Thread: Surprising shimmy discoveries!

Try shimmying while going down in an elevator. Of course, you want to be the only one in the elevator. But doing a 3/4 shimmy in a moving elevator is very interesting.

Then try shimmying on a treadmill. Slow the speed down to less than 2 mph and shimmy with every step. Wow! Takes a bit to get the feel for it, but gives a whole new meaning to traveling shimmies.

Try a choo choo shimmy flat footed, letting your quads literally pull you forward. Learned that one from Cassandra and once you get the hang of it you are floating forward seemingly without moving your feet.

Now I am wondering what it would be like to shimmy while standing in a pool with water to my waist.

Souzan

I shimmy on the treadmill all the time! It's great for warming up when it's on a lower speed. I thought I was the only one who did this ;))))

Those are great.

Try shimmying while waiting at the bus stop and it's totally freezing outside. Warms you up! This is especially effective when you are with a group of belly dancers and you are all laughing at yourselves. Takes your mind off the cold.

Souzan, I think you have too much time on your hands! LOL!!!!!

Originally Posted by Michelle75

Souzan, I think you have too much time on your hands! LOL!!!!!

Or should that be too much time on your hips?..g.:

Can't wait to get in an elevator and try shimmying! That'll take my mind off the fact that I'm chlostrophobic and hate elevators.)

PS - how do you spell chlostrophobic, anyway? Definitely not like that!

Souzan I love these! I'm going to try them all.

T

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

Or should that be too much time on your hips?..g.:

Can't wait to get in an elevator and try shimmying! That'll take my mind off the fact that I'm chlostrophobic and hate elevators.)

PS - how do you spell chlostrophobic, anyway? Definitely not like that!

Yes, good catch jewel. To much time on her hips!..l;,

BTW, it's claustrophobic but we all know what you meant!

I learned to 3/4 shimmy by practicing on my treadmill at home. (wouldn't do it at the gym, though).

Have to try the elevator thing...

Originally Posted by souzan

now i am wondering what it would be like to shimmy while standing in a pool with water to my waist.

Souzan

amazing!

I shimmy in the pool and on the elevator! The pool, since you were wndering, is nearly impossible!

I have always been a fidgeter, so shimmying absent mindedly while standing in line or waiting for something can be a problem. It is like there is an internal mp3 player going in my head all the time and I just have to move.

Anyone shimmy in the shower?

Souzan

I have seen that recommended for a quick practice!!!

when you figure out how to shimmy at an office desk, someone let me know! :-)

Originally Posted by Souzan

Anyone shimmy in the shower?

Maybe
I quit doing anything that requires foot lifting once I nearly broke my keister. Now I just stick to flat-footed stuff and torso movements.

Originally Posted by dunyah

Try shimmying while waiting at the bus stop and it's totally freezing outside. Warms you up! This is especially effective when you are with a group of belly dancers and you are all laughing at yourselves. Takes your mind off the cold.

I actually use this imagery as a starting point for teaching the Egyptian shimmy. ..g.:

"Okay, ladies, you know when you're pumping your gas and it's FREEZING outside? What do you do to stay warm?" Usually a large percentage of the students start vibrating/pumping their legs. It's often an "a ha!" moment for them.

Originally Posted by Sonja2

when you figure out how to shimmy at an office desk, someone let me know! :-)

Actually I do it all the time. Concentrate on using the inner thighs and hamstrings to push your thighs into the chair seat while keeping everything else loose. I unlock the chair seat so that it rocks or floats and them lightly set my feet on the floor without putting weight on them. What you will get is a light hip lift and the sensation of your feet patting the floor lightly.

I recently got into Ayshe's core fitness for belly dancers dvd which looks like another fusiony workout dvd from the cover but is actually really good conditioning program for using inner thighs, upper hamstrings, and psoas for hip movements and shimmies. The meat to the dvd is in the lengthy and detailed tutorial section of the dvd that drills these movements and explains the muscle mechanics in detail. Once you get the feel for what she is doing, the workout section of the dvd is fun!

Souzan

Originally Posted by Sonja2

when you figure out how to shimmy at an office desk, someone let me know! :-)

I do Suhaila-style glute squeezes at my desk all the time! Like right now...

Originally Posted by Souzan

Actually I do it all the time. Concentrate on using the inner thighs and hamstrings to push your thighs into the chair seat while keeping everything else loose. I unlock the chair seat so that it rocks or floats and them lightly set my feet on the floor without putting weight on them. What you will get is a light hip lift and the sensation of your feet patting the floor lightly.

I recently got into Ayshe's core fitness for belly dancers dvd which looks like another fusiony workout dvd from the cover but is actually really good conditioning program for using inner thighs, upper hamstrings, and psoas for hip movements and shimmies. The meat to the dvd is in the lengthy and detailed tutorial section of the dvd that drills these movements and explains the muscle mechanics in detail. Once you get the feel for what she is doing, the workout section of the dvd is fun!

Souzan

Ooh...got it! I just tried it out at home and it's great! Luckily, we just got sent home from work due to snow! Yee Haw!..g.:

Originally Posted by GenevieveOfAtlanta

I do Suhaila-style glute squeezes at my desk all the time! Like right now...

yes, I do those....but haven't gotten the hang of the glute shimmy. I use my glutes when I shimmy some, but not like she does...I'd like to be able to shimmy that way, in addition to the ways I'm already accustomed to. More to choose from!

Originally Posted by Souzan

Try a choo choo shimmy flat footed, letting your quads literally pull you forward. Learned that one from Cassandra and once you get the hang of it you are floating forward seemingly without moving your feet.

I just tried this for a few seconds and discovered my feet want to grip the floor. What do you do with your feet, apart from keeping them flat? Is the weight evenly distributed?

Originally Posted by Taj

I just tried this for a few seconds and discovered my feet want to grip the floor. What do you do with your feet, apart from keeping them flat? Is the weight evenly distributed?

Hmm, I choo choo shimmy on the balls of my feet, haven't tried the flat.

Originally Posted by dunyah

Hmm, I choo choo shimmy on the balls of my feet, haven't tried the flat.

That's the choo-choo I was taught, too.

Originally Posted by Taj

I just tried this for a few seconds and discovered my feet want to grip the floor. What do you do with your feet, apart from keeping them flat? Is the weight evenly distributed?

Get a good fast and even shimmy going with the weight in your heels and let your quads pull your foward. It is kind of like shuffling while shimmying. Try it in socks on a smooth floor surface. We were doing it on carpet with ballet slippers and it was little harder. Once you get the feel for it is is way cool.

Mayas and figure 8s up on an elliptical machine are awesome too....

Funny you should say that. I just discovered how incredible doing 8s on the elliptical are the last time I was at the gym. When you do horizontal 8s on it, they end up looping up and over and feel wonderful! Then I realized that there was a glass wall behind me and people were staring!

Originally Posted by Sonja2

when you figure out how to shimmy at an office desk, someone let me know! :-)

Haven't figured the shimmy out, but I get some great upper body isolations in!

Originally Posted by david

Mayas and figure 8s up on an elliptical machine are awesome too....

Hip circles on a stair master.

Originally Posted by GenevieveOfAtlanta

I actually use this imagery as a starting point for teaching the Egyptian shimmy. ..g.:

"Okay, ladies, you know when you're pumping your gas and it's FREEZING outside? What do you do to stay warm?" Usually a large percentage of the students start vibrating/pumping their legs. It's often an "a ha!" moment for them.

I call it the turbo pee pee dance

Originally Posted by Linnyg

I call it the turbo pee pee dance

Ha ha! Never thought about that until now. I wonder how it looks when I do a leg-powered shimmy in the bookstore. .w.: ..l;,

Originally Posted by Sonja2

when you figure out how to shimmy at an office desk, someone let me know! :-)

I have figured out the office desk shimmy too. It's the same as my "sitting on my bed while surfing Bhuz" shimmy. I use my inner thighs, glutes, and hamstrings. I see you've figured it out. Fun huh?!!

BDF