Ahlam Academy at Oriental Phoenix Arts

Don’t get it twisted. This is a twist, not a drop.

If you’d like to start learning belly dance, you can begin with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

All info in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna 💜

Your first knee shimmy is just the beginning.

For beginners, we start with an evenly weighted knee shimmy and slowly introduce weight shifts over time.

As dancers grow, we start to ask more of the movement. Can you keep the shimmy going when the weight isn’t even? Can you maintain it on the weighted leg? Can you stay steady while your weight moves?

These are the kinds of drills I use with my Level 2 and 3 dancers to cultivate the ability to do more with this foundational movement.

The goal is to take that shimmy with you.

Layer it into other movements. Add it to traveling steps. Keep it going while something else is happening in the body.

That’s where a solid foundation really starts to show.

I love this part of teaching because a movement you learned at the beginning can keep developing right along with you. There’s always another way to challenge your control, coordination, speed or stamina and put that movement to work.

If you’d like to start learning belly dance, you can begin with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

All info in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna 💜

Some movements in belly dance look deceptively simple.

The hip/leg pivot is one of them.

The hip and leg aren’t working separately. The hip creates the twist, and the leg follows that action.

The ball of the foot stays connected to the floor so the foot can pivot, while the ankle stays aligned as the hip and leg rotate together.

That’s the principle behind the movement. Once you understand that relationship, you have something you can actually work with instead of just trying to copy the shape.

And this is only Part 1.

In the next video, I’ll take this principle and start turning it into the actual movement so you can see how it works in the body.

This is a big part of how I teach. I want you to understand what’s happening in a movement, because that understanding gives you more control over what you can do with it.

If you’ve been curious about learning belly dance, start with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

All info in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna 💜

#رقص katytx

Before you begin belly dance classes, you may not realize just how much depth there is to this dance form. You might even assume there isn’t all that much to learn.

Then you start learning and realize how much there is to work on.

In this drill, we begin with a knee shimmy while holding the body lifted on relevé. Once that position is comfortable, we start working with the timing.

First, we hold the relevé for 8 counts before lowering. Then 4 counts. Then 2. Then 1.

As the counts get shorter, the movement gets faster and the demands on your balance, coordination, speed and endurance increase.

And that’s one of the things I love about learning belly dance. There’s always another challenge to grow into, and each one opens up new possibilities in your dancing.

If you’ve been curious about trying belly dance, you don’t need to know where to begin. That’s what beginner classes are for.

Start with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

Details and links are in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna

#رقص

I don’t want to teach you to dance like me. I want to teach you how to dance.

That means understanding how movement works, not simply copying the shapes you see me make.

Take something as simple as squeezing the glutes. That action changes what the hips do, and understanding that relationship gives you another tool for creating movement with intention.

I want you to understand what you’re doing so you can make your own movement choices, create your own improvisations, and eventually choreograph your own dances.

Because the goal isn’t to create copies of me.

It’s to give you the tools to become your own dancer.

If you’ve been curious about learning belly dance, start with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

Classes, courses & resources → Link in bio.

#رقص

Learning a new belly dance movement is just the beginning.

Once you have the foundation, you can start exploring what that movement can actually do.

In this video, I’m “noodling” with a vertical chest circle by playing with the direction. It’s a simple example of how a movement can begin to take on new possibilities once you’re comfortable with its basic form.

And that’s one of the things I love about belly dance. You start by learning the movements, and over time, you discover how much more you can do with them.

If you’ve been curious about trying belly dance, you don’t need to know any of this yet. That’s what learning is for.

Start with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

Details and links are in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna

“Am I too old to learn belly dance?”

It’s one of the questions I hear most often.

I think a better question is, “Am I still willing to learn something new?”

The reverse undulation is a beautiful reminder that belly dance isn’t about doing everything perfectly on day one. What looks like one seamless movement is actually a sequence of smaller skills working together to create the illusion of a wave flowing upward through the body.

That’s how we learn.

One movement at a time.

And that’s one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

If you’ve been thinking about trying belly dance, I’d love to help you take that first step.

Start at home with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

Details and links are in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna

There’s something mesmerizing about a beautiful chest circle.

The magic isn’t just in how the movement looks, it’s in the feeling of knowing you’re creating it with control.

A horizontal chest circle begins with the bottom of the rib cage. The rest of the upper torso rides on top of that movement.

One of the challenges beginners discover is learning to isolate that area. When we try to move “something” to create the circle, another part of the body often takes over, creating a different movement than the one we’re trying to achieve.

That’s why I pay attention to the details.

Because feeling great about what you’re doing comes from quality you can see, and the satisfaction of knowing you built that skill.

If you’ve been curious about learning belly dance, I’d love to help you begin.

Start at home with my online Introduction to Belly Dance course inside the Ahlam Academy Skool community, or join beginner classes in the Houston area (Cypress/Katy).

Details and links are in the comments.

Hips & Hugs,
Anna