How To Do Undulations in Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is a dance form that is very expressive and sensuous. A belly dancer uses almost all parts of the body to move with the music. Belly dancing is a traditional Middle Eastern dance that has gained acceptance in the West. It is now taught as a new dance craze or as a form of dance exercise.

Most of the movements in belly dancing are continuous and graceful, starting the movement from one section of the body to move sensuously into another section. It is almost snake-like and very exotic. One such move in belly dancing is called body undulation, or in belly dancing terms, it is called a camel. When undulating, you move each section of your torso from the chest to the pelvis in a graceful, wave-like pattern.

To do undulations, here’s how.

1. Wear a skirt with a low waistline that will rest on your hips. You can also wear elastic hipster shorts and a short top so that you can see how your body should isolate the movements. Practice deep breathing to relax your mind and your body.
2. Stand with your feet slightly apart, one foot in front of the other. The foot behind should be flat on the floor. Transfer all of your weight on that foot. The front foot should have the heel raised, resting the ball of your foot on the floor.
3. Stand in front of a tall mirror so you can watch your movements. Imagine that you have a pole in front of you. Stand about six inches from the imaginary pole. The first thing you have to do is to move your chest toward the pole. To accomplish this, use a shallow dipping motion with your chest, the head slightly forward. Slowly straighten as you bring your chest closer to the pole and move your head back as you come up, lengthening your neck.
4. Tuck in your belly, right from the waistline. This will bring your shoulders down. Keep your body straight and relaxed. As you tuck in your belly, your hips will move forward closer to the imaginary pole.
5. Slowly swing the buttocks back from the belly tuck, extending the buttocks as far as you can go in a smooth transition. The hips should roll back. Imagine creating a C with your diaphragm and your stomach, then with an inverted C with the curve of your spine and your buttocks. The whole movement forms an S when properly executed.
6. Mix the undulations. Use just the lower half of your body for two to three movements before doing a full torso wave or camel. Alternate the foot that you place forward. Do shoulder rolls in different heights in time with your undulations.

Practice the isolation moves for the undulations until you can do them smoothly without jerking. Imagine that you body is a wave that is gently rolling on the water’s surface or a snake that is leisurely slithering on the grass. Find some good belly dancing music, put it on and practice the undulations. Feel the music and move with it.