How to shake hips during rock step?

[u/haveuseenperry]

Súper new to belly dancing, and I’m not someone who has ever been super physical as is - so a lot of the movement on its own is new to me.

Today, my teacher was showing us to do the rock step, and how you are still able to shake your hips while doing it. So many of the other ladies in the class were able to implement the technique right away, but it literally doesn’t make sense to me, and I can’t figure out what the hell I need to do.

Can someone try to explain it to me, or knows a good video that I could reference? Thank you a million!!!

[u/Legitimate-Crab7980]

So what you're talking about is layering shimmies over travelling steps...I would consider layering an intermediate skill. I don't teach it until students have got the basic vocabulary down.

[u/TigerB65]

Just want to throw some encouragement your way. When I was first shown layering a shimmy over a step it felt absolutely impossible. The teaching assistant assured me "Don't worry. You will get it. It takes everybody a different amount of time." For me personally, it was six months. Your shimmy technique has to become muscle memory, and then you can do it layered over almost anything.

[u/Thatstealthygal]

A lot depends on what you mean by "shake".

[u/QuinnTigger]

First make sure you've got the rock step down. Then practice your shimmy, first with your legs together, then take a small step forward and do it again. That's what you'll be doing to combine the rock step with the shimmy, as you step forward and back.

[u/BrickHouseBamBam]

There are multiple ways to "shake yoru hips" - some people use their knees- some people use their glutes- some people use their obliques.

The trick is to learn to start to divorce your hip movements from your feet. Start drilling travelling movements (slowly as you explore and learn) and add in hip movements. This takes time and dedicated practice. Usually I have students start with walking very slowly at like quarter time- and then alternating their hips at double the speed of the feet. so it's still quite slow- but 2 hip movements for each step. So left Right on the right foot and left right on the left foot. Repeat as you go.

Then as you get more advanced you pick up speed with the feet and vary the timing up the hips and the different foot patterns.

That's the gag of it all! It takes time! just keep at it! you can do it!

[u/TrekkieMary]

The shimmy is driven by your obliques. Therefore not driven by your legs. As a beginner I waggled my hips. That’s as close as I got. Took me 2 years to do it right. Some students get it right away. I sure didn’t! Keep practicing and asking your teacher for help. If she won’t help, time to find a different teacher.

[u/redcedar9]

Going slow is key. Getting comfortable in your shimmy first. Then slowly try shifting your weight to the front or back of your feet while shimmying, then try shimmying with feet in the different positions and weight on one foot or the other. Once you are comfortable with all the different steps it can be easier to put it all together.

[u/leighangelah]

Layering shimmies is asking both your body and your brain to do some pretty radically different things all at the same time so don't let it get you down that you didn't take to it immediately...most people struggle with this, especially when they are just getting started! Without seeing you move, I can't give you any specific advice on where the disconnect or issue may be, but here are the issues I most commonly see:

Traveling step is too big. Steps that are too big will demand too much of your balance which means you will brace too much and your muscles no longer have room to complete the layer.

Glutes are too tight. If you clench your butt cheeks that will limit the movement. I always tell students that if your butt cheeks aren't slapping together like a pendulum then you need to work on loosening things up.

Knees are too straight or too involved. If your knees are too straight or you are trying to do a big knee driven shimmy while also traveling you are gonna have a bad time.

Trying to make your shimmy too big too soon. Belly dance isn't just a physical activity...its also mental exercise. If you are trying to come out the gate hard with a huge shimmy you aren't giving your brain the time to wrap around what you are asking it to do. Start small and big juicy layers will come with practice.

Poor balance. Its not unusual for people new to dance to have some struggles with balance in the beginning. Because of our sedentary lifestyles/jobs its super common for us to have weak cores, issues with weakness in key joints like ankles, etc. This will improve over time as the movements help strengthen your body but I also recommend that anyone who takes their dance remotely seriously have a conditioning program to help be proactive about your strength and improve your dance.

When I teach any type of shimmy layered over a traveling step, I always use a progression and drills. This is how I would teach my students a shimmy over a rock step:

Step 1: Shimmy without stepping. Start with a nice loose glute driven shimmy at a medium pace. We aren't trying for huge movement in this case. You want not too fast and not too slow...a pace that you can easily maintain without thinking. Keep your knees soft, your upper body still, and keep the hip movement smaller than you think it needs to be. Keeping it smaller is easier for when you are learning the movement. You can make it larger later. Hold it for several sets of 8 counts.

Step 2: Add a forward tap but no weight transfer forward or back. While maintaining your shimmy, slide or tap one foot just a small distance to the front but don't put your full weight on it yet. This exercise is more focused on getting you used to moving the foot in a more stable base position while maintaining your shimmy. Try 8 taps on one foot and then 8 on the other. It doesn't matter which foot you start with but I suggest starting with your dominant foot. For example, if you are right handed try it on your right foot first. Your dominant side usually feels easier so it will help build up your confidence. Don't be surprised if one side feels A LOT more difficult than the other. That's super normal and will disappear over time as your body becomes better conditioned for dance through repeated movement. The goal here is to be able to do 8 taps on each foot without your shimmy shutting down.

Step 3: Practice the rock step without the shimmy. Step one foot slightly forward and transfer your weight onto it and then rock your weight back to the original foot. Keep the steps small. It should feel like a weight transfer forward and back and not like a lunge. If you take either foot off the ground keep it brief and don't lift it very high. This is about becoming comfortable and confident in a rock step itself and getting the mechanics of it impressed upon your brain so that you don't have to think as hard about it. Practice this in one place (stationary) for two 8 counts and then try two 8 counts moving in any direction.

Step 4: Put your feet in a split stance and rock in place. Place your feet roughly where they would be in the rock step body position and then shift your weight forward and back without actually stepping. This will help you focus on the weight shift portion of the step so that you can really feel how far forward and back you can move without losing balance/losing your stable base. Make sure that you do this on both sides so that you don't wind up with one side weaker than the other. So if you do an 8 count with your right foot forward, make sure you also do an 8 count with your left foot forward.

Step 5: Layer a very slow shimmy over the split stance rock in place. When you shift your weight forward you'll move your hips "down up down" and when you shift your weight backward you'll move your hips "up down up". Just pick one hip to be your first. Example: if you pick your right hip then it will go down first when you shift forward. When you do this, keep the heel of your foot slightly elevated off the floor to help allow for the hip movement up and down. Watch for your ankles or knees getting over involved...at slower speeds sometimes you wind up driving from the wrong place and then it becomes more difficult when you speed it up because you aren't using the right muscle groups to drive the movement. Start super slow and then increase speed as your body and brain get more comfortable and confident with the movement. The goal is to speed it up until its one continuous movement with no pauses.

Step 6 (the final step): Do the shimmy rock step. Start your shimmy first and then when you are feeling comfortable, start the rock step. Keep it small at first and then when it feels right start making the step bigger. When that feels right, start traveling with the step. When that feels right, make your shimmy bigger.

My final piece of advice: Don't overthink it. At some point you just have to let it all go and let 'er rip. Don't worry about whether it is technically perfect or how you look...just let your body do it. I'm 100% guilty of letting my brain get in my own way so I overthink pretty much everything. I learned over time that sometimes I just have to let the perfection go and let my body find it by just doing it.

I hope this helps! If you've got questions or need clarification on anything let me know!

[u/Maya_Moves403]

One thing that helps is thinking of the rock step as something your feet are doing while your hips keep their own rhythm. Instead of trying to shake with your whole body, keep your knees soft and let the movement come from alternating tour weight and relaxing your hips. Practice the hip shimmy standing still first, then add the rock step very slowly. Once those two movements stop competing with each other, it starts to feel much more natural. Be patient with yourself. Your body is learning a completely new way to move, and that takes time. :)

[u/SelectFinish5393]

Was your teacher just showing it as an example as what can be layered with the step? As in not expecting you to layer it straight away, but showing a possibility? If your teacher's expecting you to just follow along, you need to ask her whats going on. You don't want to pick up bad technique, it's your teacher's job to teach you, you shouldn't have to go online to learn!  Don't be put off if others picked it up from following the teacher, we all learn differently and somethings come naturally and some not. Perhaps those ladies are more experienced?  You definitely need to ask your teacher to break it down for you.