The following article was written by Taiwan Province belly dancer Li Meilin!

When Mr. Merlin began to learn belly dancing skills,

There is considerable confusion about shimmy,

Read a lot of websites and written materials,

Shimmy has various names and factions.

Honestly,

At that time, I was not sure about the origin and faction of Shimmy.

Until recently,

Learn from foreign teachers slowly,

And read a lot of relevant materials,

I began to have a systematic understanding and understanding of shimmy.

The achievements of operation summer,

It is also slowly formed in the body.

Although compared with the skills of international masters,

There is still a long way to go,

But my understanding and sense of accomplishment about Shimmy,

Let me have this motivation to share with you.

Shimmy is not an action that can be accomplished by force.

A good shimmy technique is not only a general action,

More stable and lasting.

From the way of life of tribal people to modern times.

Shimmy technology has gone far beyond the most primitive action mode,

Now the dancer's swing movements are getting more and more fancy.

It's dazzling,

But back to the basics,

How many types can shimmy be divided into?

& lt types of shimmy >

Shimmy can be basically divided into three categories: (

Category 1: Counting shimmy or walking shimmy ball Note: Hagara is also a shimmy.

In America, dancers often use this swing.

Walking shimmy is characterized by the combination of step and hip movement.

The main muscle used is gluteal muscle,

By using the conversion of the center of gravity and the control of the hip up and down direction,

Make changes at a fixed speed.

The most commonly used is 3/4 shimmy (3/4 shimmy).

In short, this swing,

That is to say, in the rhythm of four beats,

The hips mainly beat three times in the up and down direction.

Take it for the fourth time,

Usually I use "up-down-up-and" or "down-up-down-and" to teach students.

The sum of the fourth beat is empty,

Dancers must learn to keep their hips still on the fourth beat.

Left and right hips alternate,

When the speed is slow,

You can clearly see the relationship between the dancer's hips and the rhythm.

But as the speed increases,

Hip movement looks very similar to shimmy,

That's why it's called counting shimmy

If this shimmy is practiced well,

It looks great,

But if the hip rhythm is not skilled enough,

Or the shift of the center of gravity is not intense enough,

It will look terrible.

Because this shimmy is mainly composed of hip muscles,

As the center of gravity shifts,

So that dancers can move easily,

This is why it is also called walking shimmy.

Some dancers will add some changes to the basic 3/4 swing,

For example, when hips are up and down, hip extrapolation will be added.

It seems that the hip movement is quite big.

Some dancers call it Ghawazee Shimmy,

Or add a change in the hip forward circle,

This behavior is called Hagallah,

If Maya's movements are added to her hips,

Emphasize the simultaneous use of lateral abdominal muscles and buttocks,

Is the most commonly used by Rachel Bryce,

It's interesting! !

Why is this Shimmy quite popular in America now?

Not in the Middle East (Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon)?

In the 1960s and 1970s,

Egyptian dancers are doing swing dancing, yes,

It is also often seen in Egyptian musicals.

This swing was first developed in the traditional Egyptian folk dance.

Only male dancers can perform,

Female dancers can't do this skill.

Interestingly,

The local teacher who teaches traditional Egyptian folk dance doesn't think it is a kind of shimmering.

Will be popular in America,

Mainly Jia Mila Salinball, a master dancer in 1970s.

After watching this swing in Egyptian musicals,

Capture became part of her personal teaching system,

Named 3/4 shimmy,

Constantly guide students to practice,

It has influenced many dancers and teachers over the years.

It also made teachers who didn't have much teaching experience in the 1970s begin to pay attention to systematic teaching.

Continuing this swing to this day,

Especially dancers who dance in tribal style,

The shimmy used is mostly this kind of walking shimmy.

It is also the main reason why American dancers use this swing.

By the way,

There is also a shimmy that is quite close to 3/4 shimmy.

That is, 2/4 shimmy,

When students can't master 3/4 shimmy skills at first,

Usually 2/4 shimmy.

This action is to do two of the four beats up or down.

However, when this action is accelerated,

Beauty is not as good as 3/4 swing,

I suggest you practice 3/4 shimmy,

It is of great help to improve skills! ! !

The second category: leg shimmy or knee shimmy.

In addition to the above two statements,

And Shimmy in Lebanon.

Straight leg shimmy and other different names.

But basically the thighs or knees are the main application points.

Strictly speaking,

Before 1970s, there was no such fluctuation in history.

It began to develop in Egypt after 1970s.

So it is often called Egyptian swing dance,

For the origin of this shimmy,

There are two theories at present.

One theory is that in the 1970s,

Composed by three Egyptian masters-Ibrahim Akf and Lacha Hassan,

Another way of saying this is that in the mid-1990s,

When Lacha Hassan was teaching at the Master Camp,

She neglected to explain summer's behavior,

Her students think it is to slap the knees back and forth to drive the hips to move.

It has been used ever since.

This shimmy mainly depends on the back and forth flapping action of the legs to drive the hips.

Gluteal muscles basically don't need to exert force.

Flapping back and forth quickly only by the thigh of the straight leg,

The hips will naturally start to vibrate with the legs.

This is why it is called leg shimmy,

When some dancers do this,

Is to jump back and forth through your knees,

Will have the same effect,

So it's called kneeshimy.

If the force is great,

Dancers are not just hips,

The upper body to the top of the head and even the hair will vibrate.

This shimmy is called whole body shimmy.

Or earthquake shimmy! !

Because this shimmy mainly uses the knee as the force point,

Dancers are easier to practice,

You can also do this for a long time.

But during the performance, it is difficult for dancers to move at the same time.

You can't change the level,

The next time you watch a dancer perform,

You will find that,

Most Egyptian-style dancers do this swing after staying at a fixed point.

And there is absolutely no height change.

Although the height and movement have not changed,

This shimmy increases the change of hip horizontal circle.

"Horizontal circular shimmy"

That is, the hips are horizontal and round when shimmering.

And make different strengths and weaknesses with the rhythm,

There are also dancers who like to perform one-legged swing.

Focus on one foot,

The toes of the other foot are pressed down and straightened,

Pat it with your knee,

So that the side body can perform detailed shimmy motion,

And take various gestures and arm movements.

These moves are very beautiful,

Many dancers like these techniques,

You can see the dancer's control of muscles and strength.

If the strength of the dancer's thighs or knees is not well controlled,

Only wearing a shorter or tighter skirt,

Then the visual effect will be greatly reduced. ...

Compared with walking shimmy,

It's easier for beginners to learn dance.

However, this shimmy has been controversial in recent years.

Mainly because of the long-term overuse of the knee,

This is very harmful to the health of dancers.

However, some Egyptian dancers stressed that,

Even kneeshimy,

Legs are not straight,

You still need to bend your knees slightly to protect your knees.

The parties have different opinions.

But the premise of practice is to protect your body.

The third category: hip vibration shimmy or gluteal muscle shimmy.

This shimmy is different from the previous two shimmies.

Knees and hips will not move up and down to produce swing changes.

The gluteal muscle is the largest muscle in the human body only by using gluteal muscle technology.

So it is called hip vibration shimmy.

This swing keeps the hips in the same position.

Lift and relax vertically with the gluteal muscles (near the junction of thighs) to make muscle changes.

And because there is no need to cooperate with this step,

Therefore, as this shimmy, the dancer can move easily.

Many different height changes can also be made,

Some dancers can even sit on the floor and demonstrate this shimmy technique.

Because only gluteal muscles are used,

Dancers can also cooperate with other muscles of the body, such as lower abdominal muscles and so on.

Make all kinds of shimmy changes.

Pretty good.

Many Shimmy teachers don't classify in their teaching.

Mainly because many teachers don't realize the existence of this pendulum,

Even the teacher himself can't learn this skill,

And because this shimmy is more difficult,

Teachers usually begin to teach this skill after learning to a certain extent.

When practicing hip vibration,

Note that the muscle area used is only in the gluteus muscle.

If you look straight into the mirror,

The hip (pelvis) does not change up and down or translate from beginning to end,

Looking at the mirror from the side,

You'll see the gluteal muscles moving up and down,

You need to bend your knees when standing.

Relax your thighs,

Sitting on the floor is also a good way to practice.

But watch your thighs relax.

Pull up and relax only with gluteal muscles,

The rest of the body is still.

Because the body hardly moves,

This shimmy is also called frozen shimmy.

When the left and right gluteal muscles can change with the rhythm,

The speed can also be increased correspondingly,

So when muscle strength can be controlled,

You can change its rhythm and speed,

But some dancers think that,

Because the action is too small,

So if the performance is at a distance from the audience,

It may be difficult for the audience to notice the little moves of the dancers.

The causes of this shimmy are also different.

One theory is that it came from Egypt,

In Egypt,

Some dancers also use this swing,

Mainly using stringed instruments such as Kanoon or Oud,

Show small and varied dance skills,

Some Egyptian dancers also call this technique "Rashe".

Another way of saying it is that it originated in Africa,

In Africa, many tribal peoples imitate animals in nature.

And presented in the ritual dance.

Centuries ago,

A large number of African descendants migrated to America and Central America,

And brought this action into life,

If you have the opportunity to travel to Central America such as Jamaica,

You will be amazed at the superb skills of Jamaican dancers in Hip VibrationShimmy.

Absolutely subvert the Egyptian dancers and our imagination! ! !

Category IV: Other shimmy (other shimmy)

In addition to the above three kinds of shimmy,

In fact, there are many kinds of shimmy.

These shimmies either cannot form their own systems,

Or because of non-hip movement,

Or because of the characteristics of dancers in a particular country,

But I think,

Wide acceptance and understanding can broaden our horizons,

So I will also sort out these wobbles that can't form a system and share them with you.

& lt upper body shimmy upper body shimmy & gt

When the upper body swings,

It also includes Shoulder Shimmy,

Chester shimmy (chest shimmy),

Shoulder thrust (shoulder vibration)

And four different African summer dances.

Shoulder shimmy is formed by swinging the shoulders back and forth.

Usually when doing this action,

It should be noted that the application point is mainly the shoulder.

When the speed increases, it becomes a shoulder swing.

The action quite close to shoulder shimmy is chest shimmy.

Compared with the shoulder swing,

Small range of movements, elegant.

Mainly muscle activation at the posterior scapula.

Keep your shoulders relaxed,

Without moving his arm,

Only a slight chest swing,

So it is called chest shimmy.

Upper body shimmy also has a variant of shoulder thrust.

Chest shimmy is the main thing,

But with the change of shoulder lifting in action,

At the same time, two different muscles, back and shoulder, are used.

Usually when teaching students,

I always instruct students to practice with the instruction of "front-front-back".

In order to make the shoulder push elegant and beautiful,

It takes some time and energy,

Once you practice,

This action is really nice.

The last one is relatively rare in Taiwan Province Province.

Mainly use the muscles of the upper abdomen to quickly lift and lower the chest.

Coupled with the vibration that drives the upper body,

Call it the African Swing.

There is also a teacher who does not classify upper body shimmy.

But what I want to tell you is trembling,

This action is through the rapid adduction and outward release of the upper abdominal muscles.

At the same time, the lower abdominal muscles are driven to make a rapid flapping action like butterfly wings,

But it has the effect of shimmy.

I asked Rachel Bliss about the movement in Tokyo in 2005.

In her way,

You need to hold your breath to practice this action.

So when I see Rachel Bliss, I can stop laughing.

Do at least four eight-beat swings when dancing,

I really admire her.

& lt torsional shimmy torsional shimmy & gt

Twist Shimmy, which many dancers are familiar with,

Some people call it Tunisia shimmy (Tunisia shimmy).

After this action, keep your hips horizontal and push them obliquely to the right and front.

Then pull it diagonally to the right and back,

Turn left and right,

When the speed is fast, the body will also swing slightly.

In America, some dancers call it washing machine swing.

(Washing machine swings)

But some people think that this is not the same as Shimmy's literal definition.

This action does not belong to shimmy.

& lt pelvic swing pelvic swing >

This can be considered as a variant of hip shimmy,

Mainly using the muscles of the lower abdomen to improve,

Instead of waist muscles and hip muscles,

Let the pelvis naturally lift back and forth,

When the lower abdominal muscles are forcibly adducted and lifted,

The pelvis moves forward naturally, and the lumbar spine is in line with the spine.

But relax the gluteal muscles,

When the lower abdominal muscles relax,

The pelvis naturally leans backwards,

Because the gluteal muscles are relaxed when doing this,

So you can easily add hip swings,

That's it. The pelvis swings.

& lt Pelvic descent shimmy & gt

Turkey's unique shimmy,

Swing very close to the pelvis,

Dancers also use lower abdominal muscles,

But move faster and smaller, so that the pelvis can be lowered quickly.

Create a shimmy effect.

You can watch the following video.

See how the dancers make this beautiful pelvis fall and swing.

& lt bounce shimmy bounce shimmy & gt

This is also a shimmy that is often seen in the performances of Turkish dancers.

The whole body is rocking,

It's different from Kneeshimy in Egypt.

Bunching is achieved by vibrating the body up and down.

Usually dancers do this through their ankles,

Tilting up and down drives the body to vibrate vertically,

Although the foot movement is very small,

But it can amplify the shock wave through the body,

The effect is quite good! !

There are quite a few kinds of modern shimmy.

I'm just here to sort it out in the way I read and understand.

In fact, there are still many Shimmy who can't introduce them one by one.

But I also hope that this article will make beginners,

Or a solo dancer,

Yes, Summer, in this belly dance,

Know and understand quite important skills.