Belly dance in Singapore is a dance that is torso-driven. It originated from Western Asia which features movements of the stomach and the hips. It actually emphasises the hips and its articulation. It has a variety of movements including shimmies, vibrations and shivers, fluid movements and percussive movements.
The shimmies, vibrations and shivers use continuous, fast and small movements of the rib cage or the hips. Keep in mind that there are different types of shimmies including twisting hip shimmies, up and down hip shimmies, relaxed rib cage or shoulder shimmies, fast, tiny hip vibrations, bouncing “earthquake” shimmies and straight-legged knee-driven shimmies. These are usually taught in a belly dance class in Singapore.
On the other hand, belly dance lessons have percussive movements that use staccato hip movements. They are used to accent a beat or punctuate the music. Some movements include hip twists, hip lifts, hip drops, outwards hip hits and vertical hip rocks. It also includes drops or lifts of the shoulder accents and rib cage.
For fluid movements, these use sinuous, flowing movements in which the body is in continuous motion. It is used to interpret the lyrical sections and melodic lines in the music. It is also modulated to express instrumental improvisations that are complex. Fluid movements that are taught in belly dance lessons require great muscle control in the abdomen. The movements include tilting or horizontal hip circles, infinity loops with the hips or vertical and horizontal figures of 8, and undulations of the abdomen and hips.
Aside from these torso movements, other movements may be used during a belly dance class in Singapore. These include spins, turns, travelling steps and level changes. Plus, dancers can also use backbends, arabesques, low kicks and head tosses. As for their arms, they can use it to accentuate and frame movements of the hips.
In the Middle East, belly dance has two social contexts. One is as a performance art, while the other is as a social or folk dance. Belly dancers commonly wear the bedlah, which literally means suit in Arabic. It features harem pants or a full-length skirt, a fitted bra or top and a fitted hip belt. The belt may be sewn into a skirt or a separate piece. Meanwhile, the belt and bra may be decorated with crystals, beads, coins, sequins, embroidery and beaded fringe. Aside from the two-piece bedlah costume, full length dresses are sometimes worn. On the other hand, tribal belly dance costumes use pantaloons, circle skirts, turbans or headdresses decked with flowers or feathers.
There are a lot of talented and notable practitioners of belly dance. These include Amera Eid, Amar Gamal, Fifi Abdou, Dalilah, Dina Talaat, Didem Kınalı, Mayte Garcia, Nadia Gamal, Layla Taj, Naima Akef, Nejla Ates, Nagwa Fouad. Nelly Mazloum, Samia Gamal, Rachel Brice, Serena Wilson, Shakira, Sofinar Gourian, Sibel Can, Terezka Drnzik, Zeinat Olwi, Zoe Jakes and Taheyya Kariokka.
If you want to learn belly dance in Singapore, you can enroll in a belly dance class in Singapore. They usually offer beginner, intermediate and advanced courses. Some belly dance schools also offer fitness classes as well as technique classes to further enhance the skills of the dancer.
