** In the mid 20th century Egypt made laws to prohibit bellydance and eventually repealed them opting instead to place restrictions on certain movements and costuming. At some point there were laws that prohibited making a full crescent of a circle in the front and at another time it was prohibited to make a full crescent of a circle in the back. Leading to the half circles described here.
*
This is a name given to this step by some of the students at The Cassandra School of Middle Eastern Dance(Minneapolis, MN), in Kathy (Naima) McCurdy's level 2 class. It is more commonly know as a box step variation. To this day we are uncertain as to why it was given the name "Fish Step". Apparently a student thought it looked like a fish swimming.
Hip Circles
This page lists descriptions of the Hip Circle and several of its variations.
Big Circle
Standing with your feet about hip width (or just a little wider) apart push
your hips way out to the right and then bring them around to the back
leaning forward slightly with your upper body. Make sure to keep the back
straight. Now, bring your hips out to the left and then to the front leaning
slightly back with the upper body( to keep better balance) but, still keeping
a straight back. The pelvis should not be doing a tuck and release. The knees
remain soft and unlocked but stay relatively straight and do not bend much
to accommodate the move. Think of your hips as moving around a pole
while staying on the same horizontal plane. Try to keep your head level so
there is little or no height/level change occurring. Once you've mastered
the basic move you can add some flair by leaning deeper forward when the
hips go back. Cross your arms in front of you when you lean forward and
open them back out to the sides when your hips come out to the sides and
around to the front. The weight will transfer from right to left. When your
hip is out to the right it will be mostly on the right and when your hip is out to the left it will be mostly on the left.
When your hips are forward the weight is evenly distributed between the balls of both feet and when your hips move
back the weight will be evenly distributed between the heels of both feet.
Small Circle
Standing with your feet close together or hip width apart, and knees bent lift
your hips up on the right, engaging the right oblique muscles to pull the hip
up and in. Next, tuck the pelvis by engaging (contracting) the abdominals.
Now, lift the hip up on the left, engaging the left oblique muscles to pull the
hip up and in. Then release the pelvis towards the back by diengaging the
obliques. That should be one complete circle going counter-clockwise.
When releasing the pelvis to the back do not stick your rear out just release
it. This movement unlike the large hip circle stays relatively in the same
place. The knees will need to be bent and will need to bend and straighten
with the movement to get the range of motion needed. The movement is
contained within the same vertical plane so the hips should not push out to
the side or slide forward and back. The weight will shift from left to right so
when the right hip lifts the weight is on the left foot. As you tuck the pelvis,
the weight beings to transfer to the right foot so that when the left hip lifts,
the weight should be on the the right foot. As you release the pelvis the weight begins to transfer back to the left foot.
Egyptian Circle 1 (Half Circle to the Back)**
Standing with your feet about hip width apart push your hips out to the right, to the back, to the left, and then slide
your hips straight across to the right (it is important not to tilt your pelvis forward). It helps to think of making a half
circle to the back. The dynamics weight change are essentially the same as the large hip circle but instead of pushing
the hips forward they simply slide across to the other side.
Egyptian Circle 2 (Half Circle to the Front)**
Standing with your feet about hip width apart push your hips out to the left, to the front, to the right, and then slide
your hips straight across to the left. (it is important not to release your pelvis in the back). It helps to think of making
a half circle to the front. The dynamics and weight change are essentially the same as the large hip circle but instead of
pushing the hips back they simply slide across to the other side.
Inner Hip Circle
Standing with your feet about hip width apart and facing forward, push your
right hip backwards and then lift it up and in by engaging the obliques. Then
push the hip forward and drop it down. The heel will lift off of the floor. It is
a vertical circle but the forward and back can cause a slight twist. If you
emphasize it the movement can become more diagonal as opposed to
vertical. This is the reverse direction of the Outer Hip Circle.
Outer Hip Circle
Standing with your feet about hip width apart and facing forward, push your
right hip forward and then lift it up by engaging the obliques. Now bring the
hip backwards and drop it down. The heel is generally lifted off the floor for
the active hip. It is a vertical hip circle but the forward and back can cause
a slight twist. If you emphasize it the movement can become more diagonal
as opposed to vertical. This is the reverse direction of the Inner Hip Circle.
Bouncing Circle
Just follow the same steps as you would for a big hip circle and then lift your heels off of the ground and drop the back
down as you go around. You might want to "bounce" out to the right, when your coming around to the front, the front,
when your coming around to the left, out to the left, when your coming around to the back, to the back, and when your
coming around to the right. That would be eight bounces per circle or maybe you only want to do four bounces per
circle so you bounce right, front, left, back.
Fish Step*
This step often confuses people but once you get it its so easy. You stand with your feet about hip width apart.
Imagine standing in the middle of a square. With your right foot step to the front right corner of your imaginary box
and shift your weight onto your right pushing the right hip out to the side. Next, step with your left foot into the front
left corner of your imaginary box. As you do this push your hips forward and over to the left side creating a half circle
in front of you. Now using your right foot step into the back left corner crossing your right foot behind your left. You
hips should push backwards and prepare to make the back half of a circle. Then step with your left foot into the back
right corner crossing your left foot behind your right foot. As you do this you hips should complete the other half of
the back part of the circle and come out to the side. It goes side, side, behind, behind. Star with getting the right
sequence to your footwork pattern and then begin layering on the hip circle. You can use this as a traveling hip circle
going forward, backward, or to either side. It also works well for turning around yourself. You can use a bouncy step
to add a more folkloric feel to it or smaller graceful steps for a more elegant and refined look.
Walking Hip Circle
You can walk with any hip circle. Make sure that you get comfortable with whichever type of hip circle you are going
to travel with. When your right foot has the weight on it your left foot will be free and you can use it to step. When the
left has the weight the right as free so you can step with that. Since the weight alternates from right to left you can
maintian a fairly normal walk when doing any hip circle. Just make sure you get the circle first and then layer it over
walking. When moving to the side you will step out to the side with one foot and then quikly step together or slide in
the other foot.
Hip Circle in a circle
While doing a hip circle turn around yourself. You can just take small steps for a slow turn or you can use 1/4 turns for
faster turns. One foot will pivot instead of step but otherwise it is the same idea as walking with a hip circle.
Hip Circle with a 3/4 Shimmy
Start in the basic position. Now transfer your weight to the right foot and
push your hips out to the right and then out to the front. Now transfer the
weight to the left foot and push your hips out to the left and then out to the
back. Now layer the 3/4 shimmy on. When you step right, straighten the
right leg, bend, and straighten again. Now when you step left straighten the
left leg, bend, and straighten again.
Reversing Directions
Reversing directions is really easy when you reach the side you want to stop
at you straighten your leg and pause for a second. For example if we go
right, back, left, front, right, and straighten the leg pulling the hip back then
we can go to the other direction now bring it back to right, front, left, back,
right, front, left, and then straighten the leg and pull the hip back.
