Zumba with Sheila

How to Jive or Swing dance for Zumba

2012-01-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

Jive is a fast, heart-pumping rhythm. I'm not going over every possible step here, just the ones I commonly use that have a lot of technique built into them. See videos, Footloose, Tu Vuo Foi L'Americano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwO0KRAHnbU&feature=plcp&context=C3c80d7fUDOEgsToPDskKEH68t58oxW-n_26So8WmK, Hey Mickey, Hafanana for examples. For a descriptive video of this post, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXxCxKhzCkw&feature=plcp&context=C3295737UDOEgsToPDskJUcscfXuQUxWoWWZagQIwt

Basic step
Timing: 1 a 2, 3 a 4, 5 6 (This is a 6 count step done to 8 count music. It's normal.)
footwork: R L R (to the right), L R L(to the left), R(backward) L(forward)
knees: They pop up high right before each whole number.
body weight: forward, on the balls of the feet, just like any Latin dance, and on 5, step back on your whole foot, to sink your hip into your heel. Keep your upper body weight forward on 5, so you can quickly come forward for count 6. The music is fast!
hips: The dance is called swing because your hips swing. Do a hip bump at the same time the opposite knee pops up, on the "a" before each whole count. Then on 5, step back on your right foot as you do a right hip bump toward the rear. On 6, put your weight on your left foot and do a left hip bump.
Just Say: triple step, triple step, rock step

Jackhammer
timing: (straightforward), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
bounce: Stand on your left foot and bounce gently to the beat. Your left knee will bend and slightly straighten (not lock).
footwork: At the same time, point your right foot, bend back your right knee and kick toward the floor (don't touch the floor), right next to your standing foot. All your upper leg muscles should be engaged to make a sharp, stacatto kick. After the kick, quickly retract your foot to repeat.
body weight: Your upper body weight should be pitched forward, chest up, abs in.

Sailor's Shuffle (pas de bourree) - See in "Hey Mickey"
timing: 1 a 2, 3 a 4
footwork: R L R, L R L
foot direction: Right foot diagonally back, left foot to left, right foot diagonally forward. Repeat other side.
body weight: (This step has the appearance of a drunk sailor, hence the name)As soon as your right foot goes back, begin tipping your whole body to the right. Second, your left foot should push off, causing your body to tip even more to the right. Finally, your right foot coming diagonally forward, catches you and keeps your from toppling all the way over. All of your body weight will be on that right foot.
hips: When your left foot pushes off, your left hip bumps up. Then your whole hip slides to the right till stopped by your right foot ending diagonally forward, at which point your right hip is up.
ribcage: Between the 2nd and 3rd, your ribcage slides right and up, so that on 2, your body weight is on your right foot, and the upward rib cage movement is causing you to start tilting toward the left.
arms: Lift your right arm up on 2, as an extension of you rib cage sliding right. same on other side. Let your arm float as hold the 2 and 4 as long as possible.

Tap, back, side, cross - see in "Footloose"
timing: (straightforward) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
bounce: Stand on your left foot and bounce gently to the beat. Your left knee will bend and slightly straighten (not lock).
footwork: 1=tap right foot next to left foot, 2=right foot diagonally back toward left side***, 3= left foot to left, 4= right diagonally forward to left side / repeat other side ***Try pushing off with your left standing foot on count 2, to add pep and momentum.
direction: Start count 1 by standing on a diagonal facing the front right corner of the room. End on count 4 facing the left front corner.
body weight: Your upper body weight should be pitched forward, chest up, abs in.
arms: On right tap, left forearm comes down sharply, (contract bicep). Then on 2, 3 4 left arm more gently goes down up down, while right arm goes up down up. Note that as your forearm goes down or backward, you should be focusing on your tricep. As your forearm comes up, you should be focusing on your bicep.

Kick Ball Change
timing: 1 a 2, 3 a 4
footwork: R RL, R RL
description: Snappy kick on 1 with right foot, quickly step on ball of right foot , keeping body weight in the middle,. Keep right knee bent. Then place ball of left foot right next to right foot. Keep left knee bent. Left leg straightens during right kick.
hips: On kick, left hip bumps up. On 2, right hip bumps up.\
arms: Here's a good chance to pump those arms. On the kick on count 1, punch them sharply out to the side - don't straighten them, but them let bounce back in. The sharpness and sudden stop will cause you to contract your muscles. On the even counts, cross your arms in front of you, with the same sudden stop and bounce return.

Favorite Zumba songs- organized by rhythm or style

2011-12-29T23:54:00.000-08:00

Here I'm compiling my favorite songs for Zumba or dance exercise classes (that are not ZIN or may have become ZIN after I started using them). So many of the ZIN songs are great- maybe I'll add my favorites later. If you have other great ones to add, please comment.

Warmup: Dragostea din tei (DJ Dragostea), I Love Rock and roll (Joan Jett), Shake It (Metro Station), Kiss (Prince), many popular hip hops like Dangerous (Kardinal Offishall), Umbrella (Rihanna), Good Feeling (Flo Rida), Bad Romance (Lady GaGa), Temperature (Sean Paul), Like a G6, Blackeyed Peas songs

Cooldown: Human Behavior (Bjork), Come Together (Joe Cocker), Say it Right (Nelly Furtado), Don't Cha (Pussycat Dolls), bachata rhythms, foxtrot rhythms

Salsa: La Bomba (Ricky Martin), Conga (Gloria Estefan), La Vida es un Carnaval (Celia Cruz)

Reggaeton: Gimme Gimme Gimme (Beenie Man), many Daddy Yankee songs like Gasolina

Cha Cha: Let's Get Loud (Jennifer Lopez), She Bangs (Ricky Martin), Sway (Pussycat Dolls), Rabiosa (Shakira), Smooth (Santana)

Samba: Two Princes (Spin Doctors), Cup of Life (Ricky Martin)

Merengue: Arrasando (Thalia)

Belly Dance: El Toba, Drummer Boy (Debi Nova), Many Shakira songs like Hips Don't Lie, Objection, Eyes Like Yours, Suerte, La Tortura, Loca, Addicted to You, She Wolf, etc

Country: Cotton Eyed Joe, Devil Went Down to Georgia

Flamenco: Buleria (David Bisbal), Volare (Gypsy Kings)

Disco / hustle: I will Survive

Hip hop / popular: There are so many but here have been my favorites that I'll revive every couple years: Kiss me thru the Phone (SouljaBoy), Whatever You Like (TI), Hollaback Girl (Stefani), Buttons (Pussy Cat Dolls), Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna), 4 Minutes (Madonna), Low (Flo Rida), Krazy (Pitbull), Fuego (Pitbull), Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada), Tik Tok (Kesha), OMG (Usher), I like it (Enrique Iglesias), Bottoms Up (Treu Songz), Mr. Saxobeat (Alexandra Stan), Boom Boom Pow (Black Eyed Peas), Down On Me (Jeremih), Hello (Martin Solveig), Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO), On the Floor (Jennifer Lopez), Sweat (Lil Jon), Blow (Kesha), Right Round (Flo Rida), Moves Like Jagger (Marroon 5), Super Bass (Nicki Minaj), Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)

Tango: Whatever Lola Wants (Gotan Project), Dance with Me (Debelah), Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre) (Gotan Project), Gypsy Rhapsody

Viennese Waltz: Fallin', Caribbean Blue (Enya), I Feel Pretty (Westside Story)

Foxtrot: King of the Road (Roger Miller), Witchcraft (Frank Sinatra), Santa Baby (Pussycat Dolls)

Quickstep: I want to be like You (Junglebook), Happy Feet, Luck be a Lady

Charleston: Cha Cha (Chelo), any of the quickstep songs above

Bachata: A Miles de Millas (El Gringo de la Bachata), Oh Navidad (same), No es una Novela

Swing/Jive: Footloose, Hey Mickey, Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano (Red Stripe Band), Candyman (Christina Aguilera), Pon De Replay (Hit Crew)

Christmas: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree <swing> (Miley Cyrus), Santa Baby <foxtrot> (Pussycat Dolls), Oh Navidad <bachata> (El Gringo de la Bachata), Cuando llega Navidad <salsa>, Ay Ay Ay It's Christmas (Ricky Martin)

Halloween: Chocolate (Soul Control), Black Magic Woman <Cha Cha> (Santana), Disturbia (Rihanna), Cumbia de los Monsters, Witch Doctor (Alvin & the Chipmunks), Someone's Watching Over Me, Witchy Woman, She's the Devil (Locos por Juana), Addam's Groove (MC Hammer), Beautiful Monster (Ne-Yo), She Wolf (Shakira), Haunted House <country salsa>, Monster Mash, Wooly Bully, Purple People Eater, I Put a Spell on You, Witchcraft

Musical Theater: Hair (Hair), Pinball Wizard (The Who's Tommy), Luck be a Lady <quickstep> (Guys and Dolls), You Can't Stop the Beat (Hairspray), All That Jazz (Chicago), I Feel Pretty <V. Waltz>

Cardio Kickbox (songs that make you want to punch or kick): Miss Independent, Fighter (Natasha Noack) Tubthumping (Chumbawamba), Just a Dream (Nelly)

Other (or maybe I just don't know how to classify them): Danza Kuduro (Don Omar & Lucenzo), More Bounce in California (Soul Kid), Maniac (Flashdance), Samba Reggae (Jimmy Cliff)

How to Samba for Zumba

2011-12-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

When doing samba during Zumba, I like to mix the Brazilian samba with ballroom samba. more variety = more fun! The Brazilian element is not so structured or technical and is open to creative interpretation, but the ballroom samba has a "correct way" to do it. See the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__hJ7IFGSvg for a visual description. And see "2 Princes" http://www.youtube.com/user/SheilaLebedenko#p/u/37/RF6wNEWCY3E for a demo of some samba moves in action.

basic Brazilian samba:
timing = 1 a 2, 3 a 4 . . . (3/4, 1/4, 1)
1) hips: Start with 2 hip bounces on each side. (settle right hip =1, neutral = a, settle right hip = 2 ; settle left hip = 3, neutral = a, settle left hip = 4)
2)Leave the opposite foot in front (with the heel up), but put your weight on the back foot.
3)Start to turn that opposite foot in, out, in out, with each hip bounce. The whole leg will turn at the hip rotator; the knee and foot will always point in the same direction because the whole leg is turning as one unit.
4)In between each set of hip bounces, you will make a quick jump to switch your feet (the one in front moves to the back and vice versa.)
5) optional: You could step with each count so that 1 a 2 = RLR; 3a4 = LRL

alternative basic Brazilian samba:
timing = 1 & a 2 & a . . . (1/2, 1/4, 1/4)
1) footwork: Right, left, right; Left, right, left
2) footwork with timing: right = 1, left = &, right = a . . .
3) foot direction: forward, replace, together, forward, replace together
4) heel, hip rotator and hip bump movement: The forward step on whole counts "1" and "2" can be done on the heel. Because you have a half count, you have time to twist your heel and whole leg from inside to outside. As you are twisting it (move the whole leg as one unit- keep knee and toe in the same direction), put all your body weight onto your heel and bump that hip at the same time. This is not a fast, sharp bump, but an oozey, milky one. this is the part of the step where you take your time. The more time you take, the more hip movement you will get. Rob time from &a if you like. Your hip will make about a 1/4 of a circle (right hip- clockwise) (left hip- counterclockwise) during each whole count.
5) adding arms: only do so after you've mastered the first 4 parts. As you twist your left foot/leg/hip toward your left side, you left arm comes down- as if to come closer to the hip/leg and squeeze the left side of the ribcage. At the same time, the right arm is coming up, to open up the right side of the ribcage. Remember from a previous lesson, the hip works against the opposite ribcage.

Brazilian Axe step (the side to side step)
timing: 1 & a 2 & a
1) footwork: right, left right; left, right, left
2) footwork w/ timing: right = 1, left = &, right = a; left =2, right = &, left = a
3) foot direction:
a)start with feet shoulder width apart.
b)right foot out to side (a couple of inches), replace left foot, right returns to starting position (a couple inches to the left); Left foot out to side, replace right foot, left foot returns to starting position (a couple inches to the right)
4) foot angle:
   a) start with feet straight forward
   b) On whole numbers, foot and knee and whole leg 45 degree angle in toward the center
5) hip movement: RLR, LRL. On whole number counts (in bold),  put all your body weight onto onto that foot and hip bump up. The whole number counts have more time, will be accented and have more hip movement than the &a counts.
6) Arm movements: many choices: you can swing them from side to side, do waterfall/hair comb arms or paint in front of you.

(Brazilian and Ballroom) Batucada step: (moves backward)
timing: 1 & a 2 & a
1) footwork: RLR, LRL
2) foot direction: Right foot front, replace left foot, right foot back; Left foot front, replace right foot, left foot back
3) foot angle, body weight and hip movement: right foot front with 45 degree angle toward center. ALL of body weight on right foot. Push off of right foot until right foot can spring backward. As you push off, the right hip bumps up. If you have time, you can twist your foot and leg toward neutral to make a part of a hip circle.
4) The accent is on the front foot pushing off. The other steps have smaller hip bump movements.

Botafogo step (from ballroom samba)(not in video):
timing = 1 a 2, 3 a 4 . . .
1) footwork: R L R; L R L
2) Direction and body weight:
   a) Right foot diagonally across front (big step- ends on left side)
   b) Left foot goes to side of right foot (12-18 inches away)- Stay on ball of left foot- heel stays up. Put all body weight on Left foot.
   c) Replace right foot straight under you. Put body weight back on right foot.
   d) Repeat on other side.
3) hip/pelvic movement:
   a) As right foot crosses diagonally in front, pelvis sweeps up with an abdominal crunch. When right foot lands, right knee bends to absorb shock and right hip softly bumps up.
   b) As left foot goes out to side, left hip comes up.    Then there will be drama as the left hip comes back down to go into the pelvic sweep up for the next step to the other side.

Volta (from ballroom samba)
timing - a 1 a 2 a 1 a 2 . . .
footwork: L R L R L R
direction and body weight: Start standing on the left foot. Cross the right front in front and end a few inches to the left of the left foot. Place all your weight on the right foot. Then keep your weight on the right foot as you move the left foot 6-12 inches to the left and finally, place on your weight on the left. Repeat. Then try the other side.
hips: Make counterclockwise hip circles as you move to the left across the floor. Use you right foot and hip to push off as you move your left foot left. When your left foot hits the floor, squeeze your left inner thigh to pull you right foot across again.

Whisk (from ballroom samba)
timing - 1 a 2, 3 a 4 . . .
1)footwork - R L R, L R L
2)Direction and weight:
   a)move right to the right and put all your weight on it.
   b)move left foot in back of right foot; put all weight on left foot.
   c)Replace right foot a couple inches to the left. Put all weight on right foot.
3) Hips/pelvis movement
   a) Big Hip slide to the right on a) At the same time, raise left heel and push off with left ball of foot.
   b) Little hip slide to the left on b)
   c) Little hip slide to the right on c), but then deepen hip slide as you use you right foot and right hip push off to the left to start over on other side.

How can I protect my feet during Zumba? Shoes good for Zumba?

2011-12-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

To protect your feet during Zumba, first you need good shoes that support your foot, provide cushion, allow sliding and allow you to bend the sole of your foot.
1) I do not recommend split sole jazz sneakers. I started out with them but quickly realized they had no side support. So when you trot sideways across the floor, you risk twisting your ankle.
2) I used to use Nike court shoes that are commonly used for hip hop. They have a wide flat sole and a pivot point on the bottom. I liked them for a long time, but they are a little bit stiff and don't allow maximum bending of the sole of your foot. They also caused a lot of friction and callouses on my toes.
3) I do recommend Nike Musique. But they are for narrower feet and will fit narrow feet snugly. If you have wide feet, don't even bother. They have arch support, a smooth sole for less friction on twisting and a pivot point. They are quite flexible. They are marketed as a dance fitness shoe. If you are thinking of ordering online, I take the same size in Nike Musique that I take in any other Nike shoe. So you can try any Nike athletic shoe on in the store and order that size. Beware- there are different styles of Nike Musiques. Some have a little bit of mesh on the side. Others seem to be all leather. The all leather ones are smelly sweat chambers. Go for mesh ventilation if possible. I find these at DSW, Norstram Rack clearance or on Ebay.
4) I also highly recommend Ryka Transitions. They are for average or wider feet. I have narrower feet and still wear them; they give me lots of toe room and keep the callouses away. It's good to be able to lift your toes up and wiggle them while you dance. They have the most flexible soles, which is great for stretch at the end of class. They also have fairly smooth bottoms and a pivot point. Again, some have more mesh ventilation than othe styles. Look for the mesh. I found mine at DSW. Sizes do not run the same as Nikes. I wear a half size bigger in Ryka.

Here are some tips for your feet while you are dancing or even just walking:

1) Roll thru whole foot from heel to toe when you walk forward. Even when you do a merengue march, roll through the whole foot. When you take the backward step in the salsa basic, land on the ball of your foot and then settle into the heel. This is why flip flops are bad for your feet. People tend to walk flat in them instead of rolling through the foot.

2) Don't crash your foot into the floor. stop your foot before it reaches the floor or as it reaches the floor so the impact won't be hard and straining to your joints. The stop engages your muscles also.

3) Dance Latin style with high arches (heels up)- this not only looks good and mimics the high heel look of Latin dancing but stretches your foot at the same time.

4) When you push into the floor with the ball of your foot to get grounded and more hip movement, relax and toes and raise them up. Don't curl your toes inside your shoe. That would stress a lot of muscles in your foot. This is why it's good to have shoes with some toe room.

5) Incorporate foot stretching at the end of class. For example, during a hip flexor stretch, your back foot can have a very high arch, where you heel is all the way up and your toes can bend.

6)Get regular foot massages.

7) When you're tired in class and you stop paying attention, that's when you can get hurt. Always pay attention to what your feet are doing and know where you are putting them.

8) Don't try Zumba moves in high heels at a party. Dancer use special dance high heels, not just street shoe high heels.

How to do a Body Roll and a Corkscrew

2011-11-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

The most common technique question I get is, "How do you do the body roll?" It looks cool and everyone wants to be able to do it. You can if you break it down into just a few steps. But before you can body roll, you need to be able to move your pelvis back and forth and your chest back and forth. And before you can side roll you need to be able to move your ribcage from side to side. So view my blog entries on chest http://zumba-sheila-blog-learn.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-can-i-get-more-chest-movement.html and pelvis http://zumba-sheila-blog-learn.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-can-i-get-more-hip-and-pelvic.html before attempting body rolls! Of course everyone wants to run before they can walk, but it just won't work! When you're ready to learn the body roll, do each part slowly, one step at a time. Try it against a wall, peeling yourself away from the wall and back onto the wall. Then, away from the wall, gradually speed it up and remove the seams in between each step so that your roll is fluid. See video for help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqjGyZcUG94

Backward body roll (more common than forward)
1) optional forehead first (full camel)
2) chest forward - can put weight on front foot (sometimes this part is eliminated)
3) shoulders back
4) bra strap back (leave pelvis forward)
5) return pelvis to neutral

Forward body roll
1) start neutral
2) pelvis forward
3) push abs forward (pelvis starts to transition to neutral)
4) push chest forwward (further pelvis transition)
5) return shoulders to neutral, all is neutral

teach back and forth between back and forward roll

Side roll
1) optional head tilts and drives right
2) left side becomes tense
3) rib cage slides right
4)pick body up
5) return to neutral
6) same on other side
(Reversing the side roll is the same as a side chest figure 8, shown in http://zumba-sheila-blog-learn.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-can-i-get-more-chest-movement.html

Corkscrew
A corkscrew is a combination of a chest circle and hip circle. They don't happen at exactly the same time; they are offset by 180 degrees.
1) Simultaneously chest slide to the right and hip slide to the left.
2) Simultaneously pop your chest forward (chest pop) and your booty backward (pelvic thrust)
3) Simultaneously chest slide to the left and hip slide to the right.
4) Simultaneously reverse chest pop (so your back humps) and pelvic thrust to bring your booty in.
5) Repeat or change direction.

How to Shake and Shimmy

2011-11-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

     Shimmies are rapid back and forth movements that create a vibration. Shimmies are often done during the climax of a song and can be the highlight of a dance fitness class. They can also remain a mystery for many students. There are many types of shimmies. Some are easy, but others can get a bit complicated.  They are, however, worth practicing because they are SUPER FUN! Below I've described how to do a variety of shimmies. Definitely see the video for clarification. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Ya5O7WR2g

Hip Bump Shimmy- hip bump- gradually increase speed and reduce size of bump
     Walking Hip Bump Shimmy - Step forward or backward every 1 or 2 counts. (When one hip is up, the other leg is free to move. Try is slowly first. Gradually work up to the speed of a shimmy.) This has a real belly dance feel. It can be zigzagged or done in a choo choo train with your friends.
     Stationary Side to Side Hip Bump Shimmy - common in Zumba.   transfer weight between right foot and left foot every 1, 2, or 4 beats while maintaining hip shimmy
     Double Hip Bump Shimmies (hard soft, hard soft) . Do two hip bumps on one side, but the first will be hard and sharp, and the second will be soft and gentle, like an echo or reverb of the first bump. Do the same on the other side. A bachata step with a double shimmy is one of my favorite moves!
     One-Sided double hip bump shimmy - Put most of your weight on one leg. Hip bump with the opposite hip. Do 2 bumps to the right and 2 bumps to the left. Switch from right to left by turning your hip rotator. Pick up speed to a shimmy by pressing down with the ball of your foot (same side as working hip) into the floor with each bump.

Knee Shimmy - bend knees- Alternate moving knees back and forth. While one knee is bent, the other is almost straight, but not completely locked.  Your knees will feel like they are running back and forth.   Gradually increase your speed. (common in belly dance)

Hip Drop Shimmy - timing = 1 2+a, 3 4+a Start by practicing hip drops. Raise your hip up and lower it on the accent. They are the opposite of hip bumps. Now stand on one foot while you do hip drops with your opposite hip. After practicing that, try the hip drop shimmy pattern: On 1: Drop hip and it springs back up. On 2: Gently swing hip to the other side- could be slide or gentle bump. On +: Gently swing hip to the other side again. On a: Gently swing hip to the other side again and higher up until you're ready for 1 or 3, to start over again. So "a" blends into "1" or "3." On 1 and 3, make sure your weight is on the foot that is opposite to the hip that is up. During "2+a," you will slowly shift your weight to the opposite foot.
     Overturned Hip Drop Shimmy - Turn 90 degrees on 1 and 3, so that the hip that is up will be in front. I do this move in my Pitbull Krazy routine, seen on YouTube.

Bounce Shimmy= Bend and almost straighten (but do not lock) your knees at the same time so that your body goes up and down. The movement is very small so you can do it as fast as you can.  Everything will shake, even your cheeks.

Hip Twist Shimmy - described in hip twist section of "How can I get more hip/pelvic movement?" (Hips are rotating around spine. Notice how your legs and knees are turning with your hips.)
     Double Hip Twist Shimmy Do two hip twists on each side, but make the second a gentle reverb of the first. Start backward and accent as the twist comes forward. Tap the foot on the first twist (same foot as hip). Keep the foot pointed in the same direction as the knee, which moves along with your hip. Expose your inner thigh toward your imaginary audience in front of you.

Football Run - I've seen football players do this for warmup. Start running in place. Take away in hop of jump so that your head is not going up and down (it stays flat). Gradually move your feet faster and faster. It will make your booty feel like jiggly jello. You could keep your booty tucked in or stick it out during this move, depending on the look you want. If you stick it out, make sure you keep your abs pulled in tight and your chest up. Otherwise, you could hurt your back.

Hip & Chest Slide Shimmy - Timing - 1+2, 3+4 (accent on 1, 3) Slide your chest right left right, left right left, so the accent is on the bold print word. "+2" will be a reverb of the accent, much gentler. At the same time, do a hip slide in the opposite direction of your chest slide: left right left, right left right

Shoulder Shimmy - explained in "How can I get more chest movement?"

Wow! That's a lot of different types of shimmies. You could probably make up one of your own now! All you need are the basic elements taught in my hip and chest blogs.

Advanced Chest Movements

2011-11-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

If you've already mastered the 3 basic chest movements I described in "How to get more chest movement," then you're in the right place. Now let's discuss
chest circles, chest V's, U's and chest figure 8's. The visual and audio are in the video "Advanced Chest Movements." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqCGqtYh9I

Chest Circles
     Chest circles are a combination of chest slides and chest pops. You can do a vertical or a horizontal circle.
     vertical chest circle
          Start by sliding your chest to the right.  Second, do a chest pop from this position, rather than from neutral. Third, while your chest is still popped up, slide your chest to the left. Fourth, while your chest is still left, lower it, but don't slouch or round your back.  Finally, slide to the right until you come to neutral, or repeat. Repeat to the other side. Start slow and choppy. Gradually, pick up speed and smooth all your transitions until your chest circle is fluid.
     horizontal chest circle
          Again start by sliding your chest to the right. Second, overtend your chest pop forward so that you can feel your shoulder blades squeezing behind you. Third, slide left, Fourth, slouch or round out your back. Finally, slide right and repeat.

Chest V's or U's
     Chest V's are caused by a chest slide and chest pop happening simultaneously. However, rather than going straight up or straight to the side, take your chest diagonally up, then diagonally down back to neutral. Repeat on the other side.
     Chest U's rounder at the bottom, caused by a small amount of chest slide at the bottom of your U.

Chest Figure 8's
     Side figure 8's look like monkey arms or snake arms. Your chest slides to the right, then side slumps gently downward, then slides diagonally up to the left, then side slumps slightly downward. Repeat. Your ribcage leads the movement, and your arms follow. The order of movement is ribcage, elbow, wrist, fingers
     Backward figure 8's with shoulder rolls are common in Zumba. They combine chest slide with chest twist. Trying sliding and twisting simultaneosly. It's much easier if you roll your shoulders backward at the same time.
     There are also horizontal and vertical chest figure 8's, but these are seldom used in Zumba. They are related to the horizontal and vertical chest circles. Draw a figure 8 with your chest, rather than a circle.

Body rolls
   Body rolls are a combination of chest and hip/pelvic movement and explained in http://zumba-sheila-blog-learn.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-do-body-roll-and-corkscrew.html

How can I get more chest movement?

2011-10-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

Moving the chest is new to many dance exercise or Zumba students. It's not uncommon to see students moving their arms or hips instead, when they're trying to move their chest. Some women think they can't see their chest movement because they have small chests. The truth is, you don't need a large chest to move it, chest size has nothing to do with the skeleton and muscles that are moving the chest, so even a flat chested person can achieve dramatic chest movement. Three basic chest movements are described below and shown on the video. http://www.youtube.com/user/SheilaLebedenko#p/u/6/phHF__qdvU0
I will also show stretches for these 3 basic movements. The more flexible you become with these 3 stretches, the more dramatic your chest movement will be. These 3 basic movements can also be combined to make chest circles, figure 8's, and V's. Actually, you can use your chest to draw any letter in the alphabet!

Chest pop (forward and back)
     Try using the imagery of sitting in a chair to learn how to pop your chest. Most people love to slump while sitting. So grab a chair. Then slump, and sit up straight. Slump, sit straight, slump, sit straight. Keep repeating. Focus on what is happening to your chest as you do this natural movement. Your pelvis will also move, but just focus on your chest for now. This practice focuses on the backward part of the chest pop (from neutral to backward,) which is the easiest for new students to understand. The next part, lying on the floor, will focus on the front part of the chest pop.
     Now try lying on your back on the floor. In a neutral position, you should not be able to fit your hand under your midback (where the lady's bra strap is). Now lift your mid back just enough to place your hand underneath. Switch back and forth between these two positions several times. Notice your chest and back moving. This practice takes you from neutral to chest pop forward. Imagine how you will do the same movement standing up.
     Now try the chest pop standing up. Imagine a string is tied to your sternum. Now pull it forward. To reverse the movement, imagine using your finger to poke your sternum backward.
When your sternum is moving forward, think about squeezing your shoulder blades together. When your sternum is moving backward, think about stretching your shoulder blades apart. You can pass through neutral each time, especially in a more energetic dance, or you can stop at neutral and only do the front part of the chest pop (belly dance style)
     After you've come this far, you can add arms. For a dramatic look, You could pull your arms backward as your chest moves forward, and vice versa. You could also do chest fly arms where your arms come apart as your chest moves forward and back together as your chest moves backward.
    A great stretch to improve your chest pop can be done at the bar or holding on to the back of a sturdy chair. First, stand with your back to the bar. Place your arms behind you, holding on to the bar. Imagine you are at the tip of the Titanic, flying in the breeze. Let your sternum fall forward. Let your shoulder blades squeeze behind you. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Now turn around and face the bar. Holding on to the bar, keep your pelvis forward, but let your midback fall straight backward. You can also do these two stretches on your hands and knees as a reverse cat stretch and a cat stretch.

Chest slide (or ribcage slide) (side to side)
     First, assume a side lying position on the floor. Prop yourself up with your forearm. Your shoulder will pop up, and gravity will let the downward side of your ribcage stretch to the floor. Consciously lower your shoulder so your neck is lengthened. This is the position you are seeking when you are vertical, without the assistance of gravity. For an exercise, lift your ribcage to neutral and return to downward position, repeating several times. Then repeat on the other side. Feel the difference between your ribcage stretched to the side and the neutral position that you're always in. When you are lying down, the stretched position is easier, due to gravity. Many people who think they can't chest slide standing up do it fine lying down. But if you can do it lying down, you can do it standing up! Transfer the feeling from a horizontal to vertical position.
     Now try it standing up. Imagine a string is tied to your ribs, one on each side, right where a woman's bra would be. Remember your floor work and imagine someone is pulling the string to the right, then the left. The hips should not move.
     One student couldn't chest slide side to side until I asked her to keep her arms straight and reach to the right, then the left. Then she did it. If that helps you, try it! Once you can do it, you can try different arm movements along with it, such as bending your arms at the elbow and extending your opposite arm away from the direction of chest movement.

Chest twist (or shoulder shimmy)
Many students think we're shaking and showing off our goodies during this move, but it's actually a spinal movement. Of course, your breasts will go along for the ride. Imagine a coffee cup holder on your spinal vertebra, midback, where a lady's bra strap would be. Imagine someone is turning the holder, making your chest and shoulders twist from side to side. Your chest and shoulders will rotate around your spine. You probably do this all the time while driving and backing up out of your driveway (twisting to the right), unless you have a rearview camera and never look backward! Technology can make us lazy! Start with slow, small movements. Gradually make the movements bigger. Then gradually make them faster. As you get faster, the movements will get smaller for want of time. The fast movement is called a shoulder shimmy.
     You can stretch to prepare for chest twists by sitting in your chair, holding on to the back, and twisting to look over each shoulder.

Advanced chest movements (next blog entry)
     Chest circles
     Chest V's, U's
     Sideways Figure 8's
     Backward/Forward Figure 8's

How can I get more hip and pelvic movement?

2011-10-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Every student wants to move their hips and pelvis like the instructor. Here are the directions you need, but remember, besides know-how, you need flexibility. So always stretch your hips after your workout, when your muscles are warm, for increased flexibility at your next dance session.  At the end of each hip movement section below, I have included a stretch that goes with it. I will also show the movement on a skeletal hip joint model in the video http://www.youtube.com/user/SheilaLebedenko?feature=mhee#p/u/6/UpmOsE8yE8A

Hip bump
     This is extremely common in Zumba, in almost every type of rhythm. Bring the femur or thigh bone up into the hip socket. Imagine you're bored, waiting at the bus stop.
     While we could do this with straight legs for a particular look, we usually bend our knees to do this movement.
     Most students do well up to here, but I seldom see a student who couldn't learn from the next suggestion.
Focus on the foot of the hip you want to bump up and press down with the ball of that foot into floor. While everyone sees your hip going up, up, up, you should actually be thinking "My foot is going down, down, down." This alone will increase your hip movement and caloric output significantly.
     After you've put your miles into practicing the hip bump and feel confident with your hip bump, an advanced ad-on is to focus on your the side of your chest opposite to your working hip. You'll look more dramatic by working your chest in opposition to your hip. For example, a right hip bump happens at the same time as a rib cage slide to the left.
     A great stretch to work on your hip bump is an s-shaped cleopatra pose. Make sure your nose is alligned over your navel; that's how you know you're standing up straight.

Hip slide
     This reminds me of a motorized Santa Claus display figure that moves its hips from side to side to beckon you into the Christmas ornament shop.
     The most common mistake I have seen with the hip slide is that students will do a chest slide instead, or a hip slide when they're supposed to be doing the chest slide.
     To learn the hip slide, try doing a simple side plank on the floor. Hold up only your side with your forearm. Leave your hip and legs on the floor. Now lift up only your hip to make the side plank a little more difficult. Release and lift. This is a hip slide. Try it on both sides and memorize the feeling so you can repeat it standing up.
     When standing up, imagine someone someone is pulling a string attached to side of your hip, one side at a time. And remember that when you slide to the right, your body weight transfers slightly more to your right foot, and vice versa.
     A great stretch to work on your hip slide is to stand with your left side to the bar, left arm extended, feet under your arm pits - or close to it. Raise your right arm over your head and point your right hand toward the wall with the bar. Let your entire right side stretch to the right, like it's falling away from the bar. Even your hip will slide to the right, just like in a hip slide. Your right arm stretching to the left will counterbalance your right hip moving right, so you won't fall over. Repeat on both sides.

Hip twist
     This is common in belly dance. Try practicing on the floor first. Lie on your left side with your knees together, right left on top of left leg. Then bring your right knee forward onto the floor. Now bring your right knee back to neutral (on top of the left knee) and then backward till it is several inches above and to the right of your left knee. Repeat on the other side and memorize the feeling so you can do it standing up.

     To me a hip twist feels like rolling a snake out of play-doh. My hips are the play doh. Imagine there is a coffee cup holder on one of your lower spinal vertebrae. Then someone uses the holder to turn you from side to side. Try to isolate your lower body; keep your upper body still while learning the movement. Your waist will be turning and working. Even your thighs and knees will turn gently. Your feet will gently roll from side to side and give you a wonderful foot massage if you focus on pressing them (not the toes- don't curl your toes) into the floor  But try not to move your hands (unless you're imagining rolling the play-doh snake.)
     A great stretch for your hip twist is to sit on the floor, lets straight in front of you. Raise one knee and cross over the other leg so that you knee touches the floor. Feel the twist. Repeat on the other side.

Hip rotator
     This is common in samba and hip hop and any Latin move where you want to make an extreme figure 8 movement. Overall, students seem to be successful at the basic movement, turning the leg from side to side at the hip joint. But I have both a safety tip and a power tip:
     safety - Always keep your knee and toes pointing in the same direction! Some people think they can't do this move because it will hurt their knees, but this movement has nothing to do with the knees- it just looks like it does. Only your hip rotator is moving, not your knees. If you don't keep your knees aligned with your toes, you could torque your knee. This safety tip is much easier to follow if you have proper shoes, with smooth, low tread soles and a pivot point, such as Nike Musique or Ryka Transitions.
     power - Since you're usually only in class for an hour, let's not waste any time with floppy, lower calorie burning movements. Press the ball of your foot (keep your toes up, not curled) into the floor as it twists from side to side, as if you want to squish a cockroach. You'll use your muscles more, make more dramatic movements and have better control over your movement to protect your knees if you follow the "cockroach" advice. There is a Latin dance movement called the "cucaracha," which is based on this piece of technique.

Pelvic rock
     The pelvic rock is very common in Zumba! You'll need this to do a body roll, which I'll explain in another blog post. Some consider the pelvic rock "dirty" or inappropriate. This is unfortunate because it's an extremely healthy movement and great for you back and abs. Don't be ashamed. Those who don't practice moving their pelvis will only grow older faster.
     Practice on a chair. Sit up straight. Then slouch. Go back and forth between these two movements. Everyone knows how to do both of those, though they may slouch more than sit straight! After a minute, try to focus on the pelvis and less on the chest. Slouching involves lowering your chest too, but try to isolate just pelvic movement. Memorize the feeling of your pelvic movement by repeating several times.
     Practice on the floor. Relax and notice how you can place you hand under the small of your back. Now the bottom of your pelvis is tilted back and the top is tilted forward. Now press the small of your back into the floor so that your hand can't fit underneath anymore. (This is the correct position for abdominal work by the way.) Go back and forth between these 2 positions. Memorize the feeling in your muscle memory so that you can do the same movement standing up.
     Variation: If I swing my upper body back and forth and the same time as the pelvic movement (upper body forward when the bottom of the pelvis goes back and vice versa), I'll get a different look that really engages the ab muscles. I use it a lot for calypso or even hip hop.

Knee raise/swing back
     Your hip joint lets you move your knee up and down as well. I won't focus on that because students are generally great at it! Just lift your knees higher to get more workout!  Hug your knee up to your chest for a good stretch. The opposite, swinging your knee backward will stretch your hip flexor. Grab your foot behind you and feel a great stretch through your thigh and hip flexor.

Conclusion
     Yes, there's a lot of information here. The video, coming soon, will help you by letting you watch segments over and over to practice. This blog entry will be the script for my video. In another blog entry, I will show advanced hip movements that involve combinations of the above elements, such as circles, figure 8's and shimmies. Let me know if you have any questions.

Why do I get abdominal cramps during Zumba?

2011-10-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

Several students have asked me what to do about cramps that start in the middle of Zumba. That's the last thing you want. You're here to have fun and get a workout, not get sick! If I eat too much too close to Zumba, I will cramp. If I have a class at 6:30PM, I eat half of my dinner (the non-fatty, digestible part) at 5PM, the other half after Zumba. But students who follow this rule still get cramps. Gyration will speed up your digestive process and bowel movements. It's not uncommon to have to run to the bathroom in the middle of class. If it's not your bowels calling, Some will say cramps arise because you're not breathing rhythmically, or you're dehydrated or you didn't stretch enough, or get enough potassium.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5476768_abdominal-cramps-exercise.html
Perhaps lactic acid built up. Any of these could be your culprit. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_happening_in_your_body_when_muscles_burn_or_develop_cramps_during_strenuous_exercise
However, I can tell you, if it's none of the above, it's lack of control at the core. Hold those abs in. Otherwise, you'll be shaking up your internal organs as well as your external goodies. If I let my stomach hang out and still did all those shimmies, I'd get cramps too. Yes, you can still breathe while you're holding your abs in. Hold your abs in all day too, not just for dancing. Develop the habit! Controlling your abs will save your back too!