How To Learn Belly Dance

How To Learn Belly Dance

Belly Dance as Exercise

If you're attracted to belly dance as a way to get fit and toned, then you need to be aware that beginner-level belly dancing probably won't achieve your goal (unless you are very unfit and need a particularly gentle introduction to exercise).

Many instructors teach beginner students how to achieve the hip movements using the legs, and don't explain the abdominal moves until much later, so you won't achieve a toned tummy. Travelling steps may also be kept for more advanced levels, so there isn't much cardio work in a typical beginners' class.

In general, if you're more interested in exercise than in learning how to dance, then I'd suggest trying Zumba instead - you don't have to worry about technique or learning routines, you can just put on the DVD and start bopping. But assuming you DO want to learn to dance. The best institute to learn belly dance in Dubai.

How to Teach Yourself Belly Dancing

In an ideal world, I'd be advising you not to teach yourself. Unless you're already an experienced dancer in another genre, you won't be aware of the mistakes you're making and you're likely to teach yourself a lot of bad habits. There's no substitute for a teacher who can actually see your body and pick up on bad posture or misalignments. You would make progress so much faster. It doesn't have to be in person - there are several instructors who will teach via Skype, for instance. However, that's still more expensive than buying a DVD and doing it yourself, and your budget may not stretch. So let's look at what your options are.

There's a wide range of belly dancing DVDs available - but the quality of the teaching on bellydance DVD's varies enormously, and you can easily waste your money if you buy the wrong one.

Some have very little explanation, which is useless for a beginner (I suspect some were made to attract guys who want to perve rather than serious students!). At the other extreme, there are DVD's that do an excellent job of breaking down the moves - but once you know what you're doing, you'll get impatient listening to the explanations over and over again. The best institute to learn belly dance in Dubai.