New member
Oh by the way check out this link: http://http://www.bellyrolls.com/HowToPage.html

On this page you will find links to youTube vids explaining several moves... will be easier to put the name to the move, eh?
 

Ecuabellydancer

New member
I am wondering why the hip drops are called "Hip movement with dry drum"???LOL

Olita de hombros will be "Snake Arms"
Cúpula will be "Temple Arms" I am guessing

Ofrezco puzzled me most... is the arm in front of the belly?

Yes, the arm is in front of the belly, I am looking for an image of the position, but I can´t find it.... I guess I will have to take a picture doing it and I will post it here.... one of these days... ja, ja

Thanks for the link to the videos, really interesting.... :dance:

Hey, "snake arms" sounds way more sensual than "shoulder waves".... :lol:
 
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