Mesmerizing Belly Dance - Foundations 1

Adopt good posture and alignment to project confidence and smooth movement; perform warm ups and cool downs before practice, and master isolations for clean belly dance technique.

Practice regularly to increase range of motion with each move, boosting dance flexibility, and fit short sessions into your day, including breaks in small spaces.

Explore five upper body bellydance moves—horizontal rib slides, chest raise, release, horizontal box, and vertical rebox—through drills and multi-angle demonstrations, emphasizing isolating the upper and lower body and smooth transitions.

Perform horizontal rib slides forward and back, extending the rib cage and engaging the back muscles, then return to neutral; keep hips stable and shoulders still.

Lift the chest from a neutral position with a string-like pull, then release it back to neutral while keeping hips isolated from the upper body.

Start in a neutral position and perform a horizontal rib box by linking right and left bridge slides with forward and back rib slides on a level plane.

Learn the vertical rib box by combining horizontal slides with chest raise and release, isolating rib movements left and right, then tracing up and down to form a box.

Master horizontal rib slides and forward/back rope slides in belly dance drill set 1, guided by music, timing variations, and focused on abs engagement and smooth transitions.

Practice chest raise and release drill with guided four-count sequences, alternating up and down, while breathing steadily to warm up the body for belly dance foundations.

Practice horizontal rib box with two-count and one-count per side, then vertical rib box, using forward, side, back patterns and deliberate direction changes.

Review the section by practicing horizontal slides in all directions, chest releases, and red box patterns in the drill set to build body memory and isolate the top from bottom.

Master six additional upper body moves and two new drills in section 4, with demonstrations in multiple directions to help you follow along and refine your technique.

Raise the chest at an angle to trace a v in front, lift the rib cage from neutral with relaxed shoulders and neck, and finish with the opposite up-and-down motion.

Master the vertical chest figure eight up by tracing a large figure eight with your chest while keeping the hips still, emphasizing upward motion and smooth chest rise and release.

Master the vertical chest figure 8 down by starting to the right, circling down and around in an arc, and returning to center; practice to increase your range of motion.

Practice a horizontal chest figure eight forward, tracing two intersecting forward circles across the chest. Move the chest forward, circle around each side, then return to complete the pattern.

Master horizontal chest figure 8 backwards by starting from the back, circling to the front, and returning with a controlled contraction that engages the rib cage.

In this drill set, perform vertical chest figure eights with four counts per side, then two counts per side, engaging the upper abs and smoothing the range of motion.

Perform horizontal chest figure eights with four-count patterns, alternating sides, returning to the middle, and maintain abs engagement through forward, left, backward, and spade movements.

Master the snake arms technique by moving from shoulder to fingertips with right, then left arm for a fluid, snake-like belly dance look. Aim for smooth movements with relaxed fingers.

Practice the snake arm drill with eight counts per side, then four, two, and one count per side, maintaining a deep breath and slow, controlled motions.

Review vertical and horizontal chest figure eights and snake arms with drills to develop smooth isolations and transitions as you change directions and prepare to dance these moves in combinations.

Learn three upper body move combinations using all learned moves, reference them, then practice each move across different directions and angles with music.

Master the horizontal box and snake arm combination in belly dance, practicing 16 counts with two pro-side counts, then a half-time tempo, and variations from the back.

Master the upper body combination number two, featuring chest movements and horizontal figure 8s forward and backward, followed by a forward and backward V sequence.

Practice the upper body dance move combination #3, weaving figure-8 and snake arm patterns with right and left, while coordinating back, forward, and backward motions.

Combine the moves learned so far into practice sequences, starting slowly and increasing speed as you gain comfort, with a resource documenting drills, combinations, and lower body moves.

Learn three lower body moves, including horizontal hip slides in four directions and pelvic squares, and practice with a drill set to master these belly dance building blocks.

Learn to perform horizontal hip slides right and left with level hips, engaging the back muscles as you slide side to side between imagined poles, keeping hips steady and untwisted.

Perform horizontal hip slides forward, neutral, and back while keeping the upper body still, engaging the gluteus maximus and abs to isolate hip movement.

Move your hips in a box pattern by sliding right, forward, left, and back to form pelvic squares, then reverse directions to build hip control.

Practice drill set four with horizontal hip slides to music, alternating right/left and forward/back, using varied counts and the think tank steps to build rhythmic hip movement.

Practice pelvic squares with two counts per side, following the forward, side, back, and side sequence.

Review what you've learned by practicing horizontal sahibs slides in right, left, forward, and back directions, along with pelvic squares through drills, and get ready to learn some more.

Section 7 introduces lower body moves—hip twist, hip ups, and pelvic tilts—and a drill set to nail them, while exploring side-to-side, forward-back, up-to-down, and tilting planes.

Learn hip twists with a stable upper body in neutral, isolate the hips, twist forward and back on each side while avoiding shoulder movement, and engage the obliques.

Master hip ups by contracting the obliques to lift the hips straight up from a neutral stance, using subtle weight shifts and controlled release to feel the engaged muscles.

Learn to perform pelvic tilts forward and back with controlled, smooth movement, squeezing the glutes to tilt the pelvis up and down from neutral.

Practice hip twist drills to twist the hips forward on each side, keeping the torso stable and knees flexed, isolating movement with four-count rhythms, then halving time and speeding up.

perform drill set 5b hip ups, echoing right and left sequences, speeding up and turning around to sharpen your hip up technique from your stance.

Practice pelvic tilts in drill set 5c, coordinating two counts and forward movements, then switch directions and keep practicing to improve control.

Review key belly dance moves like hip twists, hip ups, and pelvic tilts, practice drills, and refine isolations and transitions to master smoother lower body movement.

Explore four more lower body moves—horizontal figure 8 forward, azonto hip figure eight backwards, a four four shimmy, and a loose hip shimmy—and practice with drills to master them.

Learn the horizontal hip figure eight forward by circling the right hip around the right foot, then the left, intersecting between the feet while shifting weight from side to side.

Perform a horizontal hip figure 8 backward by moving circles to the right and left, tracing the figure eight between the feet, starting with the right hip.

Practice drill set six for horizontal hip figure 8s backwards, coordinating counts and timing, with twists and speed increases, switching sides for a complete belly dance foundations workout.

Perform a four figure eight hip drill moving in the forward direction, twisting through the middle and diagonals, with emphasis on counts and keeping abs engaged.

Master the four hip shimmy by shifting weight between the legs, bending the knees, and letting the hips relax and move with the beat and rhythm.

learn to perform a loose hip shimmy in belly dance, keeping the hips relaxed and the tongue still, and sustain a 30-second hip shake with tips to practice during commercials.

Drill set 7 guides a four-four hip shimmy to music, left, right, and traveling, then transitions to a loose hip shimmy, introducing side steps to boost cardio.

Practice horizontal hip figure rates in forward and backward directions for four hip shimmy and a loose hip shimmy, through drills, and combine them into cool combinations.

Explore lower body dance combinations with moves learned so far, and tackle a challenge that blends upper and lower body moves, guided by a reference outlining moves, drills, and descriptions.

Practice the lower body move combination #1, featuring a pelvic square and a horizontal figure 8 forward. Try it again in the opposite starting direction to build comfort and versatility.

Combine hip shimmies with a pelvic tilt in an eight-count sequence, with four counts of shimmy, then two tilts from counts four through eight, and cut that time in half.

Perform the challenge combination #1 by executing chest b's, a horizontal figure eight, snake arms, and a loose hip shimmy, all linked by breathing.

Combine hip-hop chest raises with pelvic tilts, then add a horizontal figure 8 for four counts and finish with four hip shimmies to advance belly dance technique.

Combine the moves you've learned so far to practice choreography. Refer to the attached reference document for extra information, read it on your own, and start working on some choreography.

Combine moves learned so far into one choreography. Each new section builds on the previous, with reviews, practice, and demonstrations from multiple angles to help you memorize.

Learn a belly dance routine from a standing pose, with weight shifts and a right hand wave for 16 counts, then a behind the back intro and box steps.

Learn the chorus choreography in belly dance foundations by mastering chest raises and releases, hip twists, and box patterns with guided counts and arm placements.

Break down pelvic squares and tilts with a leftward hop and shimmy, then face front to complete the routine. Tilt at an angle to avoid facing the audience during practice.

master rib slides and chest movement with a four-count hip shimmy in this choreography breakdown for group 4, guiding slow, coordinated arm and hip timing.

Master the chest and hip figure eight with group 5, choreograph up forward down backwards motions, eight-count patterns, and practice from both sides.

Learn the group 6 snake arm combo, alternating slow snake arms with hip-hop counts and a four four hip shimmy, then a fast ending.

Practice the group 7 16-count loose hip shimmy and finish with the final pose, coming right after the snake arm combo in this choreography breakdown.

Master quick posing tips to captivate the audience by using deliberate beginning and ending poses, energy from fingertips, and choosing whether to look at the audience or at your hand.

Follow along with this choreography by practicing consistently, experimenting with arm movements and hip placements, and having fun while building smoother belly dance technique.

Complete the choreography while exploring middle eastern rhythms with the Booga Booga drums app, building a customizable playlist by tempo, bars, and instruments for practice with four-beat grooves.