Fitness Bellydance for beginners
Come dance with me! Bellydance is a CELEBRATION of the human form in all its shapes and sizes. No experience, no costume, no studio needed. Tie a scarf around your hips and let’s learn the basics together, right at home. Your camera is never on.
A fitness class, inspired by belly dance
Fitness Bellydance is not a traditional belly dance class. It’s a workout! We take moves inspired by belly dance and repeat them to the music, so your body learns them, your heart rate goes up and your core gets stronger.
You get the beauty and the joy of belly dance, made for fitness and repetition, so anyone can follow along from the very first class. One move, over and over, for fitness and for muscle memory, so it comes easier every time.
Get MOUVIN’
I simplify every move to make it easy to understand. Instead of complicated dance terms, I use letters, and together they spell MOUVIN’. Your hips draw an M, an O, a U, a V, an I or an N. If you can write the letter, you can dance the move!
The I is your hip lifts and drops, straight up and down. The O is a circle. The U scoops down and around. Start with one letter, repeat it until it feels good, then add the next. That’s the secret sauce.
Learn the basics, one move at a time
Five free lessons to start, in the order I’d teach them. Press play and dance along with me. Each one is short, so do it twice!
Hip slides
Slide · Squeeze · PopYour hips move side to side, not up and down. Picture your hands full of grocery bags and close the car door with your hip. Squeeze every time for that nice little pop!
The I: hip lifts and drops
Lift · DropFor the hip lift, pretend there’s an orange in your obliques and squeeze it. For the hip drop, your hip is the hammer: drop, drop, drop that nail into the wall. Don’t bounce!
Hip drops with a kick, and hip circles
Drop · Kick · CircleLean back, all your weight on the back leg, and kick like you’re kicking a soccer ball. Arms out, shoulders down and relaxed. We don’t want to see any shoulder earrings!
The O
Lift · Tuck · Drop · PushLift, tuck, drop, push. Pretend you have a pencil on your hip and draw a circle on the wall in front of you. A nice smooth circle, not a square!
The N and the V
Forward · BackThe N is a smooth lowercase n, hip forward and back. For the V, point your hip to the corners of the room. One move, over and over, for fitness and muscle memory.
Keep going with the full series
All 14 Bellydance Basics lessons, from belly rolls to snake arms, are waiting in the WELL with Loretta app, along with 250+ on-demand classes, Zumba® and Fitness Bellydance together, and live classes every week.
Questions before you start
Do I need any dance experience?
None at all. These lessons start from the very first step. If you can stand and breathe, you can do this!
What’s the difference between Fitness Bellydance and belly dance?
A traditional belly dance class focuses on the dance form itself. Fitness Bellydance is a workout inspired by belly dance: simple moves, lots of repetition and great music, made to get you moving and feeling strong.
Is Fitness Bellydance a good workout?
Yes! It works your core, your obliques, your posture and your balance, and it’s low impact on your joints. Your quads and shoulders will feel it too.
What do I wear?
Anything you can move in. A hip scarf is fun and helps you see and hear your hips move.
Are these lessons really free?
Yes. The first five lessons on this page are free. The full Bellydance Basics series, 14 lessons in all, plus 250+ on-demand classes, Zumba® and Fitness Bellydance together, are in the WELL with Loretta app. You can try the app free for 30 days.
Is Fitness Bellydance for everyone?
Yes! Every age, every shape, every size. Bellydance is a CELEBRATION of the human form, and you are welcome here.
Who teaches these lessons?
Loretta Bates, a Zumba® Education Specialist who trains Zumba® instructors around the world and teaches Fitness Bellydance online and in South Florida.
More ways to dance with me: virtual classes, the WELL with Loretta app, and in person Zumba® in South Florida.
You are beautiful. You are enough. Now grab your crown and come dance with me.