00:00Hey guys, it's Lucy. Welcome back to Try Living with Lucy, dance edition. Any guesses what today's
00:05dance style is? Here, let me give you a hint. Woo! Okay, you probably know the dance style just from
00:12the title of the video, so I'm gonna stop. Belly dancing. Before today, I was entirely unfamiliar
00:20with belly dancing. Its origins, its history, its traditions, but after meeting with Salit,
00:25everything changed. Salit is a belly dancing and fitness instructor in New York City who's
00:30been performing for over a decade. I love the self-expression, I love the movement, I love the
00:36music and the whole culture around it. She started with the basics for me by explaining that belly
00:41dancing was originally a Middle Eastern folk dance. And actually belly dance is not the correct term
00:47for this type of dance. It's a Western term. We call it raks sharki, which in Arabic means
00:52Eastern dance or Oriental dance or Middle Eastern dance because it originates from different
00:58countries around the Middle East. Today, we met on a New York City rooftop for our private
01:02lesson and she taught me a more modern version of belly dancing that involves a ton of popping
01:08to the knee. We're gonna do light stretching just to warm up our body and get it moving.
01:13Waking up our hips, hips opening. You've got to work from your hip. This dance style is a lot harder
01:21than it looks. It had some similarities to salsa with the hip popping elements. I have a cramp.
01:27But for some reason, I felt extremely uncoordinated doing this one. I was popping my hip out of rhythm.
01:33Kick, drop, kick, step, hip, keep your balance, stay up. Tripping over my own feet, moving in the wrong direction.
01:41Are you reading? Yeah, I think so. At one point, I actually thought, you know, I don't have enough going
01:47on here and here
01:49to really do this dance properly the way it's meant to be done.
01:53A little bit faster. One, two, one, two, forward, forward. Yes, I could use some bigger breasts for this.
01:59But Salit assured me that Middle Eastern dance or belly dance is for everyone.
02:03That's the thing about this dance. It doesn't matter what kind of body type you have. Everything works.
02:07Whoo! Yeah. And that brought my confidence right back up.
02:12Hip, hip, hip. Yes, Lucy. Good.
02:16Belly dancing is not only about the belly. It's a full body dance. So sure, you're moving your hips and
02:21your belly,
02:21but there are also arm movements and leg movements and curving, slinking hand motions.
02:27So these are our ways and we can take them here. We can cross in front of you.
02:31As Salit explained to me, belly dancing began as a folkloric dance.
02:35Dance in homes and very simple and repetitive movements that were not suitable for the stage.
02:43It wasn't until Hollywood was introduced to Egypt that the glamorous costume styles arose
02:48and the dance style evolved to appeal to Western visitors.
02:51Then it was time for the costume.
02:54How do I look?
02:57Whoo!
02:58Salit put me in a bedla, which is the costume most commonly associated with belly dancing.
03:03There was a skirt with a hip belt attachment and a bra top, and it was very revealing.
03:09And it was just strapped on there by some hooks, so it was a little precarious at times.
03:14But putting on the outfit, I was like, okay, wow.
03:18Now I'm in the groove and I'm ready to take this dance to the stage.
03:47I have to say, I did not find this dance style to be easy.
03:52There was even a full section in the music for improvisational dancing, which was a little bit scary at first,
03:58but ultimately very freeing.
03:59I mainly just mimicked what Salit was doing next to me.
04:02In order to do this dance properly, you really need to let loose.
04:07Yes!
04:07Yes!
04:08That was my best time yet.
04:09But just like when I did my hip hop dance class on the rooftop, I had no mirror.
04:14So having no mirror makes it so much easier for you to forget about what you look like and just
04:19move based on what feels right.
04:21You can't see yourself, so you can't judge yourself.
04:23I learned this in like half an hour and it's really fast moves, pretty complex, and she picked it up
04:28like that.
04:28At the end of the lesson, I was reminded how much fun it is to break out of the mold
04:32of what's ordinary for you.
04:34A belly dancing class is something I never thought to try before.
04:37All I know is that I had a great day and honestly, who's to say, but maybe belly dancing will
04:42become my new after work activity.
04:44Comment below if you want to go with me.
04:46Hey YouTube!
04:46Thanks for watching.
04:47How was my belly dance routine?
04:49Click here to watch another video on our channel.
04:52Here to subscribe to Refinery on YouTube and right here for my personal YouTube channel.
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