These hips were made for shaking

As I sit here trying to type, I should be packing (the big move to mom & dad's is on Saturday) or doing dishes or something more productive.  I figure this is just as important, and seeing as how my next class is tomorrow and I still haven't written about last week's class, then I best get on it!

We had "homework" from last week to practice shoulder movements while sitting in a chair.  The purpose of this is that you can focus on the shoulders and not worry about what the hips are doing (because they won't be doing anything!  *smile*).  I tried this for maybe five minutes in the afternoon before class.  And I was sitting on the edge of my bed.  It wasn't successful, go figure.  So, I will make it a goal to practice more before next class (at the time of this writing, I still haven't practiced).  I should also practice the other moves that we've been taught, since that's the only way to improve.  I normally probably wouldn't have done this, but when I saw one of my classmates asking the instructor to review a few of the moves, I felt guilty that I hadn't practiced at all between classes.  Now I must step up my game.  :)

Week three was great.  I think I'm getting a little better with some of the moves.  What's really difficult though is when we have to move on raised feet (not en pointe a la ballet).  I don't have strong ankles and this can be uncomfortable for me at times.  There's also this one move that we learned where we travel to each side by sort of kicking out the lead foot and then coming together with both (this is a horrible explanation).  I cannot do this for the life of me.  I can do it when we turn out one foot on the floor and then bring both together, but throw in that little kick thing, and I become completely uncoordinated.  I've also been getting mixed up with which foot I'm supposed to lead with when moving forward (which I might add is a simple walking travel move).  It's the right, but I always want to start with the left, so my movement looks very ungraceful and it's easy to get tangled up.  Ack!!

The best part of class was putting movement to music, and although I didn't always do the moves the correct way, it was great being able to hear the beat and being able to sort of envision what to do.  It's fairly easy to predict when we get to shake the hips.  This is undoubtedly still my favourite part of class.  I am a hip shaker... (there is a song that has this in it, but I can't think of what it is).

We were told that the first few weeks is learning the basic moves and then we go on to putting together the routine.  I am looking forward to this!  We learned more fun hip movements this week such as figure 8's and a hip circle.  I am trying to see the gracefulness and sensuality in my movements, but still feel that it would look better if I had a thinner waist.  I use to have more of an hour-glass figure and I miss it (when they say you "fill out" with weight gain, they aren't joking).  This defeats the purpose of what belly dancing is about, I know.  Belly dancing is about embracing the inner sensuality and beauty a woman has regardless of size and expressing this through dance.  I get that, and I'm getting there, but, it's not wrong to want my curves back, is it?