why am i having trouble with a simple hip drop!!?

[Ravenhairedbellydancer]

I have a DVD that explains a hip drop and it says to lift by contracting your obliques i think, and then push down to drop it,, now it only demonstrates the hip drop from a side view, is this the only way theyre done?, im also wondering is there no action in the ball of the foot during a hip drop and its only the obliques involved??

 

[Hadassah]

A hip drop involves the obliques, quadriceps, and the buttocks, as well as the knees.
Stand facing forward, with one knee bent slightly and the other relaxed. Using the ball of your foot, raise your hip, then release it.

After a while, you will want to isolate this movemnt by using a more muscular approach. You can "lock" it by snapping the other knee straight as the hip drops on the other side. This makes the move stacatto. No bouncing, though! It sounds harder than it looks, and it is a little tricky, but you'll get it. Try not to over analyze the move. Good luck!

BTW - raven, it sounds as if you're learning by DVD or video. I think an actual class would be very beneficial for you. Are there any in your area?

 

[Norma]

I do hip drops flat-footed with knees bent. (Well, I do them other ways, too, but that's how I learned them and it's the primary way I do them.) A class would be very beneficial, I agree--if you're not in one.

 

[Norma]

Oh yeah--and I don't think hip drops are "simple." I think they're rather difficult...so be easy with yourself.

 

[samsied]

I do hip drops flat-footed with knees bent. (Well, I do them other ways, too, but that's how I learned them and it's the primary way I do them.) A class would be very beneficial, I agree--if you're not in one.

This is the way my first teacher taught them in my beginning level class. I think it is a great way to learn since you can develop the muscles without worrying about what to do with your feet. I still do them this way sometimes and other ways as well.

Raven, you can do hip drops facing any angle not just the side. The dancer on the dvd you are using probably shows you from the side since that is how you can best see her hip. You can do it with the feet flat, on the balls of your feet, or one foot posed on the ball of the foot and the other flat. You can do several drops on one hip or alternate drops (one Right, one left), etc. There is a lot you can do with hip drops! Someone could make an entire dvd on the subject.