Belly Dancing Isolation Moves?

Question:I am doing a beginners belly dancing course. Are there any exercises etc to help me with learning to isolate my hips and shoulders? Also what can i go to improve my flexibility and grace when dancing?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am doing a beginners belly dancing course. Are there any exercises etc to help me with learning to isolate my hips and shoulders? Also what can i go to improve my flexibility and grace when dancing?

The best thing is to practice the movement, and really focus on doing it correctly. One way to learn to focus on upper body isolations can be to sit while practicing them. You can't move your lower body while sitting.

A couple of the best sites for information on belly dance are -
http://www.shira.net/
http://www.middleeasterndance.net/
Both sites have information about doing movements, as well as lots of other very useful information.

You might want to do some pilates since it helps strengthen your core and improves your flexibility and grace. Most dancers I know do some pilates and/or yoga in their workouts.

Isolation:
Have someone hold your hips while you move your upper body.

I agree with J'naii that sitting can help to isolate on the upper body. You might also want to find some good, slow music, that allows you to do four counts of each of these combos till the music ends: hip rolls, and then shoulder rolls, and then reverse sides; and then hip slides, and then shoulder slides, and then reverse sides; hip drops, chest pops, then body roll down to a resting position, and then start the cycle again.

This is a simple drill, which can help you isolate, and to get your brain into the mode of muscle movement that allows you to isolate. I hope this helps . . .