Starless and Bible Black
New member
This may be a bit long, so if anyone can help me out at all I would be extremely appreciative!
I am about as new to belly dance as you get. I have been learning for not even two months yet, and so far my only instruction is watching the TV series "Shimmy." I think the show is great and teaches the moves very clearly, and I even enjoy watching all the repeats so that I can really work on the technique of each move over and over. Then I use what I learn from Shimmy and practice dancing on my own to different middle eastern songs I’ve accumulated (I still have a lot to learn about which music to get).
I realize there's no way to ensure I'm learning something properly without an instructor, but the nearest belly dancing classes are a 3 hour drive away. I do my best to keep proper posture while dancing ("Shimmy" is good for this - throughout the program they are constantly bringing you back to starting posture with your feet flat, knees bent, pelvis tucked, chest lifted, and shoulders relaxed). I practice in front of the mirror as much as possible to see if my movements/feet position are similar to the dancers I watch on screen.
I think the show performs a combination of several different styles, but I think they are all pretty traditional. (if anyone has seen Shimmy and knows, I’d appreciate you telling me!). Things like Egyptian shimmy, Maya hips, Lebanese hip circle, Turkish figure 8, I’ve seen them use all these and more.
So my question to any instructors/students out here – do you have any advice, suggestions, warnings, etc., for a girl who has no hope of taking a class any time soon? If one becomes available I’d be first to sign up, but until then I would hate to be teaching myself improperly, or with bad technique. The movements seem to come pretty naturally for me (I remember being able to do belly rolls all the way back in elementary school), but I feel like I’m just scratching the tip of the TIP of the iceberg in oriental dance, and I will take any advice given to heart.
I am about as new to belly dance as you get. I have been learning for not even two months yet, and so far my only instruction is watching the TV series "Shimmy." I think the show is great and teaches the moves very clearly, and I even enjoy watching all the repeats so that I can really work on the technique of each move over and over. Then I use what I learn from Shimmy and practice dancing on my own to different middle eastern songs I’ve accumulated (I still have a lot to learn about which music to get).
I realize there's no way to ensure I'm learning something properly without an instructor, but the nearest belly dancing classes are a 3 hour drive away. I do my best to keep proper posture while dancing ("Shimmy" is good for this - throughout the program they are constantly bringing you back to starting posture with your feet flat, knees bent, pelvis tucked, chest lifted, and shoulders relaxed). I practice in front of the mirror as much as possible to see if my movements/feet position are similar to the dancers I watch on screen.
I think the show performs a combination of several different styles, but I think they are all pretty traditional. (if anyone has seen Shimmy and knows, I’d appreciate you telling me!). Things like Egyptian shimmy, Maya hips, Lebanese hip circle, Turkish figure 8, I’ve seen them use all these and more.
So my question to any instructors/students out here – do you have any advice, suggestions, warnings, etc., for a girl who has no hope of taking a class any time soon? If one becomes available I’d be first to sign up, but until then I would hate to be teaching myself improperly, or with bad technique. The movements seem to come pretty naturally for me (I remember being able to do belly rolls all the way back in elementary school), but I feel like I’m just scratching the tip of the TIP of the iceberg in oriental dance, and I will take any advice given to heart.
