Words of advice?

JenO25

New member
My 2 friends here in this small excuse of a town (haha) I live in do Belly Dancing and they're trying to get me to join. I went to a class and I was trying things but I didn't think that I looked right. I know it takes time (believe me! I did Irish Dancing for 6 years!;)). I'm small. I have a 28in waist and 31in hips and I feel that I have to exagerate to get the moves right and Molly (my friend) told me to relax. I have to really stretch and push to get them out there and I feel it slows me down and I come home hurting from stretching like that:lol:

Anyways, any advice on the hip thing?:(
 

Jujube

New member
My 2 friends here in this small excuse of a town (haha) I live in do Belly Dancing and they're trying to get me to join. I went to a class and I was trying things but I didn't think that I looked right. I know it takes time (believe me! I did Irish Dancing for 6 years!;)). I'm small. I have a 28in waist and 31in hips and I feel that I have to exagerate to get the moves right and Molly (my friend) told me to relax. I have to really stretch and push to get them out there and I feel it slows me down and I come home hurting from stretching like that:lol:

Anyways, any advice on the hip thing?:(

Do range of motion exercises and just practice practice practice. It's like any other physical thing--your body has to get used to it. There are plenty of "tiny dancers" around here, so don't worry about that. In time, it will come!
 

lizaj

New member



This is Brazilian dancer Soraya who performs (I assume still?) in Cairo. She is I'm told,tiny..note the heels. It's dance that can be done well by all body shapes. There's no excuse I'm afraid. Amazonian or petite, you can do it !;)
 

Aniseteph

New member
...I know it takes time...

There's your answer! When I started belly dancing nothing looked right - but that's because it took time to get strength and control and range of movement with muscles I never knew I had.

IMO as a beginner it is better to concentrate on getting the right technique rather than trying to get it to look the way it does on someone else. The same move can look different on different bodies - maybe you are designed for small and precise rather than big and bold? Or maybe you will find big and bold if you keep at it? Who knows? :D ;)

Either way, a little bit of that "hey, I've done some exercise!" feeling is good, but it's not supposed to hurt! :naghty:
 

Eshta

New member
You HAVE to bear in mind that when you practice these movements, your muscles will naturally adapt and the movement becomes easier to do bigger. But you shouldn't be over-reaching. I have big hips so small movements look bigger on me than they do on smaller dancers, but it has to be relative to your frame!

Don't worry, this is the first step on a looong journey, don't get disheartened!
 

chilla

New member
If you are trying to get your muscles to stretch in a way they haven't been doing, then it's bound to take time to achieve the result you want to.

The other thing that I see when people first start is that they try to make the moves bigger than they need to when smaller moves can be just as effective.

Persevere, it's a lot of fun:)
 

khanjar

New member
Maybe this will not help much, but from the perspective of a male dancer, where because of our obvious differences in physique, my movement looks very stinted compared to my class mates. The reality is of course, the movement performed correctly, there is no difference in the range of movement, it is just the physique that makes it appear so. Big hips make movement bolder, small hips make movement seem lacking, but the movement is there, it is correct, but less obviously so. Dancers come in all shapes and sizes, what you have to ask yourself, is why do you dance, for yourself, or for how you appear to others.
 

Darbla

New member
There are things you can do with costumes that will accentuate and make your movements look bigger. You can wear two skirts, pull the side hems of the upper skirt up and tuck/pin over your belt, and this will add a good bit of width and movement for you. Try it with your skirts at home.

This example isn't the best I've seen to illustrate what I'm trying to explain, but it may give you an idea or two:
YouTube - Sadie BellyDance
 
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Daimona

Moderator
There are things you can do with costumes that will accentuate and make your movements look bigger. You can wear two skirts, pull the side hems of the upper skirt up and tuck/pin over your belt, and this will add a good bit of width and movement for you. Try it with your skirts at home.

This example isn't the best I've seen to illustrate what I'm trying to explain, but it may give you an idea or two:
YouTube - Sadie BellyDance

Perhaps something more like one of these?

 
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