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Learning to Belly Dance from Videos - Page 2

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How to Work with Video

If you want to try learning belly dance from video, I recommend that you work with three videos:

1. One that teaches basic moves.
2. One that teaches choreography.
3. One that contains performances by professional dancers.

Start with the basic moves video. Once you've spent time working with it, you'll know whether you like belly dancing enough to try additional ones.

When I teach classes, I normally teach only 4 or 5 new moves per hour. There's a limit to how much new material your brain can absorb in one session, and it's good to take things slowly enough to really learn each item before you move on to the next. Your muscles, too, need time to learn new ways of moving.

Here's how I suggest you structure your video learning sessions:

Remove Distractions

I learned a long time ago that when I want to practice belly dancing, I need to lock my cats out of the room! Think about what might distract you - probably your children, pets, and spouse. Try to make arrangements for them to find something else to do during your study time.

Allow Enough Time

If possible, set aside a minimum of 1 hour to do it. Some videos are shorter, perhaps only a half hour. But if you take the time to warm up, review what you learned in the past, and drill yourself on new moves, you can easily fill an hour.

Most belly dance classes set aside a full hour for the class. If you're learning from home, why not give yourself the same benefits of focused attention?

Do It Regularly

Try to spend time with your video at least one day per week. If you have time to do it more often, you'll learn even faster!

Warm Up

Begin every session with a warm-up. Warming up is important because it puts both your body and your brain in the mood to dance. It stimulates circulation to your muscles and releases the tension in them so they'll be free to move. It helps your brain adjust its attention away from the latest annoying thing your boss did at work, and brings your focus to dancing.

If your video doesn't tell you how to warm up, here's a simple way to start:

• Start with a CD using brisk music that you like a lot. It doesn't have to be Middle Eastern music. Anything brisk with a strong beat that makes you want to get up and dance will do. Pick a song that's about 3-5 minutes long.

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