How does Aziza move like she is floating?

[Shaharazad]

,r:;I love this move by Aziza, but I am not sure how she does it. It's the floating move. Does anyone know?

[gothique]

Is she on youtube? I'd love to see this move!

[Michelle75]

I think the move you are refering to is probably where she is on the balls of her feet taking tiny steps across or side to side. If the skirt hides the feet it gives a "flotating" look.

[Adishakti]

If you want to move right, then the left foot goes slightly in front of the left. On releve, step out (right) with the right foot, in (right) with the left foot. Very tiny, quick steps and you'll be floating before you know it.

If you want to go the other way, reverse the above directions.

Practice in front of a mirror if you can. At first, you may see the bopping, but keep practicing to smooth it out, and it'll come. With practice, the movement should be silent as well. Heavy feet really echo when you're on stage.

[bintbeled]

I was about to post what Michelle75 did. The more you glue your knees together, the smoother the float.

[tigerb]

It is similar to the bourre in ballet, yes?

[akashablue]

It is similar to the bourre in ballet, yes?

That's what I was thinking ..g.:

I also agree with Michelle75 and bintbeled.

Adishakti "spelled" it out better than I could.

[Adishakti]

Is she on youtube? I'd love to see this move!

She sure is... here is Aziza doing her trademark "float". It is at about 3:02.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3XoxvW0LmI]YouTube - Belly Dancer AZIZA 2[/ame]

[Meredith]

She taught this briefly at a workshop, but warned that you really need VERY strong ankles to do it correctly. As I remember, the trick was to stay rather low (a little more bent at the knee than normal) and take tiny steps with *just* your feet moving side to side. Like she said, you can roll those ankles very easily if you don't have the right muscles built up.

[bintbeled]

She taught this briefly at a workshop, but warned that you really need VERY strong ankles to do it correctly. As I remember, the trick was to stay rather low (a little more bent at the knee than normal) and take tiny steps with *just* your feet moving side to side. Like she said, you can roll those ankles very easily if you don't have the right muscles built up.

That's the same technique as the floating Uzbek/Persian step I learned from Laurel Gray. It's a killer.

[sabrinabellydancer]

i do it with a ballet bourre too.
straight legs = no shimmy
bent knees = adds shimmy

here's a tutorial. hope it helps.
youtube.com/watch?v=KeMLvn8HRNk

[Monica]

Such a beautiful step!

Funny story, we used to call this 'The Jasmine' or 'The Jasmine Float' at a former studio, because the dancer who did it to perfection in our school was named Jasmine. When we all saw Aziza for the first time--and fell madly in love with her dancing, of course--I remember saying "Ooh, she did the Jasmine!". ;)

Years later we were at an event near Portland, and Jasmine was dancing. I was behind a dancer who made some snide and unkind remarks about everyone performing (a normally lovely person, I am sure, ahem). One thing she said about J. was "Oh god, everyone and their mother is copying the Aziza float." I had to bite my tongue not to say, "Girl that is the *Jasmine!* Being done by THE Jasmine!"

Personally, I don't copy either of them unless forced to by my troupe, as I feel fairly ungraceful doing the float (read: I kind of suck at it!). In the Bay Area Dunia is another dancer who always did it so so well (and taught it at workshops).

And man, I could watch Aziza float across a stage all day long.

[Linnyg]

Definitely be careful. I sprained my ankle practicing that move. The darn thing just rolled right on over and touched the floor (while the bottom of my foot was still touching the floor). I rock it now tho. I just really like the look of it.

[gothique]

Oh, that's such a pretty move!

Thank you Adishakti & Sabrinabellydancer for the youtube links!

:-)

[Aradia]

Hehehe!!! She is teaching traveling steps and Aziza signature combo's in Vegas Oct 3-4th!! So we get to learn this move that looks like she is skating across ice!! Weeeeee!!!!

[emma-bessa]

That's the same technique as the floating Uzbek/Persian step I learned from Laurel Gray. It's a killer.

Yup,the first time I started to train that was in persian dance class,
not just to the sides.aaargh!,f::

However:
Amani teaches it at her classes and has used it since the 80-s,
but I think the step is losing dimension when done in heels.

[ruta21030]

That's the same technique as the floating Uzbek/Persian step I learned from Laurel Gray. It's a killer.

yep! i've been doing it since a georgian/uzbek workshop she did at rocky's....people think you're on rollerskates..........and it's bad-ass.........she had a really good warm-up and prep to strengthen your ankles for it! i teach it to my students who have problems with releve (and credit laurel of course :p)

[Suzana]

Speaking of copying, I just ran across this snippet in a piece by Michael Tilson Thomas about Leonard Bernstein, who was pretty bold and baldfaced about using bits of other people's works in his compositions:

But the whole was much more than the sum of its parts. It all added up to an instantly recognizable and authentic him. The references came completely ingenuously and they didn’t bother him. In fact they amused him. He’d grin, shrug, and say:
“Everybody steals, but you gotta steal classy!”

The last bit is funny and true, but as a dancer (or not just as a dancer) what I want in my obituary is this:
It all added up to an instantly recognizable and authentic her.

Maybe this should go in the personal style thread.

[Lauren_]

i do it with a ballet bourre too.
straight legs = no shimmy
bent knees = adds shimmy

here's a tutorial. hope it helps.
youtube.com/watch?v=KeMLvn8HRNk

Thank you for this, it really helped me understand the move on a new (and probably safer) level.

Funny how everyone's trashing this woman on youtube, apparently she's not a great ballet teacher (and of course there are the ubiquitous comments on her weight). But even if she's the Queen Cassie of the ballet world, she sure helped me!

[TanyaLV]

It is similar to the bourre in ballet, yes?

Yes ...I have done this in my years of dancing too...it looks so pretty when she does it! yay for Ballet!

[artemisia_danst]

well, i LOVE this move... and i use it a lot,

the way i do it now, and this stuff comes,mostly, from aziza, it is NOT the same as a ballet bourre. the feet are used differently.

- "the float"
rather than putting one foot and then the other, you use the ankles and you reach. and you put down only half of your foot, one side (of the top part of your foot, there is a half releve, dont go as far up on the toes as you can cause you need them) so the toes furthest from the direction you are going you put down, and then you roll the foot (ankles!) towards the other half of the foot. so if traveling left, your right foot puts down small toes first, rolling over till only the biggest toes are on the floor, your left foot does the opposite, big toes first, rolling over to the small ones.

for me it doesnt really matter which leg is in front.

things to look out for:

- your weight/ gravity centre, needs to stay in the middle. if you dont there will be a tiny bounce from front leg to right leg that you dont want. i make my students imagin that all their body weigh is centred in one tennis size ball, and this ball stays in the middle, doest transfer from one leg to the other.

- knees: at the beginning keeping them absokutely shut, even pressed to gether is ok. but once you get the hang of it, i'm trying to do the same without pressing my knees that close together. why? that's the only way to add hip isolations.

but dont start with those, once you have the feet technique down, start with adding simple arms and chest isolations.

i practice this move slow first. so your feet and ankle muscles really learn what they are supposed to do. repeat this a 1000nd times! then speed it up a bit.

in the beginning i made the mistake of wanting to go too fast, slow it down a little and it's even more impressive.

i'm always thinking up new isolations and stuff to add to it (try turns and level changes).

Artemisia

[tigerb]

Artemisia, thanks for that very detailed description. It is still similar to the bourre, but everything about it is softened while still strong -- which sums up a lot about our dance form!

[Lauren_]

Artemisia for taking the time to post that detailed description! That was SUPERBLY helpful.

[artemisia_danst]

i realised i made a mistake and corrected it. the part of the foot furthest from where you are going hits the floor first, of course, and the you roll it over/reach. the rest was ok i think, i tend to mix up left right and directions when writing stuff down

[sabrinabellydancer]

Thank you for this, it really helped me understand the move on a new (and probably safer) level.

Funny how everyone's trashing this woman on youtube, apparently she's not a great ballet teacher (and of course there are the ubiquitous comments on her weight). But even if she's the Queen Cassie of the ballet world, she sure helped me!

cool!
well even if she's not anna pavlova, this tutorial was sufficient for our foot work purposes.

i actually learned it a bit differently, where both legs work. front leg 75%, back leg 25%. with front leg working across the body.

ex. traveling right, left leg crosses front, takes the first step and the back leg catches up. this keeps the legs crossed at all times and makes a prettier line in your short tutu cause the legs are in a tight 5th or "susu" the whole time. much more inner thigh work, less quad.

of course front leg drives forward motion and back leg drives backward motion, but legs stay slightly crossed the whole time.

easier to stay crossed the higher up on demi-pointe you can get. try working it in a slightly turned out position as well. helps engage the inner thigh as the "driver"

useful variation for transparent-ish chiffon skirts or shorter costumes for max leg prettiness

[Shaharazad]

Ladies, thanks for your imput, this should help me. I need to practice and my make my ankles stronger, I have a tendency to twist them very easily.

[artemisia_danst]

hey

i twist my ankles very easy too, but yet never had that problem with this move. i think it's a keeping your balance thing.

Ladies, thanks for your imput, this should help me. I need to practice and my make my ankles stronger, I have a tendency to twist them very easily.