Chakras in Belly Dance, by Tracy Helming, www.alimahdances.com

I was introduced to chakra dancing while taking a weeklong workshop with Tamalyn Dallal. She invited a dancer from Victoria named Taheya to lead us through the chakras, allowing the energy of each to guide and inform our movements. I was skeptical at first, but quickly became entranced. I glanced around the room and saw some of the most incredible dancing I’d ever encountered as everybody began moving in smoother more natural ways.

I am going to return to the idea of allowing the energy from the different charkas to guide my dance this week as I practice. Here are a few approaches I am taking:

TAQSIM: I've made a CD full of different instrumental taqsims. I dance to one taqsim for each chakra and am letting the energy from that chakra generate the movement. There is a great article on the chakras as they relate to belly dance on a dancer named Cinnamon Phoenix's website. I have taped this list of chakras (http://www.cinnamon-phoenix.com/chakras.html) onto my mirror. I read aloud about each chakra as I dance it, using the power of my voice to stay focused on the qualities of each chakra.

After I have danced through each chakra, and have danced through at least one piece assimilating them, I begin to think about how my dance relates to the music. Of course, we can dance in unison to the solo, letting the body imitate the rise and fall and rhythm of the musical line. But, it is also nice to create a counter-point to the music: a complimentary yet not imitative musical movement. I also experiment with contrary motion – moving in the opposite direction of the music. I try dancing just the phrasing: letting my movements follow the pacing and breath, question and answer of the musical solo, but not imitating the rhythm or melody. Finally, I decide on some moments in the music that I want to make sure I highlight. I clear the space around them by quieting or slowing my movements before and after, and allow the movements of the special spot to really pop out.

CHOREOGRAPHY: One of my big goals is to be able to really express myself through choreography. I have developed several choreographies (inspired by my costumes!) that I am working on. Here is how I am applying the chakra work to the choreography. I dance the choreography. Then I go back and dance it until I come to a place that I want to work on. I take that small moment or combination and work it in a different piece of music while focusing on how each of the charkas might propel the motion. After I’ve digested it for a while, I go back to the choreography and it always feels much freer and more natural after going through this process. I go onto the next snipit and work some more.

SHIMMIES – chakra shimmies! I am spending a piece of music on each chakra while I shimmy. I begin the shimmy and experiment with letting the chakra’s energy propel the motion. I try allowing images relating to the chakra, or emotions based on the chakra, or color, or shape of the chakra’s energy move me and explore different expressions and become comfortable with different shimmy movements. I play “warm or cold,” sensing whether the new movement and feeling is working for me or if I need to go in a different direction . I move in a new direction and see how it feels. I allow my body to move where it wants and not where I think it is supposed to go.