The PiperMethod™ School of Belly Dance

a comprehensive, structured, and detailed Oriental dance training curriculum

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PiperMethodTM Level I




  
4/4 Basic Shimmy
- Stand in Neutral Posture and push the hips up and down (not side to side) using muscles in the upper legs, not the waist.  Keep your weight on both feet and pump knees in opposition to each other, but do not allow them to fully straighten.  Shoulders and hands are relaxed.

  
Neutral Posture - Feet are parallel, flat on the floor with the ankle aligned over the center of the foot.  The pelvis is neutral (not tilted forward or back) right under the ribcage.  The abs are pulled in and up, to support the spine and allow the mid-back to relax.  The knees are bent right over the toes, chest neutral, neck long, shoulders and hands relaxed.

 








Basic Shimmy


   

Choo-Choo - In Neutral Posture with feet and knees nearly touching, step from foot to foot, pumping your knees to move your hips sharply up and down with the beat.  When you step on the right foot, the right hip goes up, and vice versa.

 



Swing Shimmy - Standing in Neutral Posture, push the hips up and out to one side then the other, making a "smiley" with the bellybutton, but keeping the head, chest, and shoulders still.  For the 3/4 Swing Shimmy (right-middle-right, left-middle-left), make sure that "one is as big as two."

It is important to keep pelvis neutral, knees bent, and ankles straight!

 



Note: to avoid knee strain, keep knees bent!

 

Twist Shimmy - Standing in Neutral Posture, twist your hips forward and back, keeping the hip movement in one plane (hips do not move not up and down).  The hands, shoulders, and chest remain relaxed and still.

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