ah, the scourge of belly dancers everywhere!

I have an established vocabulary that i use with my students, so we can write a choreography or take class notes & know what WE are talking about. I tell folks over & over that there are many names for these movements, and the same movements can be executed in slightly different ways, so if they take classes & workshops elsewhere, they should ask before assuming how a movement is done.

as far as how I name things- a lot of the new/made up movements you are doing are probably similar to other movements- just in a different combination or a different accent, so I try to group similar movements together, almost in a continuum- I choose to use this when teaching as well, so when we do step tough variations, you get all the different accent possibilities (hip lift, hip drop, slide/puch, pelvic release, etc) so these combinations, in my lingo, are descriptive (step, lift rather than basic egyptian) & I teach down walk (hip goes down with stepping leg a la Dina) right before the Egyptian 3/4 shimmy (drop, lift, step with a drop). Cute little names are halpful when writing notes or a choreography in shorthand (I learned this from Raqia, therefore I call it the Raqia step, etc.)

different schools & regions will have things more codified, but as we failed to codify this before it spread world wide :) I don't think we will ever have a universally accepted lingo. Especially when you have a few groups ADAMANTLY opposed to what another group calls things (like certain Egyptian style teachers commenting on what ATS calls taxim... taxim means improvisational solo & refers to music or the part of the dance done to that part of the music, not a dance move) I stick with "you may also hear it called..."

& honestly I don't mind this. This is such a diverse dance form, knowing there are different names for things and different ways to execute similar movements just emphasizes that for me. my students sometimes come up with weird names to help them remember too- & that is the whole point really- tagging it so you remember it, knowing there are other names out there too. having given them the alternate names too, I don't really think I am adding to the confusion.

you wrote:
"Sometimes I find myself doing moves that I have not been taught (but have come naturally when improvising or watching other dancers) - and do'nt even know waht they are called!"
Exactly, and good for you. That's what real dancers do - in my opinion!

To begin with, especially since you're teaching, I'd forget about names & analyze the different parts of each movement you teach, because you have to start somewhere - you'll probably have a short list of movements you teach. You can always name them for convenience, but get across to your students that there's (probably) more than one way to do that movement, for instance, a figure-8. Sure can call it a figure-8, but which way is it going through space? There's so many ways to do a "figure-8"!

When you break down complex movements (like a "figure-8", whichever one that makes you think of) into their components, you begin to understand body mechanics better, and it opens up the world of bellydance movement in a way that learning "named movements" will never do.

This is a more organic and authentic way to dance.

Then you just explain to your students that sometimes whatever move you're teaching is called it a "whatever" but it can also be done this way, and this way, and this way - and isn't it nice to know more than one way to do a move?

I think having names for movements tends to put your "dancing mind" in a little box.

Dear Indu,
Hello, my name is A'isha Azar and I am new to this forum, but I have been dancing and teaching since the 1970s.Your post caught my eye because it is a subject that comes up pretty often and is always relevant, I think. There are those who want to strictly codify and name each movement, and those who do not see this as a very good idea, considering the basic nature of the dance. I agree with those who feel it is not necessary to strictly codify the dance, and in fact that it might be harmful to the spirit of what belly dance is to try to box it into neat, unflexible cubicles.
Many years ago one of my Arab teachers told me that belly dancers are only doing "ten things". After years and years of observing native dancers, I believe she is correct. Everything I have seen over the years falls into ten families or categories of movement, and all other movements are either variations on or layers of those movements. I base my own teaching format on that premise and agree with the people here who say that descriptors are more helpful than more romantic names. I also tend to call things after which dancer performs the movement a certain way.
Like Lara, I also have an established vocabulary about which I talk with my own students about dance. When I teach workshops around the country, I find that vocabulary is a bit reflected by region as well. It is really interesting. I try to teach my students to observe what the instructor is doing with her body and not rely on verbal explanations alone. So often we are all doing the same thing but talk about it very differently.
Regards,
A'isha

I think that's one of the things I like about ATS. All of the movements have standard names across ATS. Now, when things spread to what some dancers are now calling ITS (improv tribal style), it gets tricky because the moves don't equate.

The problem I have is most of my students have only ever taken cabaret classes. I constantly get questions as to "Isn't that a reverse maya?" or "Isn't that just a camel?" I've taken to explaining my moves by giving them the names I've learned as a dancer, then following it up with other variations. "Now this is what we call an Arabic in tribal. If you've taken cabaret before, you may also know this move as a camel." It's also made for complications because they think they can do a move correctly because that's what their cabaret teacher taught them. That's also inspired a portion of my class when I review moves and remind them that "sometimes in cabaret, this move is done more like this. (demonstration) Sometimes tribal fusion dancers will modify it like this. (second demonstration) I also had a friend who did Egyptian cabaret who did the move like this. (third demonstration) They're all correct ways to do the same move, however, I'm going to teach you the way I do it. It's no better than any other way, but you're in my class so you have to suffer with doing it my way!" I also repeatedly remind my students that I encourage them to take classes with other teachers, or any workshops they can find if they're really interested in the dance as more than fitness. They'll learn a lot from other dancers, things I'll never be able to teach them! They may even find an instructor that teaches movements that more follow their own natural style.

The most important thing I've found in teaching the names of moves is to learn all I can from DVDs, youtube, etc. Find all the different ways I can of doing a move and all the various names to it. That way I can explain to my students some of the variations done by other dancers and some of the names they may here. It's also brought me to remind my students that just because I call it something or do the move a specific way doesn't mean their next instructor will use the same exact technique or name. Yes, it is confusing, but teach what you know. After all, more students in my experience are more interested in learning the moves than their names.

Like I do in everyday speech, I have been known to make up a term to help my students relate to the actual technique. I tried very hard in the beginning of my teaching endeavors to stick with terminology because I felt it was part of the education but I believe that this is a rather western idea and really does not help advance a student. This isn't acedemics this is dance. My troupe director/instructor is very good at keeping up with the names of things using the Salimpour vocabulary but when I went to workshops it confused me when the Guest instructor would use a term that I thought meant one thing and then she executed a totally different technique than I expected. Finally, for my own personal sanity, I dropped worrying about what the instructor called the move and focused on what the breakdown of the move was. Just like I stopped counting my moves in respect to the music and started making phonetic sounds to prevent my face and brain becoming too mechanical. So instead of 1,2,3, turn around it would be Oooh Aggghhh Mmmm Swiiiiiisssssh. I learned that from a dancer out of Atlanta, Ga by the name of Ariella.

My students have to learn my vocabulary. We can't communicate effectively if we don't all have the same names for everything. This does not mean that I don't accept that there are other terms. It just means that in my class, my vocabulary rules. :)

It doesn't bother me that we don't have set names for things. It is what it is, and it's a dance of many influences and many cultures. although this makes it exasperating, it also makes it fun.

Taaj