Pilates Conditioning and Warm Up

In this class, we explore a simple traveling combination and then add arm movements on top. Basic hip and chest movement will also be drilled, with a focus on clean, strong, muscular articulation. A nice, long arm and shoulder drill is included to build strength and stamina for beautiful and graceful arms. We will warm-up and cool-down with a bit of yoga and Pilates so grab your yoga mat as well!

Shimmies are one of the most impressive yet challenging movements in a belly dance repertoire. In this workshop we will go through a clear and concise break down of the Egyptian style hip shimmy and shoulder shimmy. We will dance through an extended shimmy session to help increase the endurance and velocity of your shimmy. Finally, we will begin to add exciting and challenging shimmy layers and level changes. The workshops begins with a full-body, classical dance based conditioning workout; designed to create a long and strong dancers body.

This spotlight breaks down the 3/4 shimmy on the “up” and the “down” and includes a traveling combo with a 3/4 shimmy, at three increasing speeds! This spotlight is from Ashley's "'The 3/4 Shimmy" workshop.

This workshop is designed to give the beginning or intermediate belly dancer a foundation for traveling with 3/4 shimmies. In this workshop, we’ll break down the basic 3/4 shimmy, focusing on an even pacing and smooth execution. Pilates mat work, isolation drills, and balance exercise will help to prepare the dancer for the movement. This video includes a basic traveling combination to exercise traveling forward, back, and to the sides. Great for beginning to experienced dancers looking to drill the 3/4 shimmy.

This is a belly dance basics class, which will include a traveling combination and an isolation combination. For the traveling combo, we will break down the footwork and then add arm movement and hip locks. Next, isolations of the hips, shoulders, and chest will be drilled separately then put together in a combination toward the end. We’ll also practice walking with hip locks and speeding up the feet for a movement called the “choo choo.” Get ready for a fun shimmy drill, too! Have a mat ready for a pilates warm-up and yoga cool-down.

This class is designed for the beginning belly dancer or anyone looking to revisit and practice some basic belly dance essentials. In this video, we will start by breaking down belly dance posture. Then we’ll work with some basic footwork and traveling, hip locks, upper body isolations, and snake arms. Have a mat ready as we’ll begin with a short yoga and pilates conditioning sequence.

This fundamentals video pairs hip-work on the up and down with a very simple foot and arm pattern, and offers important information for the safe repetition of these movements. If you want to learn to belly dance, this is a great place to start after your warm up!

This spotlight focuses on hip isolations (locks up and locks down), calf strengthening dills, and exercises to challenge balance. This video is designed to prepare the dancer for graceful traveling with hip movement. This spotlight is from "The 3/4 Shimmy" workshop with Ashley.

This is a belly dance basics class where we'll take basic isolations and string them together to create patterns and shapes! We’ll explore chest and hip circles, figure 8’s, and an isolation combination. Additionally, we’ll drill shimmies, snake arms, and a traveling combination with arm and hip layers. For our warm-up and cool-down, be ready for a little yoga and Pilates at the beginning and end of class.