Thread: Rolling 8s?

Hi all,

I'm very new to belly dancing I've only been taking Egyptian style classes for a month. I'm desperately trying to learn how to do rolling 8s, I can't get it. I can't find any video examples online. Can someone let me know if this move is known by a different name or some tips. I want to get this right sooo bad!

Welcome to BHUZ!! Might you be thinking of something called a maya or a downward 8? I am so bad about video clips, but I know there are people here with amazing memories for such things and someone may be along shortly!

hmmm, 8's could be anywhere in any direction ;) could you provide just a bit more detail? i bet we could help!

Thanks guys, I'm supposed to start on my toes knee bent forward on the active hip, hip dowm. Then hip slide and up. I learned the maya and that wasn't right. My instructor told me to practice on a counter top to help with my stability. Sorry for being so vague. It just confuses me because I thought for sure it was a hip down 8 but all the videos don't seem to show it done on both toes.

On your toes as in standing on both toes? Surely not. Do you mean with your weight over your toes?

I am guessing this is a variation on what I term a beledi push or V8, which means you would drop your active hip, slide it out on the diagonal, lift it up and pull it back in, and do it again on the other side. I presume that what you're being asked to do is the same thing without so much drop and with a lot of slide, lift and pull, because the foot of your active hip is up on demi and you're pushing through that, rolling the foot down to flat and changing sides to do it again.

In my view that is a very advanced movement for someone who has been studying belly dance for one month. It will take time!

OK, I've gone back and re-read your post and I'm wondering if it's a maya or upward eight on demi-point. Again, something you need core stability for, not holding onto a counter top, and something that is quite advanced material for a person with one month's dance experience, unless you've been having lessons all day every day.

I'm thinking she's describing an upward 8 on demipointe, too, Zumarrad. Sorry, Babymang, we all have different names for everything, so it's tough to communicate sometimes.

An upward vertical figure 8 executed on demipoint doesn't sound like anything that would be in a beginner class though!!

Thanks everyone for your help. Zumarrad I think that's the one. I'm just going to keep practicing and I will come back to you all next week and let you know. It would be nice to solve the mystery move! I have been told that it's a hard move and trust me I'm very much a beginner...suppose there's nothing wrong with a challenge. Again, thanks to you all!

Can you practice it on flat foot first so you can get it down and then go up to your toes?

Practice on flat feet first. Once you have the knack and know the feel going on with your hips, it will be easier to bring it up on demi point.

Originally Posted by babymang

Thanks everyone for your help. Zumarrad I think that's the one. I'm just going to keep practicing and I will come back to you all next week and let you know. It would be nice to solve the mystery move! I have been told that it's a hard move and trust me I'm very much a beginner...suppose there's nothing wrong with a challenge. Again, thanks to you all!

Actually, there is something wrong with some challenges. This is an advanced move not only because it takes quite a bit of control and flexibility to do but because it takes quite a bit of control to do safely. Even an upwards eight on flat feet I'd leave until a student has a year or so's experience unless I was sure that they had good posture and good and automatic ab control.

Honey, you can hurt yourself with this!

Bicycle hips? Not a flat or horizontal planed infinity (not parallel to floor or door), but more like a side wall plane single hip O, then the other hip does an O.

More simply, single hip O, other hip O, repeat. I've heard these called "choochoo O's" for the pistons on an (old) train.