Belly dancing basics by Laura A. Cooper

Format: Adobe pdf
Pages: 128
Publisher: Sterling Publishing (April 1, 2004)
ISBN: 140271078X

-Introduction -- The origins and history of belly dancing from ancient civilizations to Mata Hari to the enthusiast of today.
-Chapter 1 Getting Started --where to dance, what to wear, and selecting music. This chapter also has an introduction to Arabic rhythms.
-Chapter 2 Preparation -- Learning the essential, proper posture and how to stretch and warm up your body before dancing
-Chapter 3 Basic Elements -- This is where explanations are listed for nearly thirty moves and basic steps for building a belly dance routine, from hip drops to dervish turns, and traveling steps to arm movements, plus the tips and styling to give them all spice.
-Chapter 4 Adding Mystery -- Bringing beauty and subtlety to your dance with a veil. Wearing a veil, unveiling, and dancing with the veil are all covered here. You may just develop what the author calls "veilitis," a condition impelling dancers to buy multiple veils in a variety of colors limited only by your storage space!
-Chapter 5 Drawing on Power -- Mastering the art of sword work in your dance. Read this chapter to tap your inner warrior goddess.
-Chapter 6 Wings -- Adding spectacular drama to your steps by the use of wings. A modern addition to Belly Dance, wings recall the majesty of ancient Egyptian royalty.
-Chapter 7 Variety: The Spice of Life -- Introducing different props, such as candles, canes, and zills. It's `how to play with fire and not get burned' plus canes and finger cymbals.
-Chapter 8 The Oriental Fantasy -- Performance: perfecting your art by dancing for others. Building a routine, routine/show sets, dance routine examples, costuming variety and make-up, and dancer etiquette are all covered here.
-Resources -- Contains resources for suggested further reading, shopping abroad, costumes, classes, belly dancers, and music.
-Index -- Easy look-up in alphabetical order.