Bellydance Movements

10 Egyptian Bellydance Movements every dancer should know:

  1. Snake Arms - Consists of arm waves starting from shoulder down through your arm exiting the tip of your fingers.
  2. Forward Fig 8's - Picture yourself standing in the centre of a large horizontal fig.8.  Now trace your hips along the lines, pushing your hips to the side and forward.
  3. Downward Fig 8's (Fish) - Picture yourself standing in the centre of a large vertical fig.8. Trace your hips along the lines, pushing your hip down and over.
  4. Upward Fig 8's (Maya) - Picture yourself standing in the center of a vertical fig.8. Now trace your hips along the lines, pushing your hip up and over.
  5. Hip Shimmy- Creating a hip vibration/shimmy using legs
  6. Stomach Undulationsroll/wave - Isolating solely on stomach muscles creating a wave from top to bottom vice versa.
  7. Hip swings -  Swinging your hips side to side with a heavy accent/thrust right to left.
  8. Forward Hip Swings - Swinging your hip forward with an accent or heavy thrust stepping forward.
  9. Body Undulations/wave -  Creating a series of waves starting with upper body passing the wave to lower body.
  10. Chest Accents/Pops - Isolating the chest, pushing forward and releasing rapidly

Styles of Egyptian Bellydance:

Beledi/Baladi - Is a Folk style of Bellydance from Arab tribes. (where it all began!)

Sharqi - Classic Style of Bellydance developed by famous dancers such as Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka, Naima Akef in the early 1900's.  Later, in the 1960's new artists emerged following the same styles such as Sohair Zaki, Fifi Abdou, Nagwa Fouad usually all performing with a live music orchestra and stage set.

Sha'abi - This is street style of dance is assertively flirtatious than the ordinary Egyptian dance.

Here in the West there is also a new form of Bellydance.  Its called Tribal Fusion Bellydance and it incorporates Flameco, Burlesque, Classic Indian, African, Bellydance and a touch of Goth Elements.