Belly Dance Info.com

Wow, since the first post about “Shimmy” which airs on Fit TV was such a hit, I’ve decided to write about it again and will, most likely, write more in the future. I had no idea that so many people were interested in the show!

In my first blog I mentioned that Shimmy does go over a variety of moves, however, it’s difficult for a beginner to really catch on just by watching. I want to go into more detail as to why I believe this is the case. In the beginning the nararrator gives a quick run down of the moves they will be using, and visual examples are given by the belly dancers. This is great if you’ve done the moves before, but if you are completely new and are just learning how to belly dance, it’s highly likely that you will be holding the position incorrectly and could potentially injure yourself.

I certainly don’t mean to scare anyone away from trying, but one of the things you will learn from a live belly dance instructor is exactly how to hold your hips, your pelvis, your abs, etc. so that you are not only getting the best muscle movement possible, but also how to avoid pulling a muscle or putting unnecessary strain on your body. Belly dancing gets you using muscles that you may not even know you have and is an excellent form of exercise, but only if done properly. As with anything, I think it’s important when learning, to learn correctly. I’m not so sure that all of that is conveyed over the boob tube.

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Thanks to the success of the Shimmy blog posted by Amy a couple weeks ago, we’ve decided to kick of a ‘How to’ belly dancing blog series for those of you want to start belly dancing in the comfort of your home. You don’t have to pay high gas prices to get acquainted with the basic moves.

In my search for Shimmy clips, I came across the following video with the famous belly dance twins, Veena and Neena. I know them best for their performance in Ricky Martin’s video “Livin La Vida Loca”. The following clip focuses on hip twists and hip circles. This is a great basic move to practice over and over. It’s also a great form of exercise for the abs and hips. Veena and Neena teach Bollywood dance styles and that’s evident when they dance. Their choreography tends to be sharper and a better form of cardio than traditional Egyptian belly dancing. I hope you enjoy it!

- Sepi

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The other day I was browsing through channels and came across a 30 minute belly dance exercise program on Fit TV called “Shimmy”. I was really excited and immediately ran and grabbed my hip scarf to give it a try. For those of you interested in learning how to belly dance but either dont have any instructors in your area or if you just want to try it at home before investing in a class, this is a decent option.

The exercises were pretty similar to what I’ve learned in various classes, however, if I didn’t have the background and already know how to do them correctly, I think it would have been difficult to keep up. The narration does move slowly and they do give you tips in the beginning, but it’s nothing close to what you’d get from a real life instructor.

All in all, I don’t think I would watch “Shimmy” again and I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners. If you have some belly dance knowledge it’s a great way to get some practice in, but I think it’s worth your while to get the basics down with someone who can give you direct feedback.

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