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EntertainmentHow to Belly Dance

How to Do a Figure 8 with a Twist

Transcript

So now let’s try our horizontal figure eight.

This is the outward horizontal figure eight. And add an embellishment.

So let’s just assume our original position.

So, we are going to stand with the feet underneath the hip bones, the knees are bent. Chest is lifted and we are pushing away to the right and left, to create our figure eight.

Remember that initiates with a twist. Right hip comes forward, and you push your weight forward, trying to hit the diagonal of the room.

Imagine you are in a box.

Then going along the wall as far back as possible, and then sliding through the center. You want to really contract the abs here, and slide through to the side, along the wall. And right, and left.

And again, this figure eight doesn’t really have any vertical dimension. You should strive to be parallel to the floor in this dimension here, along the side of a table.

Now, let’s add a little twist. So, we are going to start like we usually do. One hip starts forward and it almost completes an entire loop. As soon as we hit the back corner, we are going to switch our attention from the outward hip to the one that’s underneath your ribcage now. And let’s just work with it a little.

We’re going to do a little twist forward, and back. The same movement we do when our feet are planted on the floor evenly. We’re just sliding out to the side, and it’s a little bit on a diagonal so you’re one hip is at a backward corner and the other hip is underneath the ribcage, working with twisting it back and forward.

Let’s try the other side. So, we are going to go all the way around, hit the back corner. Make sure the other hip is right underneath the ribcage, pushing forward, and back.

Now let’s combine that into a clear combo.

So, circle. Stop somewhere in the middle right before you hit that back diagonal and you’re going to twist the left hip, forward and back, and then continue.

Circle, forward, back. Circle, forward, back. One, forward, back.

Let’s try that with music.

Let’s speed that up.

Double-time.


Lessons in this Guide

How to Do the Veil Lift into a Butterfly Move

How to Do the Envelope & Butterfly Move with a Veil

How to Balance Something on Your Head

How to Belly Dance with a Veil

How to Play the Gallop & Doubles on Finger Cymbals

How to Do the Envelope with a Veil

How to Play the Gallop on Finger Cymbals

How to Do Level Changes

How to Play Doubles on Finger Cymbals

How to Do Stationary Hip Circles

How to Combine Egyptian Basic & Hip Double Hip Lock

How to Do Egyptian Basic & Hip Lock & Hip Drop

How to Combine Hip Drop & Kick with Traveling Hip Circles

How to Combine Shoulder Circles w/ Chest Circles, Lifts, Drops

How to Combine Mayas, Belly Pops & Reverse Undulation

Combine Shoulder Circle Combo w/ Big Hip Circle into Maya

How to Combine the Maya Combo with the 3-Point Turn Combo

How to Do Shoulder Shimmy & Hip Slide Moves

How to Combine Vertical Hip Circles with Hand Undulations

How to Do a Veil Switch

How to Combine Snake Arms with Piston Hips

How to Combine Traveling Hip Lift Combo w/ Vertical Hip Lift

How to Combine Hip Slides & Horizontal Figure 8s with Twist

How to Combine Snake Arm Walk into Hip Slides & Hip Lifts

How to Do a Veil Switch & Sway

How to Do Hip Shimmy & Hip Slide Moves

How to Sway with a Veil

How to Combine Snake Arm Combo with Hip Slide with a Twist

How to Combine Double Hip Locks with Undulations

How to Do Shoulder Shimmy & Chest Lift Moves

How to Add the Hip Shimmy to Chest Slides & Lifts

How to Do a Figure 8 with a Twist

How to Combine Shoulder Circle Series w/ Big Hip Circle

How to Combine Vertical Hip Circles with Hip Drop Combo

How to Do the Egyptian Basic & Shimmy Moves

How to Combine Big Hip Circles into Head Slides

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