The perspiration from the fast introduction of her dance set gleams on her skin as the drums still and the oud player wails his sonorous, sensual improvisation. With seeming ease, the dancer has dropped to her knees, her trailing to the floor behind her as she lowers her body in a graceful arch. Writhing gracefully, she turns and extends a jeweled foot, her raised hip spiraling in a serpentine twist. She suddenly twists about, coiling and churning in a blur of color and coins. Her hands gather her mass of black hair as she rises back to her knees, sweeping up from the waist in a final climax of lithe ecstasy. "The snake is ready to strike." (Excerpt from the Complete Belly Dancer by Julie Russo Mishkin and Marta Schill.)
One of the most sensual aspects of a complete belly dance routine is serpentine floorwork. Usually the dancer descends to the floor somewhere in the middle of a longer dance program, during slow music or a taxim. Floorwork adds variety and interest to your show, by presenting movements from a different perspective and changing the level movement. It gives the dancer a chance to display her strength, agility and control of isolations, as well as sensitivity to the music and her emotional expression.
Today’s poplar costume style, including tight skirts and fringe made of glass beads, do not lead themselves to the freedom your legs need to perform floorwork. A costume with less fragile fringe and a full, flowing skirt and/or harem pants is more appropriate. The fabric should be opaque so that when you bend over, you don’t surprise the audience with any more than your movements.
Be carefully to keep your movements feminine, elegant, and very snakelike. The routine should be dramatic and exciting, but never vulgar.
How to lower yourself gracefully to the floor: Face the diagonal or in profile or with your back to the audience. Slowly lower onto one or both knees, accompanying the descent with snake arms, shoulder shimmy, or head slides. A more dramatic descent is only for those dancers in very good shape and with great flexibility, including sliding into the splits or spinning quickly and then dropping sharply into a backbend (called a Turkish Drop).
Movement from kneeling on one knee: Be sure you keep your weight on the front leg as you lower to the floor. Point the back foot so the top of the foot slides on the floor. Most important, keep your legs in a closed position from the audience. A "closed" position would be, for example, if you are facing to the right, you would lower onto your right knee, with your left leg downstage to the audience. Once you are kneeling, you can easily do hand circles and hand undulations, snake arms, head circles and slides, chest circles and slides, shoulder shimmy and rolls, small hip drops, or a lean forward over the front knee followed by a shallow backbend.
Then release the back leg, extending it and bringing your weight over the front foot, as your chest falls forward over the front knee. Gently sit down on the floor. Bring your legs under you slowly and deliberately. You can adjust to face the other direction or to face the back.
Movement from both knees: Do not point knees directly at the audience. From this position, you can perform any upper body movement with chest, arms, head and hands, including a torso undulation. You may make it more interesting by changing the height of the movement with the use of plie’. You may also perform hip movements, such as a figure 8, circle, or shimmy. Try circling the upper body all the way around on the floor, sweeping your arms over the floor. Or, if you are able, backbend, touching the head to the floor. Try not to use your arms to lower or raise yourself. Make sure your feet are pointed rather than bracing the balls of the feet on the floor.
Transition to another position: You may try lifting one knee to go to the one-knee position, or you might fall onto one hip and extend both legs together to one side, so that you lie sideways on the floor.
Movement lying on one side: Keep your legs close together and your feet pointed. One arm or elbow braces you on the floor and your upper body is lifted off the floor. Try any arm, head, or hand movement. Undulations look beautiful in this position. You might they stomach flutters, or a figure 8 with the top hip. Or, bend the lower knee and put the hand of your lower arm on the floor. Then reach up with the upper arm and lift your hips off the floor (your weight will go onto your lower arm and the lower knee).
Rising gracefully from the floor: Face the diagonal and move into the one-knee position. Bear your weight on the front foot and slowly, smoothly rise. Accompany the rise with upper body movements.
If you are not interested in performing a long routine on the floor, you may always add interest to your regular routine by mixing in a few of these movements. Floorwork is particularly good to do with a sword, a veil, candles or a shamedan (candelabra).
Be aware that you will need a lot of strength to do floorwork with control and elegance. The stronger your thighs and buttocks, the less strain on your upper body and especially your back. Warm up the legs a lot before you perform because there is a danger of hurting your knees. When you practice, wear kneepads.
Floorwork can be an awesome addition to your repertoire. With the proper training and preparation, it is not as hard as it sounds. Yet it is definitely as dramatic and snakelike an image as the roots of our dance form suggest in ancient history.
(back)
©2000 Jasmin Jahal