Origins of the FCBD® Rhythmic Undulation (Arabic) Shimmy

I love learning how steps are created, and how they evolved before making it into the official vocabulary. After spending some time with SuperBeth of Tamarind last year, I had a greater appreciation for this “zippy” fun step which also happens to be a Tamarind Dialect step!!

Find out where it came from and why it is called this way

The Sunanda is a Modern Step, meaning it’s on Tribal Basics Volume 7 Creative Steps and Combinations. This step was created by my dear teacher, Megha, while she was living in New Orleans, Louisiana between 1998 -2003.

Did you know the Alabama Twister used to be called "the DeAnna."? Yep, true story!

Connect to our Dance History, and gain a deeper appreciation of this step

Learn the origins and influences of the beautiful WaterPot step in detail!

I’m sure many of you that have studied other belly dance styles have experienced movements that are similar, but not exact to ours.

This step was created by our beloved Megha Gavin, founder of Devyani Dance Company and is found on FatChanceBellyDance® Tribal Basics Volume 7: Creative Steps and Combinations so it’s considered a part of our Modern vocabulary…

The Pivot Bump is a fundamental steps in any style of bellydance. In fact, whether soft and bouncy or punchy and staccato, many dance styles have some sort of Pivot Bump.

In FatChanceBellyDance® Style, the Pivot Bump, along with the Choo Choo, is not only a foundational and Classic step, but we have an entire family of movements dedicated to this beautifully simple, yet diverse, hip movement.

I love chatting with Carolena about these topics because they always include stories or memories that take me back to photos, videos or articles I’ve seen and it feels like a little piece of the history puzzle fits perfectly in it’s spot to create the full picture.

Today, let’s explore the origins of the Wet Dog.

In November 2021, FCBD®U hosted legendary folkloric artist, Khyria Mazin for a live workshop from Luxor, Egypt.

After the workshop, we had the opportunity to sit down with Khyria, Shining and Heba, her translator, for a Q&A with the attendees. One of the many topics discussed was the naming convention and the term “Ghawazee”. Listening to Khyria explain why they no longer use the word “Ghawazee” was a moment I wished everyone could hear (well, the whole workshop really!).

This experience with Khyria inspired a deeper conversation regarding our FCBD®Style movement called Ghawazee Inspired Shimmy Combo.

This earthy, fun and feel good shimmy combination was inspired by the Ghawazee dancers of upper Egypt. Specifically the Banat Mazin family.

The flat-footed, slightly wider stance has a very different look and feek from our regular 3/4 shimmy. The earthy stance removes the balance challenge of a 3/4 shimmy letting the dancer more easily tap into the big, bouncy, relaxed hip movements.

I will never forget the first time I walked into my first FCBD®Style dance class. As soon as my teacher walked us through “puja” or “the prayer” as it was called back then, I knew I had found my home.