"Hi to you" Belly Dance Students!
This page is just for you! It has information on costumes, props, music and nutrition.
But first some food for thought.......
In our culture woman are often face ridicule about their body parts and we are bombarded with images of perfection in the media on a day to day basis. In fact lots of woman are embarrassed by their own bodies and try to cover up or hide their shape. When you are a new student to belly dance you will encounter the most amazing experiences, both physically and mentally. You may even feel at times uncomfortable with what you feel or experience within your body and mind, belly dance can open up an array of all different emotions and thoughts.
Hopefully belly dancing has made you love your body and what it can achieve and that we can all feel beautiful. Remember we are all different in body structure, although we have the same amount of bones, muscle, tendons and ligaments they can be different in sizes and flexibility, this is why some dancers can perform a perfect back bend with ease and others cannot!
So think about this when belly dancing, although the girl next to you may be doing a perfect shimmy from the very start, remember she is different to you and you may have to find alternative ways to sustain your shimmy, it can take years, but don't give up, keep dancing.
Remember why you first came to belly dance or did belly dance choose you? Look at it as just having fun with the girls!
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Which Veil??
Silk, chiffon, faux silk???
You would not think that a little piece of material could cause confusion, but believe me there are so many different veils on the market and to a beginner it can be. Finding the right one may take some time, you could go and buy your material and make your own, but that now can work out more expensive than just buying one from a reputable stockist. Ebay is full of sellars, just make sure they have a good feedback rating.
I love silk veils, nothing feels more elegant or beautiful. They are as light as a feather and come in all colours of the rainbow. I can recommend a stockist called Fairy Cove Silks, there link is on the link page. Chiffon veils are cheaper and alot heavier, but still look lovely and serve their purpose, but give you more of an arm workout, you won't need to lift dumbells anymore to achieve lovely toned arms!
ZILLS
These are the little tinkly finger symbols that you see many belly dancers playing. They are challenging, but a lot of fun to learn. You will need a full set, 2 symbols for each hand. These come in silver or gold colour, again each of different quality, weight and size. You would need to try a few on to see which set is right for you.
They take time to learn, but once you get the basics then you can create a whole new dimension to your dance. Available from Ebay.
Music Recommendations / I Tunes / Amazon
- Belly Dance Superstars Volume 1 and 2 (good mixture of traditional and fusion).
- Any CD by Harem (very dancy and drummy, a dancers favourate).
- Any CD by DJ Mosavo (again easy to dance to).
- Arabesque Volume 1 (a good mixture, look for a picture of camel on front).
- Arabic Rhythms - Nourhan Sharif (great to practise to and understanding different rhythms).
- Buddha Bar (these come in different volumes and have a variety of world music mixed by amazing DJ's)
- Thousand and One Nights - Said Mrad (good beaty tunes).
- Top 40 Arabic Club Classics (dance till yer drop with this compilation).
- Shake Em Up Belly Dance (good short drum solo pieces).
- Any Cd by Naked Rhythm - Very drummy and good beats!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/
More coming soon!!
COSTUMES
When you are a beginner to belly dance then you have entered a whole new world! You have just opened the door to Aladdins Cave, a new dimension in music, dance and costume. It can be overwhelming at first, start off by buying yourself a hip coin belt, these are also great for practise wear. It is recommended not to dress up too much in full costume while in the class, as you will become very warm and uncomfortable, you need to be able to move freely while you are practising and not worry about things pinging off here and there! Please do not wear jeans, cardigans or jumpers or you will overheat! Also bring water to the class, and to keep alert and your stamina going it may be a good idea to eat either an apple or a banana, these are slow releasing power foods that will keep you going throughout the class.
Costumes can be expensive, I love making my own costumes, you put a part of you into it and then it becomes unique, nobody else with have anything like it! It is not as hard to make as you think, in fact if I can glue it together I do, and I want to see instant results, you would be amazed at what I have made in a couple of hours with a bit of glue, imagination and sequins. The costume on my profile picture was made in a week, including bra and headress! If you need showing the ropes then plenty of us in The Sea Gypsies can help, in fact we would love it!
If you would rather buy then again Ebay, or Mayan from The Brighton Orient is your girl, her costumes are the top of the range and are not cheap, but are breathtaking!
One of The Sea Gypsies has just returned from Istanbul and has an array of costumes for sale, if you would like to her range then please email me and I can pass on your details to her, but Im sure Vicky shall be bringing items to class!
The exciting part is keeping your costumes underwraps, awaiting your performance, as soon as you put your costume on you will feel totally different, it is as many performers have said, you do become somebody else while you perform, even the ritual of getting ready for a show starts to get you in performance mode, the applying of the make-up, the hairpiece, false eyelashes etc, you become transformed, then the ultimate is putting on the costume and you feel ready for anything! This is important, you are able to leave the "mother, wife" behind you for a while and become and feel "Queen of The Nile", if you feel this then you will embrace your audience and they will embrace you. Oh and dont forget the toenails, as they will be on show big time!
WHATS GOING ON!
"BACK TO BASICS" class - Ideal for beginners. One hour of technique, no routines or choreography.
TIPS FOR STUDENTS
Relax and enjoy your class, remember you are there to here to have fun more than anything!
Breathe rythmically in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Relax your face, smiling is the best cure for any tension in the mouth.
Don't be negative and try to become frustrated if you cannot do a move for the first time. Belly dance takes practise, so try not to give up at the first post.
If you are not sure about anything, please ask, no one will moan at you for doing so.
Try not to compete or compare yourself with other students, remember we are all different body shapes, ages and abilities!
Feel the music.
Try not to isolate yourself in the classroom, belly dance is a fantastic way to meet new friends, you can have a whole new social life!
Buy lots of belly dance music, find one you really love and practise as much as you can at home, this will make life in the class room easier and your movements will begin to flow.
Don't worry about buying expensive costumes. They can be made cheaply at home, or you don't need at all, but I think we all like to get dressed up. Belts and scarfs are a great accessory to your dance.
Belly Dance has no age limitations, you can dance at any age.
Love the body you have. In our culture we are bombarded with the body beautiful constantly, and people are spending thousands on cosmetic surgery to try and look more beautiful. Its far better to belly dance and forget about being perfect, in belly dance we are all goddesses!!
Nutrition to Keep your Stamina Up!
"SHEIK IT SHAKE!"
1 Ripe Advocado (remove skin)
1 Fresh Lime (squeeze juice out of lime)
1 Handful of Baby Leaf Spinach
1/4 pint of Apple Juice (not concentrated)
For added power boost 1 Banana
Combine ingredients together and wizz in a blender, drink immediately.
"SHIMMY BOOSTER"
1 Handful of fresh blueberries
1 Banana
1/4 pint of Fresh Orange Juice
1 Ring of Fresh Pineapple
Wizz together in a blender and drink immediately
"HIP DROP WIZZ"
1 Handful of fresh Raspberries
1 Handful of fresh Strawberries
1 Banana
1/4 pint of Fresh Orange Juice
Wizz all together in a blender and drink immediately.
You can really add any ingredients you fancy to you Shakes and for added naughtyness you can add a dollop of your fave icecream, the kids will love them too.
More recipes and ideas coming soon. Please send me your own "Sheik it Shakes".