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elly dancing brings with it not just fun and joy but also great health benefits! Through hip drop rolls and pelvic thrusts, etc you sue muscles in your abdomen, pelvis, trunk, spine and neck. In belly dancing you work with the natural body movements instead of moving against it, like other dance forms do, like ballet, mdoern or jazz dance. You work with the natural flow and curvaceous movements of the body. Dance like ballet can ultimately alter the skeleton or deform it. There are certain health improvements that you can get from belly dancing, such as:
improved posture and muscle toning: The spinal column contains more ligaments and bones than any other of our body. Through belly dancing, we strengthen the muscles that are attached to the ligaments through pelvic movements. Every movement of the torso is dependent on the spinal column’s flexibility. Belly dancing therefore tones these muscles and maintains flexibility in this area.
When we do circular movements of the hips, it loosens up a lot of the tension in our spine. The ligaments and joints are loosened up through the repetitive gentle movements and a certain fluid called synovial fluid is being released. This somewhat “greases” our spine and helps with joint problems. When done properly, the movements can help lower back stress since it counteracts the constant compression of the spine when we sit down.
These toned back muscles improve posture and help prevent back pain. Muscle groups in the lower back which are often under exercised are very often used in belly dancing. Muscles surrounding the hip are also thoroughly exercised which enhances flexibility and often improved balance as well.
Belly dancing also tones the lower body alot without putting too much strain on the knees or ankles because they are always bent and in a natural position. Quadriceps hamstrings and gluten are used in the dance and strengthened magnificently.
Even arms and shoulders are very well toned. When doing snake arms, lifts and circles you hold the arms high or in an extended position. Holding the arms in a graceful aloft position is very important to the dance, which is why arms are trained quite thoroughly.
Belly dancing is also a weight bearing exercise. Dancers are on their feet most of the time, this can help prevent disease like osteoporosis. It is also a low-impact exercise, which means that there is a low risk of injury when the dance moves are done correctly. It can also help you loose weight at a low impact level. Apparently it can burn up to 300 calories per hour, depending on the intensity of the dance.
Belly dancing can prepare your body for pregnancy and childbirth. It strengthens the muscles used during childbirth. Abdominal muscles are strengthened and the hip tucking is very similar to movements taught in prenatal classes. This prepares the woman for pelvic movements during childbirth. Also after giving birth it is great to get back into exercise with gentle movements. Belly dancing is a gentle way of toning the stomach again after giving birth. A lot of belly dancers also dance throughout pregnancy because the movements are so natural and gentle.
Moving your stomach in different ways through andulations and side movements also helps the digestion of food. Any exercise would help, but especially belly dancing is very helpful since it concentrates on the stomach.
Stress release is another way that belly dance helps with our health. The rhythmic and repetitive movements can calm you down. When we get stressed, our bodies tense up and our muscles contact and spasm. Lactic acid builds up in those areas and causes pain. Blood flow to those muscles is also decreased. Through belly dancing these muscles are opened up and relaxed. Blood flow increases to those muscle groups and the built up lactic acid vanishes.
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studying different types of dances. When she turned 18, she found belly dance and made it her passion. Cabaret style was her preferred style until she found FatChance Belly dance, a belly dancing troupe that works with mostly improv. Kami would imitate their dance videos and learn to dance by doing so. She calls her dance a “modern fusion” and “ancient syle”. It is very ahrd to put her dance style into one category because she mixes jazz, hiphop and modern dance into her dances. She was nominated as the ” best interpretive artist” for 2005 and 2007 by Zaghareet magazine and she joined Belly dance superstars in 2005.
cers, you would usually think of a female dancer. However, there are many accomplished and wonderful male belly dancers. As a matter of fact, in the Middle East there are just as many male dancers as female. Media has only been concentarting on the female dancers, which makes it seem as if belly dance was originated through and for women. Turkish miniatures, however, show quite the contrary. Belly dance was performed by men for many years. The Sultan even employed male dance groups for his entertainment. The men who performed this dance were called kocek. At this time the male dancers would wear big colorful skirts for show, whereas the female dancers would wear everyday clothes, harem pants. Male dance groups were also very competitive with each other. They were even banned in 1830s because of the outrage that they caused. Eventually the ban was lifted, but Westernization and media input never brought the male belly dancers to the same light that they had experienced before.
like both would be very helpful for belly dancing. Yoga as a way of getting in touch with my spiritual side, becoming more flexible and incorporating some of the yoga movements in my belly dance routines. However, modern dance could help me alot as well. It would give me a lot more stemina and introduce me to new movements that could also be incorporated in belly dancing. Today my tendency goes towards yoga. Tomorrow it will probably change. I guess I will end up with choosing when I am infront of the computer.
. It is said that if a woman is over 40, she has lived through a lot and will be able to put a lot of emotion into each individual step of the dance. A younger dancer may not be able to have as much experience in life. I myself believe that if you have experienced a lot in your life then it definitely helps you express yourself and emotions in your dance. However, I would never put a mark on how old you must be. There is just a certain type of story telling that comes with belly dancing. It used to be performed as a circle of women t entertain each other and celebrate femininity. Experience does not come with age. It is different for everybody.
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