Beginner Plus Belly Dance

You're a blossoming belly dancer and I hope you love it as much as I do. Now that you've learned the basics, this is the time to perfect those moves and get into the "heart" of the dance. You will now be on your way to stringing a set of steps together and formulating moves while the music is playing. The goal is to dance more naturally to the music and think on your feet! Here you will soon find resources and Sandrina's lists of favourites, as well as choreography notes and a summary of moves learned in this level. As this section is still a work in progress, check back every so often to find new things added.

Please click here to read an excellent essay on the history of belly dance (with some myth busting) written by one of my teachers Jalilah Lorraine Chamas. Also, learn-to-belly-dance.com has a highly subjective and wonderful time line history and section on the different styles of belly dance.


Beginner Plus Class - Drum Solo Choreography

To download a pdf of this choreography notes, click here.
The music for the choreography is here, and the extended version is here.

General Review of Belly Dance moves in Sandrina’s Beginner Plus Session

  1. Pelvic Locks
  2. Omis
  3. Interior Hip Squares (diamonds)
  4. Saiidi Hip Drop with arms & pivot
  5. Hip Twist circling
  6. Traveling chest lifts
  7. The Complete Family of Hip Fig.8’s (Vertical up, down/Horizontal front,back)
  8. Bouncing  Hip circles
  9. With body drop
  10. Chu chu shimmy + with snake arms
  11. Pliez with hip accents
  12. Camel
  13. Reverse Camel
  14. Camel while circling using Arabic 2
  15. Egyptian Shimmy
  16. Vibration (intro
  17. Flutter      (intro)
  18. Belly Roll (intro)

Complete Arabic Footwork 1-5

  1. Arabic 1 – fbf / fbf - review
  2. Arabic 2 – fbbb / fbbb - review
  3. Arabic 3 – rocking forwards left , turning on the quarters & with undulations
  4. Arabic 4 – fbbb + inward hip circle (one sided or even) and Arabic 5 - f,b,bbb facing front, with half turn and with fullturn

Combinations

  1. Three point turn into big body circle, into Saiidi hip drop with pivot
  2. Hammer with Arabic 3
  3. Omi with pelvic forward locks

Other Footwork

1. Chassee with arabesque
2. Side walks (fbbb / fb swoop) with undulations up
3. Three Point turns and transitions

Finger Cymbals Intro

  1. Baladi             - also with hip movements
  2. Saiidi