Views on how to Belly Dance (a fun way of increasing your activity!)

Belly dance is simple when you learn about the parts of the body and how they are connected through your centre. I always start teaching beginners to belly dance through connecting to their feet. Dance is using the body like an instrument to feel and express music. In order to feed the rhythm of music up to your belly, you need to feel the music coming up from the earth through your feet.

So how do you move your hips from your feet?Try this really simple exercise:

Both feet facing forward about a inch to two inches apart (no duck feet please)Place your fingers tips gently on your front hip bones.Keeping the heels on the ground, bend the knees softly and notice how the hip bones move ever so subtly. Take care to not lock the knees.Keep the knees soft and juicy like squeezing a sponge.Softly bend the knees and start to feel the buttocks fall to the earth as if you’re going to sit on a stool.

As you softly bend the knees, notice the sister fold in the ankles and the fold of the groin. The three folds - ankle, knees, groin - are connected like sister joints all springing in synchronicity together. Let them open a little and close gently and notice your tailbone dropping straight down into the earth (no duck tails please).

Let go of opening and closing the joints.
Keep your knees soft, keep the fold in your groin and ankles and notice your tail pointing down into the earth.
Now – You’re ready to start feeling the rhythm through your feet (while keeping the leg joints soft)

Lifting one heel at a time, start to feel the earth with each heel. As the heel hits the ground feel the reverb into your buttock. And repeat! Using music with a beat!

Pretty soon you’ll find how hitting the earth with your heel reverbs all the way up your leg to your butt – but the key is to always keep the knees soft and juicy to let the beat travel to the butt. Imagine the feet are like a drummer’s hands communicating the rhythm to your body.
Enjoy your feet, feel the rhythm and send the beat from feet to butt.