Articles

Many new students join belly dance classes wanting to improve their confidence,but the cold hard truth is… You must already have some in order to even begin. Why do I say this?{Brace yourself for the truth here} Because belly dancing can be challenging, scary, uncomfortable, [especially in the beginning], and if you can’t get over yourself for whatever reason, you might not even make it past your first class. Which is unfortunate, because you are not ready to liberate yourself…

Do you feel like there is something wrong with many of your movements but you can’t quite figure out what’s causing your movements to look different and it’s driving you crazy? Or maybe you are a belly dance teacher and you’re wanting to help your students, but you’re struggling to figure out what’s going wrong “systemically” with your students’ technique. Maybe, you haven’t even started belly dance classes, but you’d like to know what are some important things to think…

Dealing with my own mental health over the years, I can definitely say that my own self-limiting beliefs have played a LARGE role in holding me back from going after anything I’ve ever wanted to do. But I’m fairly certain, I’m not the only one. This is a HUGE problem for all of us: beginner to advanced dancers alike, (teachers and studio owners too, let me tell ya’) Self-limiting beliefs, whether conscious or unconscious, are deep-seated ways of thinking and…

Did you know there are THREE types of dancers in your belly dancing class that might fool you into thinking that something might be wrong with you… You show up to your first few belly dance classes. The teacher is teaching you all a choreography and it seems like most of the other dancers have a much better handle on this dance thing than you do. You might start to feel like you are not doing very well, because the…

Have you ever seen a dancer play the zills and dance with complete abandon? Have you ever wished to be able to play and dance freely yourself? So, how does a dancer go from just starting to play the zills to playing zills freely while dancing? Glad you asked! Let me tell you about my 6 phase process to dancing freely with zills by breaking down each step along the zill playing journey for you, right now!  Getting Comfortable with Zills In this phase, you…

https://youtu.be/spKMAqX2PK4 If you are new to belly dance, I’ve created a little something just for you! If you don’t know me, my name is Anna, I’m the founder of Ahlam Academy of Middle Eastern Dance here in Houston Texas and I want to tell you about a little gift I have for you new dancers that aren’t exactly sure what to practice as you start on your belly dance journey. I’ve created a simple one-page checklist that shows you exactly…

you’d rather be in belly dance classes than most other places you daydream about dancing while doing other things when you dance and nothing but belly dance moves come out of your body you spend copious amounts of money on belly dance outfits, costumes, etc you plan your life around dance events and conferences you want to learn more about Arabic language, food, and culture you have an area or room in your home dedicated to dance you currently know more about Egyptian…

  In this article, I’m sharing my last “Things Every New Belly Dancer Needs Know [Before They Start Lessons]” And it’s regarding a question I get asked a lot! “How long will it take me to become a good dancer?” I would love to answer that for you, but I can’t! What I can do, is provide you with some food for thought.   WHAT DOES “GOOD DANCER” MEAN TO YOU? The word “good” isn’t very descriptive, because it can…

In this article, I’ll be discussing a particular set of movements that frustrate so many dancers… Tummy Work I’ll be dishing out some brutally honest truths that will help those of you who struggle with these challenging, elusive movements.  I’ll be sharing some little-known, yet critical tips that will take your tummy work from tragic to magic. Let’s get right to it!   It Takes Practice No, seriously, way more practice. Once a week for a few minutes isn’t enough.…

I want to share something important with you today.  I say important because I don’t know anyone who couldn’t use more confidence and courage in their life. It’s not surprising that a lot of people who try belly dancing are looking to gain more confidence and to feel stronger, not just physically, but mentally. The cool moves, gorgeous costumes, and glamour are great, but it’s more than that.    It’s facing the challenging moments while learning the art that strengthens you,…