I have a couple great tips for the frustrated newbie dancers struggling with getting those belly rolls started.
When I first started dancing, most of the basics came easy. (Well shimmies didn’t come easy but that’s another topic!). Any background in dance prepares you to have good posture, arm placement and be able to move gracefully. But true belly rolls, the meat and potatoes of the dance, are a whole other challenge.
With some trial and error, I found three practices that really helped my belly rolls start to show. And once I got started, it got easier and easier to further develop the movement.
The key is to strengthen those abdominal muscles, but not by just crunches at the gym. I found that doing simple contractions while sitting or standing, particularly in time to music while doing something else, was a great way to develop the multitasking muscle awareness we need for good belly dancing.
Tip 1 Suck it in!
Whenever you play music while driving or sitting at the computer, try pulling your belly in, in time to the music. Then practice pushing your belly out in time with the music. You can play around with variations; like ten pulls in, ten pushes out. You can also vary your speed. Just get in the habit of doing this for just a couple minutes every single day. While it’s challenging to pay attention to what your doing and still do the belly moves in time to the music, you will get to where you can drive or read and do your belly moves almost unconsciously.
Tip 2 Practice Horizontal
Next, try getting into a weird posture to feel and work against weight or gravity to feel the different areas of your belly muscles as they are in motion. Sounds strange I know but trust me on this and just try it.
First, put some music on and get in front of a mirror with your belly dance clothes on. Bend over a chair or the edge of a couch while watching yourself in the mirror. You’ll need to bend until your torso is completely parallel to the floor, so make sure you can really lean into that furniture and relax your mid section.
Now let your belly completely relax and hang loose. Then pull in your belly as far as you can. Imagine pulling your belly button back up into your spine. As you watch your belly in the mirror, notice the feel of gravity as you pull. Try and do your pulls in time to the music. You’ll get a huge range of motion that’s very encouraging and harder to do when standing upright.
Tip 3 Take A Bath
This tip I discovered quite by accident!
Lean back in a tub with just enough water so that when you lay down you’re not submerged. Make sure that your back is completely relaxed and your torso is freely able to move. (I keep my knees bent when I do this.) You want there to be enough water so that when you pull your belly all the way in, some water falls in and collects around your navel.
Pull your belly in and collect some water at the navel. Then relax your navel and concentrate on contracting the muscle right between where your ribcage comes together just between your breasts. (I think it’s the upper diaphragm area). As you contract your diaphragm, the water will flow from your navel to your upper diaphragm area.
Play at moving the water back and forth between your navel and your diaphragm. As one area relaxes, the other contacts and the water flows back and forth.
This first time I did this, I was elated! It was the first time I actually moved my belly in a rolling motion. I found that having the water on my body somehow enabled me to make the mind/body connection that had been so elusive.
Eventually I found I could do a small roll while I stood brushing my teeth. The little daily habits will help to train your body, so don’t give up. Just add these tips to your daily practice and watch your belly rolls start to really rock!
