Egyptian shimmy CANNOT get...so frustrated :(

[jasmineschaller]

Hello,

I find the egyptian shimmy to be super beautiful. I learned the hip shimmy by someone posting a video where they did 14 minutes of super slow shimmy, then one day I could do it fast. I havent been able to find a video of egyptian shimmy where you can practice it totally slowed down? Maybe I'm getting the technique wrong? Its been a year and still haven't gotten it. My knees hurt when I try it for too long lol. Does anybody have any tips or resources or success stories??? Help!!!!
Thanks you so much!!!

 

[Greek Bonfire]

First of all, use your knees but don't lock them ever. Keep your back straight and your legs straight, then try it again, moving your legs back and forth slowly, then try getting speed. If you lock your knees, you will probably hurt yourself.

 

[Daimona]

And if you sit too deep while trying to shimmy (i.e. knees are too much bent), you may also put unnecessary strain on them so they will hurt.
So when you practice the Egyptian shimmy, stand in a neutral position with knees only slightly bent.
The tip of practicing this type of shimmy sitting on the floor both to do it slowly and to avoid injuries caused by locking knees or sitting too deep is still very good and will help you both building muscle memory and doing things in a steady pace. You might not feel the shimmy itself when doing it like this, but it is still very useful preparation for doing it properly, controlled and in time with the music.

 

[Zorba]

The Egyptian shimmy is the bane of my existence. 99% of the time, I have a horrid time doing it without locking up and turning it into a vibration instead. Drives my Egyptian style teacher nuts! I've been fighting this for over 20 years - so I use other styles instead - right or wrong, for better or worse... My obliques are my friends!