wide legged shimmy?

Afrit

New member
but of course most of my shimmies are either feet driven (choo choos) or knee driven shimmies. so what exactly is an ab driven shimmy?
Ab driven shimmies normally use the obliques to lift and release the pelvis. But I think there is another layer here using pelvic floor (if Kashmir is referring to the teacher I think she is - Auckland late 1990s?)
 

indrayu

New member
Now getting back to the original post, about wide-legged shimmies... There's absolutely nothing remotely slutty about the dancer, but yes, her stance seemed very "solid', almost "blokey" at some points. Her feet were only very slightly wider than hip width at those points, so it's a very subtle thing. As she's such a good dancer, maybe it's one of those things that separates the very good dancers from the goddesses of dance: the goddesses don't have normal human body mechanics. They can look earthy, on flat feet, but be light and graceful at the same time.
 

gisela

Super Moderator
I realised after reading this thread that my shimmy is often quite wide legged. Usually my weight is to one side when doing it, but sometimes not.
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
It's partly a joke but not entirely. Holding the legs together while shimmying produces a -- ahh -- internal excitory effect. Personally I prefer not to mastabate in front of an audience. And no, it's not just me. A well known teacher once taught the "welcome home shimmy" in a workshop. The idea was that the subtext would be subconciously picked up by the audience - ie they would know there was something about the dancer but not be quite sure what was going on.

I wonder if anyone went home and secretly tried this :lol::rolleyes:
 

SidraK

New member
I've read that some women have a similar reaction lifting weights while keeping the pelvic floor engaged, so it doesn't surprise me that it's possible.

Aren't bodies great? :)
 

Ahava_Melantha

New member
none of these affected my internal excitory organs AT ALL. personally speaking.

and maybe its cuz I have thunder thighs so I cant do really closed leg shimmy anyways lol
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
I don't think it's possible to do a shimmy with the legs closed, maybe side by side but how do you get a shimmy going like that?
 

Kashmir

New member
I don't think it's possible to do a shimmy with the legs closed, maybe side by side but how do you get a shimmy going like that?
I assure you I can press my legs tightly together (tops of thighs touching, knees tight together, calves toughing, ankes and feet touching) and shimmy - no problem. However, I have quite small thighs and narrow hips. And I don't use my knees to generate the shimmy - I use my obliques and quadratus lumborum. And I've just tried crossing one leg in front of the other (touching most of the way down) - and shimmied. Small I admit - I might be able to make it large with practice.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
Kashmir, stop showing off!

Seriously though, I am in awe of your ability. Let me know when you're in Australia again, I'd love to study with you.
 

Ahava_Melantha

New member
I am finding wide legged and very closed legged shimmies very hard lol, its a skill I NEED to work on lol

wow, cross legged shimmy _ yeah I have thick thighs and very wide hips. not sure I could do it.
 

Bast

New member
I am learning new things all the time about this dance :lol:

I haven't experienced this at all in any shimmy. I do know that I make a weird face doing vibration shimmies, but that is because I find it an intense thing to do and requires all my concentration and stamina.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Thirty-five years in dance and this is the first time I've heard this theory of shimmy. Ya learn something new every day. ;) I've also been told women ride horses for the physical delight side effects.

I will continue to keep my legs close, albeit not clinched, when I shimmy and will teach students the same.
 

Munniko

New member
Out of an almost sick curiosity I tried this closed legged shimmy....and it works >_> I unlike Kashmir have rather large calves (all muscle hard earned via walking) and decently sized thighs so I don't think I could actually do this kind of "special" shimmy on stage on accident and I don't think Id want to because well it is an big effort keeping my calves together.

I'm still on the fence and I think people just prefer the closed legged shimmy (but not really close) because it can look more elegant than the wider stance one, but to each their own.
Otherwise discussion very entertaining.
 

MizzNaaa

New member
I assure you I can press my legs tightly together (tops of thighs touching, knees tight together, calves toughing, ankes and feet touching) and shimmy - no problem. However, I have quite small thighs and narrow hips. And I don't use my knees to generate the shimmy - I use my obliques and quadratus lumborum. And I've just tried crossing one leg in front of the other (touching most of the way down) - and shimmied. Small I admit - I might be able to make it large with practice.

*Cyber-high-five*

I did both of those right now. Yep, still got it..still smexy *flexes in front of her mirror*
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
I'm replying to this ancient thread because a) I thought it was hilarious, how we all kept misunderstanding one another and b) I am now tending more towards a beledi style wide-leg shimmy and it works for me.

Now, I have not been able to produce any *ahem* personal "stimulation" from it -- laughing my head off at the same time did not help -- but it appears that I can physically perform a closed-leg shimmy, a shimmy with the thighs pressed together, and a shimmy with a fairly wide stance (although at a certain point, as the legs get too wide, the shimmy starts to disintegrate.) My personal default is about a slightly larger than hip width shimmy. But that's today. Five years ago, I was all about keeping the legs closer together. With me, I think the music dictates which one I want to use, but these days I'm more about a bigger, looser look than I was 10 years ago.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
I'm still keeping my knees together like a lady ... but it is a stylistic thing for vintage am cab. Thirty-six years and still no "proper stimulation." Alas. ;)
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
Actually, lately I have been hearing more about a wider leg shimmy more in the shaabi style than classical. Or it could be some kind of new fusion of African and North African, but I'm only guessing. I have to be wide legged in order to make transitions but otherwise I can't get a good shimmy going without bringing my legs closer together. Even when I've done a wider leg shimmy I find a lot more of my body shimmies along with me.
 
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