The 3/4 Shimmy with Ashley Lopez

Slovenia Slam! This is a fun "scale" or isolation pattern, that involves chest locks, undulations, and a slight level change. Please be warmed up before doing this video. Enjoy!

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 workshop is a study in combining basic movements together to create clear, distinct layers of simultaneous movement. We will address layering a variety of basic upper body movements with a variety of basic lower body movements. This class is targeted toward the dancer who is beyond beginner and is ready to move into more complex multi-tasking territory.

A short lead-and follow improvisation-drill to help you integrate side-to-side undulations, sidewinder, and bodywaves. Get warmed up for this one and jump in! If you need more information about these movements individually, they are explained in detail in Rachel's 'Sinuous and Smoky Phrases' class.

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 class serves as a wonderful introduction to the beautiful art of belly dance. We will cover some of the most fundamental movements in a belly dance repertoire. You will learn various styles of hip figure 8’s as well as many gorgeous traveling movements. Each movement will be broken down, drilled and then put together in a drill style combination.

This workshop offers some upper body layering over the 3/4 shimmy as well as three different 3/4 shimmy variations in the lower body. Upper body layers include chest circles, up to down body rolls, and down to up body rolls. Each movement will be broken down into isolations and then practiced on top of the 3/4 traveling shimmy. Each of the 3/4 shimmy variations combine an accent or shape in the hips: including hip locks up, hip locks down, twists, and slides. We’ll explore three specific variations that include these isolations. This workshop is designed for the experienced dancer who is already comfortable with the basic 3/4 shimmy and is ready to layer and travel!

Tribal Style belly dance is known for its uplifted posture, which supports and carries the body and results in a strong, confident presentation.  These pointers breakdown the specifics of posture and explain how great posture can improve dance technique and presentation. 

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.

This short but hip-work packed combination focuses on 3/4 shimmies, hip-work on the down, hip bumps, posture, and simple arm placement. It is high energy and can be used in your combinations or choreographies.

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!

Putting the first 4 lessons of Unmata's Level 1 Slow ITS Vocabulary together, this drill section includes camel step, spin set up 1 and 2, floreo taxeem, rib circles, arm dip, upper undulations, floreo poses, reverse turn, and all of lesson 1 taxeem work. Lets Dance!

This shimmy drill warm-up will get you ready for dancing in a hurry, while still being carefully sequenced. First we'll warm up the spine, then the joints, then move to hip work before our shimmy drill. Good to practice with other dance videos or practice, or just to keep your shimmies big and relaxed. Enjoy!

In this class we will break down and drill the technique for lovely, loose shoulder shimmies standard to Cabaret style belly dance. Once we have a nice, strong shoulder shimmy we will begin to layer them with different step patterns, level changes, and chest isolations. This spotlight is from Sedona's "Super Shimmies & Shimmy Layers" workshop.

Get your daily dose! These concise belly dance practices include what you need to keep your technique strong when you’re short on time: yoga, conditioning, technique drills, a short belly dance phrase called "Pinball", and a cool down. Pinball #2 has a more gentle yoga practice and focus on arms. Daily doses are made in pairs so you can alternate practices for an all-over conditioning over the course of several days. This practice highlights the beautiful and complex phrase: Pinball.

This brief, simple dance warm up requires no mat, and is designed to warm up the legs, arms, abdominals, and back. This spotlight is from Ashley's workshop, "3/4 Shimmy Variations & Layers".

This simple yet challenging class uses a technique combination that focuses primarily on hip work on the up and on the down. This video is meant to be used multiple times, so it starts slowly, with attention to detail, and is then drilled with quicker and quicker pacing to challenge the beginning through intermediate dancer over the course of one to six months. It begins with a brief conditioning section to warm up your spine and joints, and ends with a relaxing yoga practice.

Here we break down the basic 3/4 shimmy slowly, then speed it up. A simple traveling combination is included to practice going forward, back, right and left with the 3//4 shimmy. This spotlight is from Ashley's workshop, "The 3/4 Shimmy".

This class presents slow Tribal Style movements, each with a strong Flamenco flavor.  Starting with a short warm-up, we will introduce three movements and their cues, then string them together into a dramatic combo to drill.  This workshop is appropriate for dancers of all levels and the moves are ATS® and/or ITS friendly.

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 belly dance flow drills class will focus on layering muscular hip work with arm patterns and footwork. Zoe Jakes has created a format that teaches complex layering in a concise and clear way, and that is geared towards intermediate and advanced dancers of all styles. A yoga warm-up is strongly recommended before taking this class.