Expert: Gia al Qamar - 5/2/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi i started learning by myself since march i can say that i have made quite a progress so far and that i learn really fast but i have some doubts such as the styles i don't really understand the difference between all of them lebanese turkish egyptian and the rest when i see a video in youtube i see in the comments people saying stuff like wow it has a little bit of this and a little bit of that inspired and i don't understand it and how is "modern" belly dance exactly? and cabaret and also does this help me burn fat? i know it does but where? what are the zones that belly dance will help me more well thank you for reading i'll wait for your answer
ANSWER: Marhaba! Hello Adriana!
I am happy that you've begun learning some Middle Eastern (belly) dance and that you're enjoying so much!
I'm going to begin by letting you know that a lot of people begin their studies on their own, as you have, but DO find teachers as they progress, as it is VERY difficult to know if you're supporting the movements correctly when you're learning on your own.
Likewise, as you've noticed, it's almost impossible to tell what the stylistic differences are between the different cultures of dance in the Middle East without benefit of a great teacher!
I'm going to offer some VERY broad generalizations that might help...but...truly...I would be remiss in not mentioning the benefits of studying with a 'live' teacher (even if you're in a remote area, many 1-day workshops are offered and are worth the trip!)  But enough 'preaching'!  LOL!
First, let's narrow our 'style' discussion down to raqs sharki, or what I call the Arabic Nightclub style...what we know in the USA as "Belly Dance".  This is the form of the dance that is performed in restaurants, at parties and on stage as entertainment and not to be confused with the American-invented fusion, tribal or the original form of this dance, which is folkloric.
Egyptian style is currently danced in a VERY subtle manner.  You'll see no 'snake arms', no popping and locking isolations as fusion dancers do, no huge movements across the stage.  It's subtle, shimmies layered on top of most everything, lots of INTERNALLY driven movements (meaning that the legs don't drive the shimmies or hip lifts for instance.) There is a LOT of hip and abdominal work.  VERY ladylike!
Turkish & Lebanese style tends to be much 'looser' in movement.  Large traveling steps are common, big shimmies, reverse undulations, chest shimmies and hip drops.  There tend to be more hip lifts in this style and than hip drops (& generally movements done on the downbeat) than in Egyptian style.
Floorwork is done in these styles, where it has fallen out of favor in Egyptian style.
As far as burning fat, you need to be at your target heart rate for 10-15 mins to burn fat with *any* activity!  If you are able to maintain this in your dancing, then you will probably burn fat.  Most of my students do get more fit as they attend regular classes and are very active in their dance community!
Fat cannot be 'burned' in one area...if you lose weight, it will come off uniformly all over your body.  There is no such thing as spot reducing, however, if you are doing the movements correctly, you may see more muscle definition (such as a beautiful hour glass figure, better posture and a firming of your abdominal and leg muscles!) from belly dance.
Good luck with your studies and keep shimmying!
Gia
www.IDreamOfGia.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for this great info! well i started bellydancing cause i've always wanted to learn but the desire of being in a better shape was what pushed me into trying to learn.. so can you advice me on like how long should i practice a day for much faster and better phisycal results and to improve my dancing and can you recommend me some nice music to practice with? thank you again for reading!  

Answer
Hello again Adriana!
Most fitness experts suggest that a 15-30 minute a day workout a day will increase both your level of fitness and ability to burn calories for weight loss.  Of course, your circumstances are best monitored by you and your physician...but if you're up for it, try to start with 15 mins a day of belly dancing!  It's fun, done correctly is a safe healthy exercise and the time flies when you're shimmying!
As far as music, every dancer is different! Some prefer the classic Middle Eastern tunes, while some adore the current pop music coming from Egypt, Turkey & Lebanon!  If you go to sites like Amazon.com and Maqam.com, you'll find many different belly dance cds AND sample clips of music that you can 'review' before making a purchase!
Enjoy!
Gia
www.IDreamOfGia.com