Thread: Aida Nour's seated shimmies?

Anyone have any idea how she drives these? I have only seen her do this on video and not close up. I think I recall someone saying that she demonstrated/explained them during a workshop here in the US so hopefully someone remembers. I am intrigued.

Souzan

Once she told me that she just wiggles her hips and her bum. In order to do so she uses her thighs also. She sort of keeps the thighs strong to stack the hips into the floor. When I try this my hole body starts shimmying, i´m probably doing something wrong. Or perhaps i just need to practise moore. :)

She showed us this shimmy in Egypt but didn't explain how it was powered. When I do it, I use my obliques to keep it isolated, but would love to hear other techniques as well!

My troupe and I did a Momo Kadous choreography one time that included these seated shimmies. Quite a challenge, especially getting up and down!

Thanks, ladies. She gets up and down so effortlessly--must have quads of steel! I love the way she gets down in a semi split and then arranges herself crosslegged and modestly fixes her costume--all leading up to the "wait for it" moment when she shimmies.

The getting down is less of a problem for me than the getting up. Maybe I could figure out a way to end a number that way. Would have to make the getting up a sort of comic thing though. Or have some big strong baladi boys come out and lift me up!

Souzan

My instructors have had us practice shimmies while sitting (cross legged, spread legs, etc), and they're definitely tricky! Lots of quad strength to keep the butt grounded, lots of glute and lower back/oblique work to actually get the shimmy going. I find that in order to prevent the upper body from moving around too much, I need to keep all my abs very tight and engaged; it helps keep the movement isolated in the hips. Granted, it's tiring and I can't sustain a good one for very long...ah well, it'll get there eventually!

Aida Nour is one of my top favorite dancers. I love her seated shimmies. I have been practicing them since I have injured my knee. Kind of feels akward at first. When I visit the local class here (about once a month), I demostrated it, to see other dancers reaction to it. I would like to know how she glides on the floor while doing the shimmy .
Tammy

I would love to see a video of this, does anyone know where one is? Thanks!

I was just going to ask the same thing - I don't know what seated shimmies are, but I want to see!

There's a little bit about half way through this clip
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9oaKqtRR8w]YouTube - Aida Nour Vs Tito @ Las Vegas IBDC[/ame]

That clip always makes my day.

Interesting...although I can't think of any venue I've ever danced in where that would work!!

I can do shimmy on a chair, I guess a chair would work better in places with nasty floors.

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

Interesting...although I can't think of any venue I've ever danced in where that would work!!

I took a workshop from Aida at AWS several years ago, and she taught (well, demonstrated) seated shimmies. We loved them, but were wondering how on earth a dancer would work them into a show, and what costume would work. At one of the evening shows, Aida got up in street clothes and danced, including seated shimmies.

Later my troupe was invited by Momo Kadous to perform one of his choreographies at a show he was starring in. It was a fellahi dance with seated shimmies. Getting up and down quickly and gracefully was quite a challenge! But the biggest problem with doing these shimmies is that most costumes have decorations on the part you're sitting on, and those decorations really get abused during a seated shimmy. ..c::

Originally Posted by bintbeled

But the biggest problem with doing these shimmies is that most costumes have decorations on the part you're sitting on, and those decorations really get abused during a seated shimmy. ..c::

Not to mention the abuse your butt will get from the decorations....!

I have one of the Sharif gala tapes where Aida Nour was guest teacher and guest artist. She did both the chair shimmy and the seated floor shimmy in the restaurant (I think it was the Lafayette Grill) to the delight of everyone there--espcially the singer and musicians who seemed to be eating it up. She was wearing a white gallabyia. Didn't get a closeup of what the rear end of the thing looked like when she got up off the restaurant floor.

Souzan

Reviving this thread because I want to learn do this and I'd like someone who knows to explain very simply please- no just you use abs, glutes etc (in what way?) I can't follow instructions keep it simple please. weight shift and motion information would be good. thanks

Yes I'm interested to know/see too, especially since the demonstrating youtube clip mentioned has been deleted..

B

I do these by squeezing my glutes the way Suhaila Salimpour teaches it. She practices this by sitting on the floor with your legs spread out and this isolates the upper glutes. Then you squeeze the right glute, release, and then the left glute and release. I believe there is a video of this on youtube somewhere. When Aida is doing them she sits with her legs crossed on the floor and shimmies. If you build up your glutes this is a very easy and relaxed move actually, although I do agree you need to engage the upper abs to help keep them still and keep the movement in the hips.

Originally Posted by Souzan

...Didn't get a closeup of what the rear end of the thing looked like when she got up off the restaurant floor.
Souzan

I'd imagine her costume would have been ok, my feet never got too bad working there.

Try squeezing your glutes alternately, keeping a good isolation.

Ok, someone was faster in answering

Thanks I'll try. I'm kind of getting it but not the going round on the spot thing. I think the key must be (as it usually is) where you're weight is. Like how you can stand on a tabla and shimmy and it goes round.
Here is another video of her doing it. To me it looks like a weight shift side to side
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98wAe4zUmg0]YouTube - Aida Nour 1[/ame]

Aida just rocks, simple as that!! I love her dancing!!

Its a definate weight shift not a glute squeeze. Kind of like a lower body wobble, side to side. You push hips side to side and let it flow.

Originally Posted by habibiyaeini

Its a definate weight shift not a glute squeeze. Kind of like a lower body wobble, side to side. You push hips side to side and let it flow.

Yep thats what it looked like to me.Now all I need to do is practise.....a lot..l;,..l;,..l;,