Tips for the Hips?

[ShyDancer]

I apologise for that really tacky subject line! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

But seriously..I want to know how to make my hips move! My teachers say it comes with the natural weight shift and that I will be taught how to move them more indepth when I am a little more advanced.......But being the impatient creature I am I want to know now! I want to have the sexy hip moves like all the other girls .....

Any tips from all you wonderful people?

[SDsalsaguy]

Heya Shydancer, here are a few older threads that have dealt with salsa hip motion in some manner:
:arrow: http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1106
:arrow: http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1744
:arrow: http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1180
:arrow: http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1251

HTH

[SDsalsaguy]

Oh yeah, even though not about salsa, this whole thread (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2527&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) from earlier today also has a lot to do with how/where hip movement is generated.

[Note: This is the 4,000th post in the Salsa Forum!!! :banana:]

[ShyDancer]

Thanks for those links SDsalsaguy :D :D

I am going to read thru them all now.


Im so glad I found DF! :D :D :D :D :D

[SDsalsaguy]

No problem ShyDancer... and we're glad you found us too! :D

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

[Note: This is the 4,000th post in the Salsa Forum!!! :banana:]

There are 4017 salsa posts vs 3466 ballroom posts. I remember when I first came across the DF, there were much more ballroom posts than salsa posts. Interesting... :)

There are however more ballroom topics (293 vs 290).

[SDsalsaguy]

Yeah, the DF fluctuates and shifts with time as, I am sure, it will continue to do. Heck, for several months Swing was the largest individual dance forum by a large margin! :shock: :wink: :lol:

[Vince A]

Yeah, the DF fluctuates and shifts with time as, I am sure, it will continue to do. Heck, for several months Swing was the largest individual dance forum by a large margin! :shock: :wink: :lol:
Us swing dancers are just out dancing too much to talk have to sit and talk about it . . . besides, most of "us" easily can and do salsa, but can salsa dancers easily do WCS?

Let's start a minor skirmish here . . . :twisted:

[Pacion]

:roll: Isn't WCS that thing you do by placing a map of the West Coast underneath a swing and sitting on the swing :roll:

:tongue:

[pygmalion]

I've thought about it a lot, since I'm the one trying to generate those ballroom topics. I think it's the culture surrounding the dance discipline. Salsa naturally lends itself to emotions and exchange of opinions, so the threads get very, very long. Ballroom, on the other hand, since we generally don't do the gossipy/political type stuff, tends to be exchange of information, pure and simple. Hence, more topics, but fewer posts. About a month ago, salsa and ballroom were running neck and neck, lately, the topics in salsa have taken off. What can I say? *shrug*

[pygmalion]

Oh yeah, and ballroom doesn't have the great running brujo/boriken rivalry. Maybe we need to get some controversial ballroom people on board. :roll: :wink: :lol: Just kidding.

[Pacion]

Oh yeah, and ballroom doesn't have the great running brujo/boriken rivalry. Maybe we need to get some controversial ballroom people on board. :roll: :wink: :lol: Just kidding.


Would it not be easier if you were to try and get brujo and boriken to take up ballroom :roll: :lol:

[pygmalion]

:lol: :lol: Uh .... No! LOL Scary thought. :roll: They'd come all the way to Orlando just to strangle me if I even suggested it. :D

[Pacion]

Tell them you have moved to Alaska! :lol:

[borikensalsero]

I'll take ballroom as long as I get to do salsa to all the dances and call it differnt names depending on the music. :D

[borikensalsero]

Yeah, the DF fluctuates and shifts with time as, I am sure, it will continue to do. Heck, for several months Swing was the largest individual dance forum by a large margin! :shock: :wink: :lol:
Us swing dancers are just out dancing too much to talk have to sit and talk about it . . . besides, most of "us" easily can and do salsa, but can salsa dancers easily do WCS?

Let's start a minor skirmish here . . . :twisted:

What's WCS? Is that short for that stuff on TV, I think they call it Wrestling Championship Series. :tongue:

[pygmalion]

I'll take ballroom as long as I get to do salsa to all the dances and call it differnt names depending on the music. :D

LOL! You sound like a lot of the guys I've danced with. :shock: :lol:

[SDsalsaguy]

I'll take ballroom as long as I get to do salsa to all the dances and call it differnt names depending on the music. :D

That was actually one of the major criticsms I heard when I started ballroom... that every dance I did looked the same... and that they all looked like salsa! :lol: :oops: :lol:

[borikensalsero]

I'll take ballroom as long as I get to do salsa to all the dances and call it differnt names depending on the music. :D

That was actually one of the major criticsms I heard when I started ballroom... that every dance I did looked the same... and that they all looked like salsa! :lol: :oops: :lol:

YEAH BABY!!! Way to stay true to yourself. lolol... As they would say in the ghetto, Keepin' it REAL. lolol.. Now that would be a sight to see, a great samba ALA SALSA.

[SDsalsaguy]

I'll take ballroom as long as I get to do salsa to all the dances and call it differnt names depending on the music. :D

That was actually one of the major criticsms I heard when I started ballroom... that every dance I did looked the same... and that they all looked like salsa! :lol: :oops: :lol:

YEAH BABY!!! Way to stay true to yourself. lolol... As they would say in the ghetto, Keepin' it REAL. lolol.. Now that would be a sight to see, a great samba ALA SALSA.
That's not sooooooooo bad... now when it came to waltz... :oops: :lol:

[Istel]

Hiya, sorry to dig out this old thread, but I have some queries after looking at all the recommended Hips! Latin Motion threads.

I'm trying to achieve the very sensual lazy hip swing, but seemed to be having lotsa problems doing it... Also currently after trying out the suggested steps, I ended up having sore knees and very sore hips(to the extent, where it even hurts to bend sidetruck to the left or right...) or should I say the side of the body where the legs join the bum, that's the hips right :tongue:?

Also, while concentrating on the pressure on my footsteps, I end up missing the 1 of the songs I played when I've consciously tried to keep the timing of the songs...

I also seemed to be having problems getting my right hips to move correctly when I break from backward to forward on my right leg...(seems to be easier when my right heel touches the floor than not)
I don't seemed to have that problem breaking from forward to backward with my left leg though...

My hip motion also seemed very jerky when I'm dancing to medium to fast salsa track... is that normal?

Sigh... so much problems just perfecting the basic... :cry:

[cocodrilo]

Wow, you shouldn't be hurting yourself...Maybe you're jerking instead of swaying. You should be making fluid movements, not going back & forth or up and down. Try this one:
Stand with your legs parted about as far as your shoulders. Put your hands on your hips. Now, bend the knees a bit, while still keeping the back straight. Try swinging your right hip in the direction of your right eblow, then repeat with the other side. You will notice your body moving up & down a littel during these movements. Try it slowly until you get the hang of it. If you go a little lower(almost in a squat pose), and put your hands on the top part of your thighs, below the hip, it's even sexier. You shouldn't be feeling any pain in this move at all.

[Anonymous]

Well, I may not know organized ballroom or even salsa dancing, but I do know pole dancing (don't ask), and your hip movement doesn't actually involve your hips much at all. It's your lower back and abdomen. If you can just "think" of a smooth, fluid, relaxed motion, your body will likely emulate that.

It's like looking toward the next jump on a hunter course- if your head and eyes are in that direction, your horse will automatically pick that lead up because he can "feel" your weight distribution going in that direction.

Wow, this Killian's stuff is purty good..

But hip movement isn't something that can be "learnt". It WILL become more natural with practice- whatever kind of dancing (or not dancing) you choose.

I gotta lotta a$$ and I can thow it around and hook someone with that mad redneck booty o' mine.

(I just always wanted to type that and see what it looked like. Pretty scary, I realize. My mind is quite dangerous.

[MacMoto]

I'm trying to achieve the very sensual lazy hip swing, but seemed to be having lotsa problems doing it... Also currently after trying out the suggested steps, I ended up having sore knees and very sore hips(to the extent, where it even hurts to bend sidetruck to the left or right...)
Hmmm, I wonder if "trying" to get your hips to "swing" may be the problem here... :? Perhaps you are forcing the movement by actually trying to swing your hips. As others mentioned in various hips/latin motion threads, the latin hip motion should be a natural result of your arriving on a bent knee then straightening it. When you do this without bobbing up and down, the extension of the leg causes the hip to move sideways. That's how the hip motion is generated. I've seen guys trying to swing their hips to simulate this motion, and it looks forced and unnatural. If you force a movement, you end up with sore body parts.

Sigh... so much problems just perfecting the basic... :cry:
Doing the basic well is fundamental to good salsa dancing, and there are many self-claimed "advanced" dancers who know a million moves but don't look good because their basic is plain ugly. Perfecting the basic is no mean task. As they say,

Beginners want intermediate classes.
Intermediates want advanced classes.
Advanced want private lessons on basics.

[ShyDancer]

Id forgotton about this thread :D

I agree with crocodilo... its shouldnt be hurting!

I have learnt so much since starting this thread. Hip movements hardly involves the hips at all, you should never try to move your hips from the ball joint that connects your hips and legs, that could be cause for some of your pain.
Intstead try gently imitating the movement you make going up stairs, make it as natural as possble ... do something else while you are doing it so its not a really concious effort...do it for a few minutes and when you feel comfortable try making co-ordinating movement from the base of your ribcage.

Good Luck..and believe me when I say in time it will come!

[borikensalsero]

If you are soar, as in muscular pain it might just be that you are using forcing muscles to move your hips so much, which have pretty much never done so, hence causing all the pain. It could very well be natural pain felt from the exercising the muscles.

In short, very little time sorry...

PoniDancer is correct, the movment is generated by the midsection moveing, the bending of the knees enables that drop we see, while being on the ball of your feet enhances it.

Bend your knees, get on the ball of your feet, and move your lower rib cage in circles... there is a thread here somewhere about the movement, I think it talks about upper body movement... it is the same for lower body...

Ok, that exercise is meant to loosen the tightnes in your midsection hence allowig a freer movement, which will give you the hip swing you are looking for...

As you move your lower ribs around you'll notice that your butt sways naturally... even when you walk the butt sways naturally, that same sway is carried to your dancing... but since we force the movement it kills it!

NOTE: All body movement is generated from the mid section..

[Lofland]

Beginners want intermediate classes.
Intermediates want advanced classes.
Advanced want private lessons on basics.

that's one of the coolest things I've read on this forum this year.

[Istel]

Eh... thanks a lot for all the suggestions ppl...
I think I'm kinda getting it now...
My sides don't hurt as much just now and I seemed to be getting there with my sway. :lol:

however, another problem just arised, I'm feeling some sharp pains in my right ankle now. When I was dancing just now, I stepped on the ball of my right foot when I'm breaking from backwards to forward to prevent my right heel from touching the ground... seemed to me that it was the cause for the pain in my right ankle now :oops: :cry:

Sigh... my body seems to be falling apart for some reason even though I'm only in my early 20s... argh... :cry:

Anyone had the same problem as me??

[cocodrilo]

Anyone had the same problem as me??

Um, no...Could it be that you're overdoing it? Are you dancing barefoot? You might try a nice, cushiony dance sneaker or jazz dance shoe. If you're just starting out and have no muscle mass yet in your ankles, that might be the cause of the pain(from excessive use). Take it easy.

[mhgroove]

Well, I may not know organized ballroom or even salsa dancing, but I do know pole dancing (don't ask), and your hip movement doesn't actually involve your hips much at all. It's your lower back and abdomen. If you can just "think" of a smooth, fluid, relaxed motion, your body will likely emulate that.

It's like looking toward the next jump on a hunter course- if your head and eyes are in that direction, your horse will automatically pick that lead up because he can "feel" your weight distribution going in that direction.

Wow, this Killian's stuff is purty good..

But hip movement isn't something that can be "learnt". It WILL become more natural with practice- whatever kind of dancing (or not dancing) you choose.

I gotta lotta a$$ and I can thow it around and hook someone with that mad redneck booty o' mine.

(I just always wanted to type that and see what it looked like. Pretty scary, I realize. My mind is quite dangerous.

Ponidancer,

You are correct about the hip movement. You have to move your booty in order to move your hips! I know this might not be culturally correct to say..but....they are both connected to each other in that area of the body. Obviously..it's much easier from women to move their butts than men...but my dancing got a lot better when I realize I had to do that in order to get good hip motion!

[Anonymous]

Isn't it odd? in dancing, butt-movin' is cool.. in horse showing, "croup action" is knocked off for.

What if horsies like to shake their butts too?

:lol:

[Sabor]

if u wana make it.. u gotta SHAKE it!!!

WORRRD! 8) :P

[Sagitta]

Hey Istel! Cute avatar, but he/she ain't quite got that cuban motion, shake your thing yet!!! :o

[pygmalion]

Isn't it odd? in dancing, butt-movin' is cool.. in horse showing, "croup action" is knocked off for.

What if horsies like to shake their butts too?

:lol:

I thought shaking their butts was a natural horsie thing to do. :wink: :lol:

[Sagitta]

For those for whom it isn't a natural thing to do: practice.

[Sabor]

'If you're gona shake it.. might as well bake it'

make some cake :wink: