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SHIMMIES SHIMMIES SHIMMIES!

This shimmy is a quintessential movement in belly dance and there are many shimmies every serious belly dancer should know.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Shimmy

While the shimmy is incredibly important to the dance, it is not necessarily an easy movement to accomplish. In fact, many dancers (including myself!) struggle to make the basic shimmy technique work.

I want you to know that you are not alone!

In this course I will take you through several shimmy tips and tricks that will help even the most timid shimmier gain confidence and strength in their technique. Oftentimes what is missing is just a few insightful ideas about how the muscles and joints work together to create the shimmy, tips on how to relax into the movement and someone to cheer you on as you practice!

This course will also dive deep into Shimmies of all kinds including:

Knee Shimmy

Hip Shimmy

Triplet Shimmy ( 8 different kinds!)

Three-quarter shimmy

Moroccan Shimmy

African Shimmy

Twisting Shimmy

Choo Choo Shimmy

Hagallah Shimmy, and more!

So dancers…start your engines, tie on your hip scarves, and join me for a shimmy marathon!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Shimmy Registration opens August 18th and closes on August 24 – so don’t delay! Don’t pay full price for this course! Join my mailing list for a special members-only discount. http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Discount

Shimmies are like an unending sparkly treasure chest – the more you dig into and explore them the more variations you find.

So much of the beauty of the shimmy lies in its infinite variations and textures. The more we understand and practice developing these variations the better our shimmies will serve us when we are ready to interpret the music and dance.

So today I bring you a fun little quiz – a video compilation I’ve made using some of my favorite shimmies and their many textures.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to count HOW MANY shimmies I’m performing in this short one-minute video.

(Every variation counts as a shimmy.)

Think you are up for the task?

Guess correctly and you will be ENTERED TO WIN my brand new Sensational Shimmy Intensive – an entire course chocked full of shimmy breakdowns, drills and workouts – to be released next week!

Ready? Set. Shimmy!

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To officially enter to win, post below AND send your guess via email to me at sahira[at]sahirabellydances.com. You must do both to win.

Entries must be received by midnight CST on Monday August 17th. A winner will be chosen and announced on August 18th. (Entering will add you to my mailing list so you are the first to know when the course releases next week and if you won the giveaway. You can unsubscribe at any time.)

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Thanks to the fabulous David Macejka for his fabulous music!

https://davidmacejka.bandcamp.com

Shimmies are a quintessential part of a belly dancer’s movement vocabulary.

There are dozens of beautiful shimmies to learn, and each can be used in different ways within the dance. And above and beyond learning “all” the shimmies, there is an entire world of textures and variations to be explored once the basics have been mastered.

I was putting my triplet shimmy under the microscope when I started to peel away layers and soon came across this amazing realization.

If I really get specific about how I create this shimmy I have EIGHT different variations (and counting) I can use to really be able to express the music exactly as I want to when I dance.

Eight different triplet shimmies? Have I gone mad?!?!

Maybe.

I’m going to let you be the judge. Try this exercise for yourself and let me know what you find!

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So what do you think? Have I totally lost it? Or were you also able to create a few distinct triplet shimmies, all with a similar pulse but with a slightly different look and feel?

Which variation is your favorite?

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Can’t get enough shimmies? Ready for more?

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement, or join my mailing list to be the first to know what fabulous shimmiliciousness I have in store for you!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/JoinMe

***** A huge thank you to the amazing David Macejka for the use of his music.

https://davidmacejka.bandcamp.com 

This shimmy is a staple of many belly dance drum solo. Big and bouncy and dramatic – it’s the Earthquake Shimmy!

In this video I will explain how to create this delicious shimmy as well as where and when to use it in your belly dance performance.

Then we will drill it with music to get it under our proverbial hip belts.

Don’t forget to stretch your calves afterwards!

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Like it, love it, want more of it?

Learn over a dozen shimmies and variations in my new and improved Shimmy course on Teachable. Registration opens August 11, 2020.

http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/Shimmy

Are your shimmies not quite where you want them to be?

Are you frustrated by weak or inconsistent shimmies?

Are you ready to change that?

For the first 12 or so years of my belly dance career I was not very good at – maybe even terrible at – shimmies.

Seriously. ?

I felt like a total belly dance poser.

Shimmies are a quintessential part of the belly dance movement vocabulary. How could I possibly claim to be a belly dancer and not be able to shimmy?

About 8 years ago all that changed. At that time I figured out three key ideas that helped me bring my shimmy from lame to totally satisfying. And now I want to help you do the same.

Are you ready to take your shimmies from perhaps weak and inconsistent to sensationally confident?

These three simple tips made a HUGE difference for my shimmies, and they can do so for you too!

***** Want to take your shimmies to the next level and learn over a dozen different shimmy variations!

Check out my Sensational Shimmy Workshop online! (Open for registration on August 11, 2020)

http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/Shimmy

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Thank you to the amazing Istanpitta for the use of their music. Istanpitta.com

In this time of required social distancing, we need our online communities more than ever!

That’s why I’m joining you live to connect, share stories of inspiration and explore concrete ways to find grounding, meaning and even joy in these strange times.

Today we explore: The power that music has to change our emotional state

Music has been proven time and again to be able to influence our feelings and our mood. Today we will talk a bit about why this happens and explore how we can use this to positively affect our lives.

And then, because moving our bodies every day is so very important, we will end with a dance lesson to help you move our way into a place of joy! The belly roll lesson begins at 16:00.

**Recorded Live on Facebook on May 30, 2020

The shimmy is one of belly dance’s most quintessential movements. There are literally dozens of beautiful shimmies in the belly dance vocabulary and a well-trained dancer will learn to perform and utilize many of them.

In this video we will take a close look at the twisting shimmy, how to create it cleanly and accurately and drill it to create muscle memory and strength.

Like it, love it, want more of it?

Learn more than a dozen different shimmies with Sahira online!

http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/Shimmy

**** Special thanks to David Macejka for the use of his fabulous music! https://davidmacejka.bandcamp.com

For many years I believed that the belly dance community was a shining example of openness and inclusion.

In the wake of the racist tensions rocking the US and beyond many dancers have spoken out to the contrary and I’ve found myself having to question those previously held beliefs.

So I’m reaching out – to organizations at the forefront of this struggle to offer support, to people of color to hear their voices and their experiences, and to friends and fellow dancers to be able to openly and thoughtfully communicate in a non-judgemental manner in order to find the next steps in the anti-racism journey we need to make together.

This is a recording of one of those conversations.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to speak with the amazing Patrice D’Evans – an actress, belly dancer and minister who was called to the dance and has made a niche for herself by combining her talents. It’s an open and honest discussion of one African-American woman’s experience in the belly dance world – what is working, what is not, and how we can move forward together towards a more just, equal and racially-diverse future.

You can learn more about Patrice on her various platforms:

YouTube:  @Patrice D’Evans 

Facebook: facebook.com/PatriceDEvansCaribbeanStyleBellyDancerActress/

Instagram: instagram.com/bellydancefitwithpatrice/

Website: patricedevans.com

I hope you will listen to this with an open heart and mind and use it to inspire conversations and action in your community and to help right the many years of wrong that have been happening on our watch.

Let’s keep the conversation going and include every voice.

Add your thoughts below. (Racist or inflammatory remarks will be deleted. Please respect one another in civil discourse.)

Thank you for being a part of the movement.

#blacklivesmatter #raceandbellydance

I’m excited to announce the release of the next module in my online masterclass – “Designing Your Ideal Online Classroom” – a 7-part course aimed to get you confidently and successfully running your online studio business.

This course – “The Nitty Gritty”- gives you the basics of music licensing, liability insurance, waivers as well as pricing considerations for the online realm. These legal details, while certainly not the funnest part of your job, are an incredibly important part of your business setup and imperative to ensuring the longevity of your work and protection of your students, yourself, and the business you have worked so hard to build.

Whether you are just embarking on the exciting journey of taking your love of dance, yoga or fitness to the online teaching world or have been teaching for some time but haven’t stopped to consider these important legal details, I’m here to share with you the information you need to get your business setup the right way now to ensure your success in the future.

Join me today and set yourself and your online movement business up for success!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/NittyGritty