| Warm Up Begin every session with a warm-up. | | | | In your unstructured review and practice dance, you |
| Warming up is important because it puts both your | | | | may have forgotten to use some moves that you |
| body and your brain in the mood to dance. It stimulates | | | | know how to do. Place your video in the machine, or |
| circulation to your muscles and releases the tension in | | | | refer to your class notes or book. As the video/ book |
| them so they'll be free to move. It helps your brain | | | | notes discuss each move that you already know, do |
| adjust its attention away from the latest annoying thing | | | | the move with it. Listen carefully to what the instructor |
| your boss did at work or your child did at home, and | | | | is saying, or read the text carefully, and pay close |
| brings your focus to dancing. | | | | attention to your technique. |
| If your teacher hasn't taught you how to warm up, or if | | | | Are you doing it correctly? If so, can you sharpen it at |
| you're studying with a video that doesn't tell you how | | | | all? Can you gain further range of motion by |
| to warm up, here's a simple way to start: Start with a | | | | encouraging a little stretch in your muscles? Did you |
| CD using lively music that you like very much. It doesn't | | | | miss any important information when you learned this |
| have to be Middle Eastern music. Anything brisk with a | | | | move in the past? Take Time to Learn It Don't rush |
| strong beat that makes you want to get up and dance | | | | your way through learning new material. Take time to |
| will do. Pick a song that's about 3-5 minutes long. | | | | learn all the details. For each individual move that the |
| As it plays, walk briskly around the room, swaying your | | | | video or book teaches, take about 5 minutes (or more, |
| hips side to side. | | | | if you need it) to practice that move. Rewind your tape |
| Gracefully bring your arms out to each side, | | | | 4 or 5 times, and each time pay attention to see |
| outstretched in what my friend Asifa el-Bah'r calls "the | | | | whether you can pick up new information that you |
| crucifix position". | | | | missed when you listened to it before. |
| Raise your arms into a proud "V" pointing diagonally on | | | | Each time, listen carefully to the explanation and watch |
| each side toward the sky. Make sure your shoulders | | | | what the instructor is doing. |
| are relaxed and not raised into a shrug position. | | | | Pay attention to where she places her weight. |
| Raise both hands directly overhead and relax the | | | | Watch her posture. |
| elbows just a little so you have a soft curve. Again, | | | | Listen to her words. |
| make sure your shoulders are still relaxed. | | | | Look for details that she does not describe with |
| Keeping one arm overhead, drop the other to "the | | | | words, such as where she places her arms. |
| crucifix position" so that your arms form a letter "L". | | | | Do the move along with the video as it is taught. |
| Do the letter "L" on the other side. | | | | After you have rewound the tape about 4-5 times to |
| Make up additional arm poses that you think might look | | | | review how the move was explained, pause the video, |
| graceful. | | | | put suitable music on your stereo, and repeat it over |
| Continue walking around the room, swaying your hips | | | | and over for the length of one 3-minute song. |
| in time to the music, experimenting with these different | | | | Make a written list of all the new moves you learned |
| arm variations until the song ends. | | | | during your session with the video. Over the next day |
| Review What You Already Know If today is not your | | | | or two, even if you don't have time to dance, pick up |
| first session, begin with a review of what you have | | | | the list, look at it, and try to remember what each |
| learned so far. Here's my recommendation on how to | | | | move was like. The next time you work with the video, |
| structure the review. | | | | this list will remind you of which moves to practice |
| Put appropriate belly dance music on your stereo | | | | during your review. |
| system and systematically do every move that you | | | | Practice the New Moves When you've finished using |
| remember. When I teach classes, I usually allow one or | | | | the video to drill yourself on the 4-5 new moves you |
| two songs, each with a length of 3-5 minutes for this. | | | | learned in this session, it's time to practice them. Turn |
| Use the full song, repeating each individual move many | | | | off the television, and put your practice music on your |
| times, paying careful attention to correct posture and | | | | stereo system. Start doing some free-form dancing to |
| technique. If you have written down a list of the | | | | the music, using all the moves you know, and make an |
| moves you have learned so far, consult your list to | | | | effort to incorporate the new ones you just learned. |
| make sure you practice everything on it. If you run out | | | | Just focus on the music, and let your body interpret |
| of time, restart the song at the beginning and keep | | | | what you hear. Remember that you have the new |
| going. This isn't a race. | | | | moves available to enrich your expression. |
| Do your own improvised little belly dance. Put a suitable | | | | Cool Down Every exercise session should end with a |
| song of 3-5 minutes on your stereo system, and focus | | | | cool-down. This helps ease your body back to |
| on what you hear in the music. Use the moves you | | | | inactivity. If you were working with vigorous music |
| know to interpret it. If the music is slow and sensuous, | | | | before, switch to slow, sensuous music. Work through |
| use undulations, hip slides and circles, rib cage slides | | | | some of the gentle isolations that you have learned: hip |
| and circles, and snake arms. If it is brisk and energetic, | | | | circles and slides, rib cage circles and slides, and |
| do hip lifts and drops, traveling steps, and shimmies. | | | | stretches. |