The PiperMethod™ School of Belly Dance

Genii (Cabaret, Tribal)
Fingers point to the ceiling, elbows out, hands way above head, palms together or facing out

• Head Slides
• Body Rolls Down
• Hip Figure 8s
• Hip Shimmies
• Hip Pulls
• Hip Drops
• Step-Hip
• Hip Downs

Hieroglyphic (Pharaonic, Cabaret)
Stand sideways with your head turned to look at the audience. Hold one hand palm up in front of you, fingers pointing forwards, the other hand behind your rear end, palm facing either the floor or behind you.

• Single Hip Rotation
• Hip Drops
• Body Rolls Down
• Body Rolls Up
• Chest Pops
• Chest Locks

Prayer (Pharaonic, Cabaret)
Elbows out, palms together in front of chest.

• Head Slides
• Figure 8s
• Hip Shimmies
• Hip Side Slides
• Turns

Beach Ball (all styles)
Arms curved upwards as though you were holding a giant beach ball with your head in the center.

• Swing Shimmy
• Step-Hip
• Chest Tilts

ZigZag (Pharaonic, Cabaret)
Hold the right hand, palm in, fingers pointing up, elbow out, to the side of the right ear. Hold the left hand, palm in, fingers pointing down, elbow out, to the side of the left hip. Reverse.

• Hip Downs
• Hip Drops
• Grape Vine

Admire Your Rings (Turkish, Cabaret, Tribal)
Looking at your right hand, touch the finger tips of the left hand to the left temple, and hold the right hand out to your right side at eye level, palm out. Reverse.

• Step-Hip
• Hip Pulls

Artemis (Turkish, Cabaret)
Artemis was the Goddess of the Hunt.  She is often depicted with a bow and arrow.  If you add a Torso Tilt to Admire Your Rings above, it gives the feeling of archery.

• Half Hip Circles
• Hip Pulls

Ya Salem (Egyptian)
Touch the finger tips of one hand to the temple and then pull them away a bit like an army salute. This is an accent move, so do it only once or you will look like a chorus girl!

• Hip Push Back
• Hip Lift
• Chest Pop

Grinding Spices (Middle Eastern Folkloric)
Put fist of one hand into palm of the other hand and hold both down by one hip as you move the fist around in small circles.

• Single Hip Rotation
• Hip Rotation/Circle
• Hip Pull with Pivot

Swirl (Classic Cabaret)
Keeping shoulders and elbows still, elbow out, hand near hip, rotate finger tips in a circle.

• Hip Circles
• Single Hip Rot.
• Walking Hip Rot.

Hawaiian Wave (Modern Egyptian, Classic Cabaret)
Keep shoulders down and elbows soft (i.e. not locked straight, but not sharply bent either) while lifting hands high above head.  Both palms face left as you sway your hands right.  Twist palms to face right as you sway hands left.  Elbows should move very little.

• Katak: BackStep-SideStep
• Hip Figure 8s
• Chest Figure 8s
• Hip Pushes

Snake (Classic Cabaret)
Arms move up and down in opposition with a snake-like movement, first the shoulder, then the elbow, then the wrist, then the knuckles, then the finger tips.

• Choo-Choos
• Side Glide
• Hip Figure 8s
• Chest Figure 8s
• Side Lunges

Caress Your Chakras (Classic Cabaret)
With your palms in, trace a vertical circle above your head, then around your face, then around your chest, then open arms and fingers  out and up again.

• Basic Shimmy
• Cylinders

"V" Arms (Modern Egyptian, Pharaonic, Classic Cabaret)
Hold elbows straight, hands out and up with palms flat and facing the ceiling for Pharaonic and American, fingers relaxed and palms facing the floor for Modern Egyptian.

• Step-SwingHip
• Body Rolls Down
• Forward-Step-Back-Step

Up to Down V (Modern Egyptian, Classic Cabaret)
Start palms in, hands above your head, and bring hands down just outside the body, pulling your elbows straight behind you.  At the level of the waist, turn the palms up with the fingers slightly curled in, so you lead the downward movement with the backs of the hands.  Open the fingers outwards just below the hips, and then bring the hands back up again, turning the palms out at the level of the ribs.

• Basic Shimmy
• Cylinders
• Body Rolls Down

"Part the Waters/Present the Pearl" or Give-Push (Egyptian, Classic Cabaret)
Hold hands in front of one hip, palms facing up, fingers pointing forwards, and push hands forward and apart. Bring hands back in front of the other hip and turn palms out, fingers pointing up and in towards each other, then push hands forward and apart. Keep motion flowing and continuous.

• Horizontal Figure 8s
• 3/4 Shimmy with Swivel

Offer-Refuse (Classic Cabaret, Tribal)
Hold arms open at a 45° angle forward (i.e. not in front of you and not to the side), elbows slightly bent, palms up at breast level, then turn wrists so that palms face out. Note: this is NOT like the Greek insult "Ná," nor like the American hand sign for "stop" that cops use. Instead, the fingers are softly bent and close together and face outwards at an angle, not straight forwards.

• Basic Katak
• Slow Pelvic Tilts

Taffy (Egyptian, Classic Cabaret)
Start with elbows out, hands together in front of your chest.  Slowly pull hands away from each other (out to the sides with one moving upwards and the other downwards), keeping fingers close to each other and pointing to the other hand.  With the heels of the hands leading, bring hands back in towards the chest with the fingers pulled back until wrists are crossed.  Keep movement small and close to the body for Egyptian style.

• BR Down stepping side-to-side
• Turns

• Hip Drops
• Pelvic Tilts

Lotus Blossom (all styles)

Wrists cross with fingers facing down, tips of fingers together, elbows out. Slowly raise arms keeping wrists crossed as long as you can, then slowly open arms to the side, OR, slowly raise arms while pushing hands into opposite elbow crook to frame face, then slowly open arms up and out.

• Undulations
• Choo-Choos
• Basic Shimmy
  

"W" Arms (Classic Cabaret, Pharaonic)
For American style, hold hands out to the side at shoulder level with elbows are softly bent and a little behind you while the hands are slightly in front of you – palms can be out or up, but fingers and palms must be soft. For Pharaonic style, arms are in the same plane as the body, wrists are sharply bent and hands are rigidly flat.

• Shoulder Shimmies
• Figure 8s
• Chest Pops

Float (all styles)

Like W but softer and more open, palms face the floor.

• Body Rolls
• Chest Tilt + BR
• Chest Tilt + Turn

Balinese Pose + Hand Undulations

One hand on hip, other hand in front of opposite shoulder with fingers pulled back, elbow lifted.

• Creates a dramatic moment