I recently saw a 2-minute video outtake of singer-bombshell Shakira doing her hip-shaking best in assorted concert appearances. Lord, I do believe the woman’s Hip Swiveling Quotient is about 20 standard deviations above the mean.
Is this ability a gift from Zeus, or are do exercises actually exist that allow the average American gal to develop this extraordinary ability?
Well given I’ve seen a number of moderately talented belly dancers do this exact same hip swiveling I don’t think it’s all that remarkable as physical skill. Hell… I’m 6’3" and weigh 235 lbs, and I can swivel my hips like that (and I did at “Middle Eastern Night” at a local restaurant).
Yeah, it’s pretty standard Belly Dancing 101. Don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty good, but it’s a pretty basic move - one you’d learn during your first lesson. (“SHUT the CAR door WITH your HIP”)
I did see a double isolation there that was more advanced, and I’m most impressed at her ribcage isolations - but those weren’t on the link. There was some commercial on about two months ago that featured her ribcage isolations, and then other people copying them. Ribcages are much harder to isolate than hips.
Shakira is half-Lebanese, and I’m sure she’s picked up some of her moves from watching relatives over the years. She looks great doing it and it keeps her in great shape!
Yeah as others have said it’s belly dancing. I remember reading an inetrview with her years ago saying how she learnt to belly-dance as a child and was actually encouraged by the nuns at her school to do a turn as it were at school concerts etc.
I’ve also been told by young Colombians that they practice the merengue shake from a young age by rocking their shoulders against a wall to get up to speed before they do the free standing version.
Watch her video “Hips Don’t Lie” (not the fans only version) on Launch for more of her dancing. That is Shakira with the sequins glued on her too if I am not mistaken. About a month ago both version of the video were in the top two spots on Launch.
Well, actually you are looking not so much at the dancing, but the results of what those motions are doing to a superbly fit woman, who was born to be “bottom heavy” in a good way. Other women could dance like that, but it wouldn’t look quite the same because they may not be have a figure so suited to being displayed in that way. (She was poured/sewn into those pants I would think.)
I’m guessing it’s the ribcage isolations that freak me out. She looks like she’s having a seizure when she does it. That “Tortura” video was painful to watch.
Generally in the most “acceptable” (read: non-slutty) form of belly dance, you do a hip isolation on only one side at a time. The right hip goes out to the side (not up!) and comes back in. Repeat. Once you’ve done that a bunch, you may switch to the left hip out and in. You do not generally do right hip out-in, left hip out-in, right hip out-in, left hip out-in. It’s a “double” and it’s considered crass. But, boy is it eyepopping! There are exceptions of course, and different styles and teachers have different “rules”. My teacher was adamant about no doubles until we really knew what we were doing.
