Will I ever get belly dancing like the pros?
I have taken belly dancing lessons three classes now and have belly dancing videos at home. I can definetly move alot better than when I first started but i seem to be at a stand still now and am not proigressing any more. If i can’t roll my stomach now or shimmey …will I ever be able to? Are belly dancers just naturally able to do that or did they start out like me too….will I ever look like a professional?
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Of Corse you can. All you have to do is loosen your hips and try not to move your upper body so much.Remember dancing takes practice, Never Give Up!
Everybody is a beginner once . After about 6 months things will begin to fall into place for you. A year from now you’ll be much better. How good you become depends upon a number of things:
1. The sort of teacher you had at the start is very critical. Choose wisely because they leave a lasting stamp on you.
2. How old you are and what kind of general physical shape you are in . General health is important . You have to eat decent food.
3. How much time you practice and with what kind of music. Rotten digital music will never get you there. Neither will disco pop. train your ear.
4. How many distractions you have . Boyfriends and husbands are generally not helpful . Often as not they are saboteurs. Not always but I would give up the guy not the dance.
5. How you spend your money. If you spend it on learning technique first and costumes second you’ll learn faster. Wait to buy gear until you know what exactly you wish to be in this dance. You have choices. You have to find your niche , socially proffessionally and artisticaly. Maybe culturally too.
6. Take classes with a lot of people and don’t get stuck in the troupe racket. Stay independent. You’ll go faster and learn more that way. I mean you can do it – but not for 7 or 8 years. 2 years then move on. Only a small number of teachers justify the commitment of more than a year or two.
7. Work on musicianship with seriousness. You have to learn percussion seriously. Take Deff or tabla classes and learn to play zills . You have to genuinely like this music . Dance what you feel and avoid like the plague anyone who orients to ballet. It’s wrong in its training methods, technique, alignment, choreography and it lacks improvisation. It’s body damageing mixed with raks Sharki. Natural Improvisation is what this dance is all about , not chorus line choreographies. The fact of superstars, tribal does not change this. This dance is for the caberet nightclub up close and intimate . Its was remade to work on stage, but stage is not its best venue. Much is lost. The dancer who understands this and can explain it best is Amaya. A good belly dancer does not need any choreography. It’s in your head whats happening next because you know the tune very very well. Keep your feet on the beat exactly.
Yes… you are still a baby belly dancer:) These moves take time to get your body used to , as most dance forms don’t use the muscles and movements that belly-dancing does. I’ve been dancing for 6 years now, and believe me there were moves that I LOATHED coz I felt like I was never going to get them… then 1 day they clicked and now I do them like a pro:) The best thing is not to stress when you can’t do a move… just ask your teacher to break the move down so you see how it actallu goes, and then go home and practice until it starts becoming more natural (most of us are stiff and barely move to begin with) as for rolling your stomach…that can take ages…or you could get it quickly it all depends on your stomach muscle control (so if you don’t have any …like me:) then I suggest doing ab excercises to strengthen your core muscles so you have more control over them…and they do what you tell them and not their own thing;)
As above said…a very important thing is to find the right teacher… I am extremely lucky to be in a studio with 2 awesome teachers… and have been to group haflas with other groups and seen how little their teachers actually know, and how badly some of them move…and they’re teaching others the same thing! In fact each year after our annual concert we have the other schools taking on aspects of our dances! So shop around…ask if you can observe a class or go to haflas or shows that various groups give so that you can begin to discern what groups (and teachers) are good! It will be worth it…there is nothing worse than paying a lot of money to a teacher who isn’t really teaching you much!
The classes also shouldn’t be too big, more than 15-20 (and that’s pushing it) and you don’t get the attention you should. also she should be available to go over and break-down moves so that you can get something again. Also get cds of music …not sure where you live so can’t offer shop suggestions, but start to get improv and freestyle going, you will begin to find that your body moves naturally, and that certain moves just “work’ with certain beats…get zills and start practicing different rythyms…first alone, then with music..practice swirling a veil and get used to moving with it…all of these things will make you a better dancer…and the bug will hit harder…make sure you have a coin belt/scarf…it definately helps with the moves:
Good luck and HAVE FUN…relax and enjoy!