Quick wins!

Quick and easy lessons and drills, for when you just have a few moments!

There are two videos for each drill. The first video explains what we’re going to do and teaches good technique. The second video is the drill on its own. This means that once you’ve watched the explanation video you can just do the drill without having to sit through the explanation each time!

Tips for better shimmy technique

Basic shimmy drill

How to move your shimmies

Moving shimmies drill

How to do mayas up and down

Mayas practice (intermediate)

Advanced mayas (explanation)

Advanced mayas drill

Preparation for drum solo (explanation)

Preparation for drum solo (drill through)

Feet and legs (teaching)

Feet and legs (drill through)

Egyptian walks (teaching)

Egyptian walks drill

Arms and hips challenge (teaching)

Arms and hips challenge (drill)

8 thoughts on “Quick wins”

  1. Hi Charlotte
    Any tips for how to loosen my knee replacement(right leg) when doing moving shimmies. Especially circles and on one leg, then the other, then both together. The muscle above the knee goes Very tight.
    I am fine shimming facing foreword and keeping my weight foreword or in the middle of my feet. Not good taking the weight back though. Thank you ?

    1. Hi Pauline, I’m there with you! My second knee definitely doesn’t behave and like yours it goes tight when I shimmy towards the back. In fact I don’t know if you’ve seen the 4th intermediate lesson, but it happened to me when I was doing the shimmy drill and I talked about it in the lesson.

      As for what we do about it, it’s a tricky one. It will probably get easier as time goes on if we keep working at it (working at relaxing it that is!) But it probably will always be a bit iffy. To be honest, most dancers, if they have injuries they have to make allowances for those injuries. For example our male lead dancer in Scheherazade had major knee surgery following several knee dislocations, so he always did things on the good side, and avoided the injured side.

      So in your case I would say, don’t worry about doing single leg shimmies or circles – concentrate on the things that come more easily.

      I hope that helps!

      1. Hi Charlotte
        That is a great help …yes l did see the 4th intermediate lesson where your knee went tight. I will keep working at the shimmies , like you sometimes they are better than others…after having my knee surgery you did the shimmy challenge and that kept me sane and helped my knee, and made me realise l could not give up dancing…. challenged me to get back to class…and as l love to shimmy !!!

  2. Emma Wheate-Price

    Charlotte, LOVE this leg drill thank you so much! As you know my problem with my knee stems from my body alignment meaning I have slightly “knock knees” and so having to turn out and ensure my knee is over my toes for this drill really helps whilst also strengthening my thigh muscles too – great one!

  3. Hi Charlotte – why is it that some days shimmies are much better than others ! I sometimes find if I have done a lot of other types of exercise they don’t seem to be so good at all !

    1. Hi Bev! I think that shimmies are actually quite challenging for the legs – more than we might realise. So if you’ve done a lot of exercise your legs might well just be tired!

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