Shoulder Shimmies

[Hypnos]

I really need some advice on how to perfect shoulder shimmes. So far this has been one of the hardest things for me to learn, I just can't seem to get them fast enough no matter how much I drill them.

Is there anything I can do to help learn this move? or is it simply just a case of practice?

Thankyou

 

[jenc]

Practice - every time you are on your own just a quick burst. You will then need to practice them whilst walking, tilting and level changes. I was sure I hadn't got it - until the day I realied I had just shimmied up a flight of stairs with a cup of tea in my previously shkiest hand. If your hands shake, I recommend holding a glass of water - not tea just in case!!!

 

[speckie]

i normally ask my students to speed it up, do it as long as they are relaxed with the shimmy, and slow down when they start to feel stuck, then speed up again... just relax and don't focus too much on which muscle you are using.

i think the tip above, holding water glasses on two hands, is a good idea and i will also try it in the class *_*

 

[Lydia]

what is realy important is that you relax the trapezius muscle...the one in your neck going to your sholder....so your sholders are able to work alone...if your sholders are ,,stuck,, to your body it is not working.....so realy concentrate that you relax that muscle group

 

[~Diana~]

I try not to focus on doing them when I want to speed it up. Personally when I don't focus on it fully I can produce a faster shoulder shimmy. However I think it is due to myself concentrating so much that I actually contract my muscles and in doing so they can't shimmy properly.

Also I've been working on those for 2 years now and am just starting to perfect my fast shimmy. It can take a lot of time practicing before it gets good.

 

[Maria_Aya]

Hi !!
First of all there are many ways of doing shimmy shoulder.

a) only with shoulders, this is used more into greek chifteteli bellydance style.
You focuse on your shoulders, kind of make them "show off" and you can start slow by slow, till you get the speed needed.
We use it in Greece many times, but not so much continuisly.

b) involving also the blades of the upper back (grrr my english cant express it better lol).
Start relaxed as Lydia mentioned, and speed up.

c) the sharp ones
more like an accent but you need to have the flexibility to do it, and you have a warm-up before, as there is the risk of injury.

It just needs practice and you will get it.

Maria Aya
Greece

 

[Tezirah]

The important thing is to make sure you move just your shoulders - there will be some inevitable boobie movement but keep your hands as much in place as you can. Try standing in front of a wall and putting your hands on the wall so they can't move when your shoulders do. With your hands on the steering wheel at traffic lights/jams is another good one (but try not to do it when there's a lorry pulled up alongside you with a bird's eye view!) If you stay relaxed it will come with practice.

 

[Kashmir]

At least two versions

I teach shoulder shimmies as moving the shoulders - with hands and torso relatively still. For this you first need to be able to isolate the shoulders - forward and back. As Lydia said, it is important not to use the traps. When teaching I sometimes place my fingers between the shoulder blades to cue the student which muscles to use. Some teachers add pegs or similar to the bra to keep cueing.

There is also a style of shoulder shimmy (which I tend to refer to as a chest or torso shimmy) which twists the torso forward and back. The style of this will vary depending on whereabouts on the spine you twist.

No matter what style - practice and remember the faster, the smaller (usually). If you ride a motorbike you hands are well placed to practice while riding. To a lesser extent while driving a car. (Initially just practice when stationary to avoid accidents!) In class, I sometimes hand out canes so teh hands stay still.

 

[-MJ-]

Some great advice here thanks guys! I too find these REALLY difficult ... It's keeping your hips/bum still whilst doing them that I find hardest!

 

[cathy]

Some great advice here thanks guys! I too find these REALLY difficult ... It's keeping your hips/bum still whilst doing them that I find hardest!

Try practicing seated then? I was doing it while reading this thread!

 

[shiradotnet]

Back in my student days 28 years ago, I had a lot of trouble learning this. My belly dance teachers didn't explain it well at all, but one of my friends (not a belly dancer) could do it, and here are the things she suggested:

1. Bend forward from the hips and let your hands dangle loosely down toward the floor. Make sure the arms are really, REALLY loose. Your upper body should be like a hinge, with a straight back, so that your back is parallel to the floor. 90-degree angle at your hips.

2. Wobble your shoulders loosely up and down to make your dangling hands wobble loosely up and down. Start slowly at first, then gradually build speed.

3. Keep yourself at Step 2 above for several days, or even a couple of weeks. Don't move on until the notion of that loose wobbling seems to come naturally.

4. Now, change the angle of your bend so that your upper body is sliglhtly higher than your hips. (Ie, stand up a tiny bit straighter.) Practice #2 in this position for a few days.

5. Stand up a little straighter still. Practice a few days.

6. Keep repeating Step #5, progressively standing slightly higher and higher. Keep letting your hands flop around loosely, keep your arms dangling loosely.


If you keep working on the above steps, you should reach a point in which you can shimmy your shoulders while standing up straight with your hands dangling loosely at each side. One you reach this point, you can now try *slightly* lifting your hands and shimmy, gradually over time lifting your hands higher and higher.



Comments on the above instructions:

1. By letting your hands dangle loosely, you allow your trapezius muscle to relax in the way that Kashmir and Lydia recommended.

2. The friend who taught me told me repeatedly that it's easier when you're drunk. (Hey, we were both high-spirited college students at the time!) Now, I am NOT going to recommend that you get drunk for the purpose of learning this move! However, if you happen to find yourself drinking a bit much for other reasons, take advantage of the opportunity to play around with shoulder shimmies.

3. It's easier if you either take a bath, sit in a hot tub, or take a hot shower first. This promotes relaxing your muscles.

4. If you have a lot of tightness if your upper back, try warming up some shoulder rolls (circle your shoulders as if each shoulder was on a Ferris wheel) to release tension in the trapezius. You can either circle them in unison, or you can circle them in opposition. Circling them in opposition is makes your snake arms look juicier. When I teach shoulder shimmies, first I have my students circle the shoulders in unison: forward, up, back, down, over and over. Then I have them reverse the direction of the circle (back, up, forward, down) a bunch of times. Then we practice snake arms doing the forward, up, back, down circles in opposition. (Ie, when oneshoulder comes forward the other is to the back; when one is up the other is down, etc.) All this circling releases tension from the trapezius.

5. Instead of trying for a full-bore shimmy, try a very quick shake of the shoulders as if you just came out of a swimming pool and you're shaking yourself to dry off.

 

[Hypnos]

This is all really good advice, thank you guys!