Education

Mission Statement

Tundra Caravan Middle Eastern Dance Troupe aims to promote Middle Eastern Dance and culture through performance. All troupe members are expected to be knowledgeable and/or actively learning about various styles of Middle Eastern Dance and different Middle Eastern cultures. Troupe members are encouraged to attend classes and/or workshops related to these topics as much as possible and to share their knowledge with the public in a professional manner.

Basic Belly Dance Moves

• Shimmies - a vibrating expression utilizing both muscular and skeletal movement.

• Knee Driven Shimmy - created by articulating the knees back and forth (without fully locking out the knees), the faster the movement the more reverberation you will see in your mid-section.

• 3/4 Shimmy - a shimmy that is 3/4 of the beat. Created by shifting the weight to one side, lifting that hip, dropping that hip, and holding for the fourth count. So, Shift the weight into one hip (1), lift the other hip (2), drop the hip (3), hold (4).

• Hip circle - created by keeping the feet hip width apart, knees soft, and pushing your hips to one side, then forward, to the opposite side, and to the back, connecting all these motions together create a hip circle.

• Omi - Created by contracting the oblique muscles and creating a circle underneath the ribcage. Start with feet hip width apart, knees soft (this is a must for this movement!), contract one side of your obliques drawing the corresponding hip upwards (feet should stay flat on the floor, one leg will straighten slightly more than the other), contract the front lower abdominals to pull forward, contract opposite obliques, and then release through the back without allowing the tailbone to come up. 

• Hip Bump - created by shifting weight from side to side and pushing the corresponding hip out.

• Hip ups - Created by contracting one side of the obliques while slightly straightening the corresponding leg (do not lock it out!), to make it extra sharp squeeze the same side glute muscle!

• Snake Arms - Created by engaging the shoulder and arm muscles. There should be a slight rotation in the elbow while doing this. Start by lifting one shoulder, follow with the elbow, end with flicking the hand up (think about painting the wall with your fingertips), to create the snake arm effect, create barrel monkey arms and paint one side going up and the other going down, the rotation in the elbow will happen when you switch directions. 

• Cobra Arms - Used by activating the shoulder muscles. Have arms out in a T (basic position), start by taking one shoulder and rolling it forward up back and down into your back pockets. (Like you're putting your shoulder blade into your back pocket) Let the arm slightly rotate forward and back while the shoulders roll, there should be a slight lift and relax in your arms like a breath but not as extreme as snake arms. 

• Maya- a vertical downward figure 8. start by contracting the obliques on one side and slightly straightening that leg while slightly bending the other to drop the other hip, push the hip that is up, out and away from you, then imagine carving out a scoop of marble from a wall and draw the hip down, while at the same time allowing the opposite hip to come up. The feet should stay flat on the floor and grounded. 

• Toxiem - vertical upward figure 8. start by contracting one side of the  obliques and lifting the corresponding heal off the ground, drop the other hip, the hip that is dropped pushes out away from the body and then carves upwards like you're taking a scoop of marble out of the wall, when the hip comes up so does the corresponding heal, the heal that was up will drop to the floor, think of your feet as being on bicycle pedals. the knees have to be engaged and not locked out for this or you will get an awkward bobbing motion. 

• Horizontal forward and backward figure 8 - feet hip width apart, knees soft, keep the chest straight forward while twisting the hips, if going backward - push the hip that is forward out and rotate to the back like you're carving a scoop of marble out of the wall. If going forward - take the hip that is to the back and push out and pull forward like you are taking a scoop of marble out of the wall.