Originally Posted by Zumarrad

I've just started exploring Shareen's posture, due to having bought a DVD of hers, and I think it's handy for *certain* work. The way she's teaching on Maryat al Ayam is not "dime between your cheeks" tight, but having some tension in the butt and also in the adductors (which seems to happen automatically with the pelvic lift/butt combo), which she believes helps protect the knees in Egyptian style dance because we're generally putting quite a bit of stress on the outer part of the leg. Well, I can tell you that doing a Souhair Zaki hip chonk thingy (you all know the one) in this posture, which is only a tiny modification of my normal one, no longer gives me sore outer thighs. I suspect it's also good for Shareen's leg shimmy. All the difference I sense really is that instead of just lifting my pubic bone and engaging my lower abs, letting the butt be soft, I'm tucking the tailbone under as well - which is actually what I was taught to do right back in the old days, before I started trying to keep the glutes loose a la Hadia.

On the other hand, a nice hip rock shimmy is most fun with a loose butt.