Shimmy, Shake, and Roll
Belly Dancing 101

By Elisabeth Wilhelm, Staff Writer

Mysterious, exotic and full of passion, the art of belly dance is fun and easy to learn.

Belly dance isn't just a dance, it's considered a respected art form, older than ballet, tap, or hip-hop, dating back to ancient Egypt. It's a dance that celebrates women of all ages and body types, and may have been used to ease childbirth, or even cramps! It’s also worldwide—you'll find different forms of belly dancing all over the map, from Morocco, to Saudi Arabia, to the United States.

The sparkling beads, layers of swirling chiffon fabric and clinking coins on a headscarf are parts of a belly dancer's costume, but the costume is only a small part of a belly dancer's routine of belly rolls, hip drops, and shimmies. And you move a lot more than just your tummy when belly dancing. Props, such as scarves, swords, candles and canes, all require strong upper body strength and grace.

Belly Dancing Types

• Cabaret belly dance, which stems from Egypt, complete with flashy costumes, gold coins, and in places like Turkey, you're expected to belly dance in high heels!
  
• Folk belly dances, from across northern Africa, grow out of local dance traditions.
  
• American tribal belly dance, where jazz dance influences and the 60s flower power movement created a unique kind of belly dancer, who can be identified by her tattoos, costumes made up of shells and natural material, and bright patches of fabric.

Find the Belly Dancer in You

Ready to give it a try? Check out these key belly dance moves. Try them out at home or on the dance floor with friends! All of them start from the belly dancer's pose with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent and hands lightly resting at your sides.

• Shimmies: While keeping your feet still, shake everything between your ankles to your hips, as if you were trying to shuffle forward, without moving your feet.
  
• Camels: Imagine there's a wall in front of you. Start by resting your weight on the ball of your right foot. Then, starting from your ankle and moving up, try to press every body part against this imaginary wall. In a reverse camel, you touch your head and chest against the wall first and move down.
  
• Hip Circles: Imagine you're wearing a metal belt, and someone is dragging a powerful magnet around you in a circle. Move your hips in a wide circle, but keep your upper body and feet still. To mix it up, try doing a traveling hip circle, by stepping to the right or left while circling your hips.

If you're interested in learning more about belly dancing, many sports centers, dance schools and local community centers offer belly dancing courses. However, if you can't find any, check out some belly dancing DVDs at your local library or video store. Happy dancing!