Sensory Bellydance - Somatic Approaches to Improve the Dancer's Experience from the Inside Out
Article by Keti Sharif, Dec 2024
A Somatic approach to Bellydance movement focuses on enhancing awareness of the body’s internal sensations and fostering a deeper connection between mind and body. This approach contrasts with more externally-focused techniques, which might emphasise the performance of specific movements or adherence to prescribed forms. Instead, Somatic practices invite dancers to explore how movement feels from the inside out, improving the quality of movement by promoting fluidity, ease, and mindfulness. Bellydancing, with its sensual, free-form nature, is a highly Somatic dance practice, and can create a beautifully sensory experience for the dancer. Its blend of hypnotic rhythm and flow, contrasting accents and curves, and emotional content, easily lends it self to the Somatic space. Bellydancing in all its wonderfully diverse forms, celebrates the body with heightened internal sensations, encouraging full-bodied richness, in both movement and personal expression.
Here are some key ways a somatic approach can improve the quality of movement in Bellydance:
1. Increased Body Awareness
Somatic practices encourage Bellydancers to listen to and tune in to the sensations within their body. This heightened awareness allows them to better understand how their body moves, where it may be holding tension, and how to release or shift it. When dancers are more aware of their body's alignment and energy flow, they can move more efficiently, reducing the risk of injury and improving the smoothness and grace of their movements. Weight sensing is particularly important for smooth Bellydance transitions. When a dancer pays attention to where their weight is moving to, and from during the course of the movement, can significantly improve body awareness and the overall fluidity of the movement.
2. Enhanced Sensory Experience
Through Somatic sensing, dancers learn to focus on sensory experiences—such as proprioception (sense of where the body is in space) and interoception (awareness of internal bodily sensations). This sensory tuning enables a deeper connection to each movement, helping dancers express themselves more authentically and naturally. Musicality can also be very important for Bellydancers, allowing them to tune into sensations that arise within the body. Bellydance music can be very rich and evocative, lending itself to a heightened emotional experience. By paying attention to the feelings within the body, the Bellydancer can express themselves more authentically.
3. Promotes Relaxation and Release of Tension
Tension is a common barrier to fluid movement. A Somatic approach helps Bellydancers recognize areas of chronic tension in the body, often caused by stress or improper technique, and encourages methods to release this tension. By consciously relaxing muscles and breathing deeply, dancers can improve their range of motion, reduce rigidity, and enhance both performance and enjoyment in their practice. Natural, gravity-rich Bellydance movement is reflects the smooth sounds within the music. A relaxed dancer tends to be able to hit accents and assimilate rhythmic structures with more ease, and is able to anticipate and navigate changes in the music more confidently.
4. Encourages Mindfulness and Present-Moment Awareness
Bellydancing is usually an improvised art form, and even when a dance is choreographed, the element of improvisation allows for spontaneous decision-making whilst dancing, and if it is being performed, supports audience interaction. Somatic practices emphasise being present in the moment, which can transform the way dancers approach their movement. By engaging in mindfulness, dancers can focus on the current sensation, movement, or intention rather than worrying about the outcome or comparison to others. This shift leads to a more grounded, authentic experience of dance, with greater emotional expression and less distraction.
5. Developing Efficiency and Flow
When Bellydancers are mindful of their body’s natural patterns and rhythms, they can learn to move with more efficiency, and even integrate cultural nuances with a sense of ease. A Somatic approach helps break down inefficient, overly effortful movement habits, encouraging smoother, more coordinated actions. This not only makes the movement feel better but also makes it more sustainable over time. The focus on finding the path of least resistance leads to a greater sense of flow.
6. Improves Technique through Awareness of Subtle Movement
By engaging with small, subtle movements and focusing on internal sensations, dancers can develop a finer control over their larger, more expansive movements. Somatic practices break down movement into micro-movements, helping dancers to understand the foundational dynamics behind complex gestures. This can significantly improve the precision and articulation of the technique, from foot placement to hand gestures, and even facial expressions. Bellydance movements need to be singularly understood and assimilated, before movements are combined into full, transitioning phrases.
7. Facilitates Creative Exploration
Bellydancing, tends to enjoy a great deal of spinal or "Head-Tail: movement (as this body connectivity is called in Bartenieff Fundamentals), which is both curious and exploratory in nature. Because Somatic work emphasises curiosity and self-discovery, it opens up space for greater creativity in movement. Rather than relying solely on prescribed choreography, Bellydancers can tap into their body's inherent knowledge, leading to more spontaneous, original, and innovative movement choices. This process nurtures a deeper sense of artistic expression and individuality.
8. Supports Emotional and Psychological Expression
Somatic dance approaches not only attend to the body but also to the emotional and psychological states of the dancer. Movement becomes a vehicle for emotional release, expression, and exploration. By being attuned to internal states, dancers can use movement to process emotions, overcome personal barriers, and express complex feelings with greater clarity. Story is often told within song (in Arabic or other languages), with a focus on feeling, sentiment and lyricism. Greater emotional freedom allows the Bellydancer to indulge in a richer, more emotionally-charged vocabulary, as they express their art.
9. Holistic Integration
Bellydancing can be a very healing art form and a wonderful practice for well-being. Somatic practices tend to view the body as a whole rather than isolating body parts or focusing purely on external forms. This holistic approach leads to greater integration of the body’s various systems—muscles, bones, joints, breath, and mind. A more integrated body facilitates smoother transitions between movements, better coordination, and greater overall fluidity. A holistic perspective of Bellydancing could include noticing the way the bones, muscles and organs work together, in a harmonious flowing manner, that feels internally energised, and is ultimately healing.
10. Prevention and Rehabilitation of Injuries
Somatic work places great importance on body awareness, which can help prevent injuries by promoting better posture, movement patterns, and alignment. It also supports injury recovery, as it encourages gentler, more mindful movement and provides tools for understanding and addressing pain or tension. The spinal movements of Bellydancing are wonderful for flexibility and strengthening the spine, yet, if there are any pre-existing injuries around the spinal column or joints, it's important to move slowly and mindfully, especially when experimenting with new movements.
Summary
In sum, a Somatic approach to Bellydance enhances both the physical and psychological quality of movement and the expression of the art. By developing a deeper connection with the body and focusing on the sensations and experiences that arise within each movement, as well as attuning to music and rhythm, Bellydancers can achieve greater expressiveness, technique, and sustainability in their practice. Movements and pathways are easier to assimilate with a Somatic approach, facilitating a deeper, more embodied experience. Most importantly, this approach places more emphasis on noticing, rather than judging, the movement, and overall experience of Bellydancing.
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Keti Sharif is a lifelong Bellydancer and Somatic Movement Instructor. A-Z Bellydance 2025 "Infinite Pathways" is a Somatic, Cultural and Musical Approach to Bellydancing for performance, teaching and wellness. This course is internationally accredited, and participants can gain CPD points towards their professional development.
See More at https://a-zbellydance.com/
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