WHY I DANCE
WELCOME!
RAQS SHARQI was the first dance genre I learned. When I hear Middle Eastern music, my heart swells with love and emotion. While my professional career in musical theatre & on camera acting gave me years of stage time, belly dancing is in fact very personal for me. I feel beautiful when I dance and proud of my culture!
MY PERSONAL DANCE STYLE DRAWS FROM A BLEND OF MY LIVELY LEBANESE ZEAL WITH THE SUBTLE ARTISTRY OF CLASSICAL EGYPTIAN.
Soraya | RAQISA
Building A Dance Community
Live & in person belly dance classes are special. Together we build great dance camaraderie in a safe dance space!
Since 2013 we have shared our expertise and have opened our offerings to fun family friendly performances and events!
Soraya currently offers her family friendly performances or specialty events to those with a referral.
The Beginner's GUIDE to BASIC Belly Dance
THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTALS
Dance styles will vary from one region to another, nonetheless, the fundamentals remain the same. Learning to master the basics with hip and torso precision and proper dance posture will give you freedom to begin taking on our dance choreography with confidence! There are seven re-occurring movements (and their variations) you can begin to master:
- Slides
- Twists
- Circles
- Figure Eights
- Lift / Drops
- Undulations
- Shimmies
Begin your RAQISA® dance journey by watching our introduction to the basic belly dance movements with our RAQISA® belly dance teaching mat as a visual aid. Notice the isolated hip movements and the postural alignment. These videos will demystify the basics with step by step instructions. Next, try a sample of our one minute dancing drills! Your big picture goal is to run each drill with our posture plate on your head, nice alignment, with elegant (and relaxed) hands & posturing!
THE RAQISA® DANCING MAT & POSTURE PLATE
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
I CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY OWN DANCE TECHNIQUE & FUTURE PROOF MY DANCER BODY BY TRAINING & PRACTICING
If you discover that you are serious about your learning, I recommend you rehearse the drills frequently and condition your body to maintain your best dance posture. Serious students of RAQISA® show great improvement at a rapid pace when committing to the learning the fundamentals and support it with dance & barre fitness conditioning.
