Thread: How do you move while shimmying?

I have been attempting the shimmy drill section of Jenna's the heartbeat of belly dacne dvd and I am having a tough time doing a hip circle while shimmying. I can move my hips to the right or left (have to slow down the shimmy to do it) but can't get hips to go in a circle while shimmying. It's as if my brain is programmed to do only one thing at a time :Aconfused:

Any suggestions?

For me, it depends on the shimmy. I don't do so well layering the circle over the knee shimmy the way she does, but I can layer circles over a more hip-driven shimmy (not bun shimmy, this is more like a vibrating shimmy with both hips, at least how I think of it).

Try drilling back and forth with a shimmy, then you can combine it with left and right and voila!

I love that DVD. The teaching format is great and though there are some weird sunspots, most of the video is well lit and Jenna wears a nice contrasting color so you can see. I hope she does more!

It's hard. I just figured it out a few months ago. Basically you just keep practicing and then one day it happens. Then you kind of wonder what was so hard about it at all!..l;,

Good luck and have fun!

The biggest thing for me was to learn how to relax! I dont' have that DVD but if you can move side to side, try going front to back. Then do a really small circle and get bigger as your skill improves.

Al I can suggest is practice practice practice! I have just gotten to the shimmy with a body wave or a belly roll. I simply would keep drilling a basic shimmy (not from the knees-I have more control with a hip driven shimmy) and once Im into a good shimmy I did a hip slide with it, then move on to half circles then full hip circles. Each time I lose the shimmy I go back to the basic shimmy and start over. Gets easier each time! This method works for me anyhow:) Keep practicing-you'll get it :)

What Goldenpear said. However, if you are "sticking" when your hips are forward or back, it is possible that you are tensing your buttocks up to help you balance in those positions, and thus, your shimmy disappears. Working on relaxing the butt and using the abs to do this will make it easier (and if you can do that you will find layering a shimmy on an undulation easier too).

Practice moving your hips forward and back with a shimmy, but remember that you don't have to have a two foot difference between the two points. Start out small; maybe just a few inches. Once your body gets used to it push it a little further. Try moving between the four points as a diamond. Once you get that down take out the stops and make it a continuous circle.

Learning to layer is tricky. What everyone said above is how I teach it.

The thing is, you have to be patient with your body and slow way down. Layering isn't something you can just understand with your brain and then do with your body, like learning a new traveling step. You have to spend some time training your muscles. Not a lot of time, but more than for most moves at intermediate level.

Here's how I teach it. Put on some music with a strong steady beat. Start up a relaxed shimmy and keep it going nice and steady through this whole exercise. Slide your hips right, hold for 8 counts. Slide to the front (however far forward you go in a hip circle, mine's not very far) and shimmy for 8 counts. Take your time through that sliding movement. Then slide to the left, shimmy 8 counts. Then the back. Repeat. At first your shimmy will be all mucked up while you're actually moving from one spot to another, be patient and just keep practicing.

When that starts to feel comfortable, hold each position for 4 counts. Then for two. Finally you'll be moving slowly through the positions in a circle. It'll be rough at first, and your shimmy will go all wonky. That's your body trying to figure it out, it's OK, give it time.

Spend just 5 minutes a day going through this exercise and you'll probably have a decent layered hip circle within a week. Do it for 5 minutes every hour or so and you'll have it in a day or two!

Originally Posted by zumarrad

What Goldenpear said. However, if you are "sticking" when your hips are forward or back, it is possible that you are tensing your buttocks up to help you balance in those positions, and thus, your shimmy disappears. Working on relaxing the butt and using the abs to do this will make it easier (and if you can do that you will find layering a shimmy on an undulation easier too).

Good advice. And gorgeous new profile pic!!

Relax into the movement, focus your weight into your calves and feet, keep your abs tight and relax the inside of your thighs.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Good advice. And gorgeous new profile pic!!

Thanks!

Aside from the excellent advice above (esp. Lauren's awesome breakdown), I have one more tip for beginners just starting to layer. You should be able to do both things you are trying to layer (in this case, a hip circle and whatever shimmy you're doing) completely on auto-pilot, without having to think about making them happen. If your brain is still trying to process how to keep the shimmy going, or how to keep the knees parallel so the hip circle is horizontal, your attention will be diverted. However, if you have these movements at your command and can keep them going with little to no physical or mental effort, your whole brain and body will be available to try and figure out how the heck you do both at the same time!

I second the great advice above! This is one of the most difficult combinations to execute with a sense of fluidity while still maintaining the rhythmic aspect of the shimmy.

Think about the hip circle in quarters or eights and figure out how many articulations you're trying to fit in each section, whether you're trying an even shimmy, 3/4 shimmy originated by either legs, glutes, obliques, internal, or a weight shifting shimmy.

With all shimmies and especially layering, one of the most important things to keep in mind is don't feel like you have to rush it. Start out slow and increase speed until you lose clarity in the shimmy. Start again and repeat and soon you’ll be shimmying and hip circling at full speed.

Don’t forget to maintain good posture, neutral pelvis, strong abs, and slightly lengthening the ribcage away from the pelvis for better isolation between the upper and lower body.

Good luck!

Another thing to consider is some shimmies go better with particular isolations than others. The three most common that are used for layering would be the constant 121212 - but it can be up/down waist driven, knee back (Modern Egyptian), or twist back/forward. If one version doesn't work play with one of the others (eventually you'll have to master all three but it might save some frustration).

Kashmir prompted a thought for me -- to 'test' your shimmy for hip-circle-friendliness, see if you can bend forward while your shimmy is going. If not, you won't be able to use that shimmy while your hips are in the back and pelvis neutral, I think.

I use a leg-driven shimmy rather than a waist-driven shimmy for hip circles because it works much better for me. With a waist-driven shimmy, while I'm at the back of the circle it just feels like I'm wagging my tail at hyperspeed!

With a leg-driven shimmy, I can touch my toes and keep shimmying. Not that I would, mind you, during a performance... but I can!

Lauren, by ALL means - I would die to see you do that during a performance LOL!!!! :)

Originally Posted by david

Lauren, by ALL means - I would die to see you do that during a performance LOL!!!! :)

Shall we make that one a duet, then?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Shall we make that one a duet, then?

Grllll you're so on! *turns on his webcam and IMs Lauren_ to start working on the duet*

LOL!

*happy dance*

Yay, a duet with David!

Tomorrow I start work on a "Blades of Glory" costume for myself!

I find it easiest to layer moves over a straight leg shimmy, modern Egyptian style. Because the shimmy starts at the knee (always focusing on pushing the knee back, though obviously not until it locks!) it leaves the obliques free to push the hips in a circle. I can layer any move over a straight leg shimmy, but not over the bent knee one, so I hope this helps you too! ..g.:

Originally Posted by zumarrad

What Goldenpear said. However, if you are "sticking" when your hips are forward or back, it is possible that you are tensing your buttocks up to help you balance in those positions, and thus, your shimmy disappears. Working on relaxing the butt and using the abs to do this will make it easier (and if you can do that you will find layering a shimmy on an undulation easier too).

I think you just explained to me why I can't seem to keep the shimmy going through the forward part of the circle unless I just cut it off and come mostly straight through ... (as well as through parts of other movements where the pelvis moves forward)
THANKS!!
..g.:

Wonderful advice here.

All I'd add is that in my experience what the sticking point is sometimes the weight transfer factor. Many students are comfortable and confident with a variety of shimmies but lose the plot entirely as soon as they have to shimmy whilst moving their weight (even slightly) away from that safe 'home base' of a static posture.

This is why I think it is vital to start drilling shimmies in combination with gentle weight shifts in and out of static, basic stance at the earliest opportunity. I really like the way that Michelle Joyce does this in her shimmy drill on Drills, Drills, Drills - its fairly simple, but effective.

Thanks. I will try and remember to release the glutes Zum and to try Lauren's exercise. (8 counts, sliding in each direction).

Here's the glitch: I can shimmy in each direction side, forward, side, back, but it's like I stop shimmying when I move positions. Lauren is this what your exercise will remedy? It's like my brain can't do the two moves at once (shimmying and moving positions)

There is some really great advice on this thread. (I've already printed it out)..l;,

oooooooops was responding to walking with exterior hip circle.


I found that this movement is easier for me when the shimmying of the hips is glute driven. Then I have my lower abs, and obliques controling the exterior hip circle. It takes time to get use to the transfering of weight from one leg to the other as you walk with it.

basically going clockwise as my hips go forward my weight tranfers onto my right leg and after they move to cross the back I transfer my weight to the left leg. allowing me to step forward with the right leg.

For me, using a leg driven shimmy is more difficult. I can do them but it takes more concentration.

Ava Fleming taught us in a workshop that any movement you do where you have a hic-up or a stall in the movement to go to that spot of the hic-up or stall and practice that movement at that one spot until it becomes easy to do....

Originally Posted by AngelaDiCaprio

Ava Fleming taught us in a workshop that any movement you do where you have a hic-up or a stall in the movement to go to that spot of the hic-up or stall and practice that movement at that one spot until it becomes easy to do....

That's what I tend to do; I also will slow it down to be sure I'm not just skipping over that one part while telling myself I'm actually doing it. Truth sucks, but it makes me a better dancer!

Deborah

Here's the glitch: I can shimmy in each direction side, forward, side, back, but it's like I stop shimmying when I move positions. Lauren is this what your exercise will remedy? It's like my brain can't do the two moves at once (shimmying and moving positions)

Can you shimmy on one leg only, that is whilst lifting the other leg for a step in some direction or just resting it one a toe?

Sometimes, people can do the slides but that remains their weight transfer comfort zone, so to speak, and they don't build on it any further.

Can you all explain the difference between a "leg-driven" vs "waist-driven" shimmy? I'm not sure which I do but I can't move at all while shimmying so this is of interest to me too.

I have always done the up/down shimmy (knee driven) and it worked for me well for shimmying. Others swear by the Egyptian shimmy, that that's the best way because your knees are free.

I think everyone has their favorite way and there is no right or wrong shimmy for layering.

For my students I make sure they are warmed up in their shimmy and sustained a nice shimmy for at least 10 minutes. Then we started layering on top, keeping a fast shimmy with very slow hip movements on top.
I always found the hip circle a little harder - a figure 8 is actually easier. So I always had them exeggarate the circle, make it as big and as slow as they can while they can figure out the mechanism. It always seemed that the front part of the circle was the hardest, so I had to stay on top of them not to "skip" it and make that part more into a hipslide.

But layering takes a long time with a lot of practice. And you hae to be 100% comfortable with your shimmies - and you can stand there and shimmy for 15-20 minutes without getting off beat, then I think you have a good foundation.

Another question is, can you do a nice loose, mid-tempo shimmy comfortably? I have had some students who can only manage a tight and super fast shimmy, and I find it's really hard for them to grasp layering because there's so much tension going on in their bodies. The wind up trying to fight against the shimmy, as opposed to riding it like a wave.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

What Goldenpear said. However, if you are "sticking" when your hips are forward or back, it is possible that you are tensing your buttocks up to help you balance in those positions, and thus, your shimmy disappears. Working on relaxing the butt and using the abs to do this will make it easier (and if you can do that you will find layering a shimmy on an undulation easier too).

OMG!!!!! I too have always gotten sticky or stuck at the back with anything but a tiny knee shimmy when doing a big hip circle, but just now trying this in my office (away from the windows, thank you very much) with a variety of shimmies, holding my abs firm made all the difference in the world!!!