How to Belly Dance

I don't believe you can learn how to dance by reading text and looking at animations or still photos. But sometimes you may not understand your teacher's explanation in class, so it may be helpful to see another teacher's description of how to do it. On this page, you'll find written descriptions of how to do certain moves.

How to Do Certain Moves

Written By Shira

Belly Rolls
Backbends (like the one in the photo to the right)
Forward and Back Shimmy
Walking Shimmy
Hip Bumps and Squeezing Glutes

Also, my Links page leads to some other sites with some online lessons.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Rickman, San Jose, California.

Written By Arabella

Turn, Turn, Turn
Exploring Figure Eights
The Camel Walk - Way to Move!
Whirl Like a Dervish!
The Mysterious Zar: What Is It? What Can It Do for You? The Arabic ritual for driving out inner demons.

Developing Related Skills

How to Improvise (from the "Dear Shira" column).
Tips & Tricks for Swords.

How to Practice/Learn Belly Dance on Your Own

You may also find it helpful to read the following articles elsewhere on this web site:

Learning to Belly Dance: What if There's No Local Teacher? Or, what if you need more than your local teacher can give? Where else can you turn?
How to Structure a Belly Dance Study/Practice Session at Home
Learning to Belly Dance from Videos
Learning to Belly Dance from Books and Web Sites

Reviews of Books & Videos for
Studying Belly Dance on Your Own

Shira's Video Center. Reviews of over 60 videos related to belly dancing.
Nefertiti Presents... Belly Dancing, the Basics. by Sherry Jeffries. Uses photos and text to teach simple beginning-level belly dance moves.
Belly Dancing For Health And Relaxation. By Tina Hobin. Attempts to use photos and text to teach belly dance.

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