There is a story in our dance, a reason we need to dance, a reason we choose specifically, Belly dance.

In our search to find the ancient text within our bodies, might we allow our story to evolve, to also speak of the bold feminine we encompass in our present time? Might we find strength in the opening, the fusion of ancient and modern?

Let us welcome the force of change, cautious of that which rushes us to adhere tradition to our ever-changing expression.

In dance, once we have learned the challenge of the body, our muscle control, and the tradition from where it comes, we have only begun to unfold the precious fabric of our medium. Let's not stop. Let's continue the evolution of our dance. Let us, dancers, each participate in the continuous creation of our language.

Sera

1. Step the rhythm with your feet

Step the rhythm with your feet. Everything comes back to rhythm - it is the pulse, the base, the groundwork for your dance. You primarily feel the rhythm with your feet and lower body - legs and hips. When your feet 'feel' the rhythm and pulse or step on the 'doms' and raise for the 'taks' your body understands the rhythm. Apply this principle whether dancing on the spot or travelling with your steps.

2. Relax your jaw, relax your hands

Relax your jaw, relax your hands. Dancing with a slightly open jaw will relax your whole body. The jaw in yoga is linked with the pelvic area, so by relaxing the jaw, throat and neck will actually help release the flow of energy in the hips! Egyptian dancers always have their mouths slightly open. This is why lip-synching will often make your dancing very relaxed. Also relax your hands, let them feel and flow with the music. To test this, try to shimmy with clenched fists and jaw, then relax them.

3. Be present, be IN tune the music

Be present, be in tune with the music. Totally immerse yourself in the music the way your body dictates. You must understand your body, instinctively knowing its timing and techniques. The analytical mind must take a back seat so the creative mind can take over. The secrets here are a) listening, b) breathing, c) focusing, d) flowing. These are the easiest ways to centre yourself and engage wholly with the music and movement.

4. Simplify

Simplify. In dance, less is more. Keep your moves simple, clear and clean. Follow the beat and accent the beats that asked to be accented. Don't double time or throw in accents where there are none. Let the body respond to the instrument in the way it is being played, held and felt by the musician - arms to flutes, shoulders to violins and req, chest to accordian, belly to oud, lower belly to qanoon, hips to tabla, feet to base tabla.

5. Vary your movements with space, level, timing

Vary your movements with space, level, timing. Soheir Zaki mastered the art of using only several simple moves, but made them look like many. The same move keeps its hypnotic momentum when the level is changed, ie: the knees bend to make it appear lower or the dancer raises herself on the balls of her foot to lift the move. The move can be doubled when the tempo increases or the beats occur in more rapid frequency. It can be halved and slowed down to create accented beats. Lastly, become a master of space when you dance - learn to turn well, step into balanced floor patterns and train yourself to turn sharply so that you face the front and then the back with ease.

6. Use your arms like the conductor of an orchestra

Use your arms like the conductor of an orchestra. When the music is deep and low, let your arms remain low and poised as you dance. When the musical scale rises, lift your arms to follow it. For the crescendo, lift your arms high. When music like the qanoon for example trickles from high to low scale, follow it with your arms and hands as if describing falling rain. Lift the arm with the music as though you were 'lifting' the music itself.

7. See the music, let your eyes light up

See the music, let your eyes light up. Arabic dancers use their eyes in a very relaxed yet powerful way. They see the music. Do the same when you dance. When the melodies get high and light, look upwards, as the Persians did, believing dancing was for the Gods. For dynamic earthy drums, look down at your hips and enjoy the movement. During 'question and answer' sections within the music, be two different personalities engaging in 'conversation' - one is demure, the other robust. Let the changing character of the music fill your body and express it with your eyes - be sultry, triumphant, melancholy, passionate, coy, mischievous.


8. Practice WITHOUT a mirror as much as possible

Practice WITHOUT a mirror as much as possible. Get used to feeling the music, generating a mood, being totally present as you dance. What you see in the mirror is the reverse of what you actually look like. A video is a more accurate image of yourself, that's why we sometimes feel our dancing on video looks 'foreign' to us! When dancing infront of a mirror, you tend to look forward and the head, shoulders and chest don't relax like they should in natural dance.

9. Technical challenges when learnt well, later become creative tools

Technical challenges when learnt well, later become creative tools. Technical steps and 'routines' require total focus as they are being learnt. It even seems to go against the grain of 'organic' dance. But the body has an incredible cellular memory. Practice, practice, practice. Logical dance steps, turns and transitions first engage your analytical mind, like riding a bike or cooking a new recipe. However once mastered, the experience later becomes a creative and enjoyable one. You begin to forget the mechanics and enjoy the senses. Once your body learns the technicalities of bellydance, they become second nature and part of the creative process.

10. Detach and focus at the same time by surrendering to the music

Detach and focus at the same time by surrendering to the music. Dance is a kind of meditation - a very integrated, present-moment experience. With meditation, you must detach from the rambling mind thought process and remain clear and open by focusing on breathing and posture. The same applies for bellydance. By surrendering to the music and letting it 'guide' your body, you release mental blocks that stifle creativity. When you are fully engaged in the flowing, creative process of dance you detach from the judgmental mind that constantly assesses if you are doing well or poorly, right or wrong. Instead, focus on the purity of each move; your merging with the music. In this meditative state, the mind does not interfere with judgement and you produce your most authentic dance expression.

Keti Sharif

London Bellydance: Hub for bellydance in London