Stiffness or Looseness
- Thread starter Jack
- Start date
Hi Jack,
Welcome to the forum.
First, I have to say your question sounds a little vague. There are dancers with training in ballet or other high energy dance forms who have been stretching their whole lives, and they are extremely flexible, yet they look so "stiff" when they are doing raqs sharqi.
On the other hand, most Egyptian dancers will dance "loosely" but they are also "stiff" in the sense that some dancers cannot lift their leg beyond a certain point or even attempt to do a split. Many of my friends also dance "loosely" but they just don't have the flexibility, stamina or strength.
So, which stiffness or loosness are you talking about?
Welcome to the forum.
First, I have to say your question sounds a little vague. There are dancers with training in ballet or other high energy dance forms who have been stretching their whole lives, and they are extremely flexible, yet they look so "stiff" when they are doing raqs sharqi.
On the other hand, most Egyptian dancers will dance "loosely" but they are also "stiff" in the sense that some dancers cannot lift their leg beyond a certain point or even attempt to do a split. Many of my friends also dance "loosely" but they just don't have the flexibility, stamina or strength.
So, which stiffness or loosness are you talking about?
Jack
New member
Hmm... Well, I'll try to explain a little better. You know when sometimes your moves aren't as larg as they usually are? And their really tiny but you know they can be much larger because the day before they were? Like if you do a chest circle and it doesn't go out to the side as much as it use to, but you know it can. Does that make sense? I'm really trying to explain this.:think:
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Ok, got you. I'm guessing since chest circles are powered by the ribcage, there are certain ribcage excercises that will help you. It also depends on your body type, if you have a tiny frame don't expect your chest or hips to stick out to the side as far as it would with somebody who's got a heavier chest and hips. I think other members would know more and would be able to explain this a lot better than me.
PS I have a slender body type, so my movements never look "large" when I'm dancing. Another suggestion is to try searching in past threads, you might find an answer to your question.
PS I have a slender body type, so my movements never look "large" when I'm dancing. Another suggestion is to try searching in past threads, you might find an answer to your question.
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nightdancer
New member
There are several things. The first is that the body may simply not be as warmed up as it was at the previous point. If you are 40 minutes into a practice session when doing said chest circle on Monday, then are 5 minutes in on Tuesday, then yes, they are going to be smaller, even if you have a good warm-up. The second is that the muscles may be stiff from a previous workout, especially if you'd been working on something new. Also, your body may be reacting to an illness that has just started, stress from work, home, etc. Ultimately, its normal, until we are talking about damaged tendons, ripped muscles, torm ligaments, etc. But the pain that accompanies that will let you know something is very very wrong. Hope this helps.
Tribal Belly Dance and Bellydance Moves and Techniques - Stretching
Basic Belly Dance Lessons - Ribcage Circles
dance.net - The almost complete guide to stretches~120 stretches&links (2334476) - Read article: Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Irish, Disco, Twirling, Cheer: Photos, Chat, Games, Jobs, Events!
Basic Belly Dance Lessons - Ribcage Circles
dance.net - The almost complete guide to stretches~120 stretches&links (2334476) - Read article: Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap, Irish, Disco, Twirling, Cheer: Photos, Chat, Games, Jobs, Events!
karena
New member
I have one class where I'm stiffer than the other. All to do with warming up. In the looser one (oo er 
) we do moves broken down into the extremities before doing the move (eg hipcircle - push forward, side, back, side) then round it off, linking the extremities into once move. Hope this makes sense - difficult to write down...
) we do moves broken down into the extremities before doing the move (eg hipcircle - push forward, side, back, side) then round it off, linking the extremities into once move. Hope this makes sense - difficult to write down...i do that with my drills. break it down into smaller points to get the blood flowing into more of the muscle and then when i feel stretched i smooth it out but go slow to get the widest range of motion.
plus all these compound moves can be broken down into slides and arcs. these are the moves that you drill over and over to extend your range of motion and develop muscular endurance. i never stop drilling, no matter how many moves i learn i drill the basics over and over to maintain flexibility.
plus do everything slow. use the push-pull method. if you do a hip slide to the right dont just pull with the muscles on the right side. pull with the right muscle group and push with the left.
plus all these compound moves can be broken down into slides and arcs. these are the moves that you drill over and over to extend your range of motion and develop muscular endurance. i never stop drilling, no matter how many moves i learn i drill the basics over and over to maintain flexibility.
plus do everything slow. use the push-pull method. if you do a hip slide to the right dont just pull with the muscles on the right side. pull with the right muscle group and push with the left.