Module Seven: Arabic Latin

Aladdin Arms: Place the palm of your left hand on the back of your head just behind your left ear. Extend your right arm out to your right side at shoulder level. Alternate.

Genie Arms: Place you’re the back of your right hand against your right temple and hold your left arm out in front of you at shoulder height with the palm of your left hand facing the floor. Alternate.

Shoulder Bump: Thrust one shoulder forward while pulling the other shoulder back. Do not think of it as shaking your boobs, but as shaking your shoulders (the breasts will come along for the ride). You can break this down so you repeat a thrust forward or back on the same shoulder.

Hip Work

Single Hip Hits: Stand with feet parallel about hip width apart with soft knees. Shift your weight to the right side and slightly bend that knee, now quickly straighten the right knee as you squeeze the right glute. Transfer your weight to your left side and slightly bend that knee, now quickly straighten the left knee and you squeeze the left glute. Repeat on alternate sides.

Half Moon – Crescent Hip Drop: Stand with 80% of your weight on the left foot and 20% of your weight on the ball of your right foot and your hip forward and down. Lift the right hip up, arc it backwards and drop it down. Lift the right hip up, arc it forwards and drop. Repeat on other side.

Mayas: Standing with your knees soft and feet underneath your hips and without tilting, lift your right hip up and step your right foot out to the side just beyond hip distance. Lift your left hip up and step your left foot out to the side. Repeat.

Horizontal Figure 8: With your knees bent and feet hip width apart, push your left hip forward to your left diagonal and draw it out and backwards on the left creating a semi-circle. When your hip is centred again, take the right hip forward to the right diagonal and draw it backwards on the right to create a semi-circle. With practice you will be able to isolate this movement so that it stays below the waist.

1 ½ Hip Circle: Stand with feet in parallel and hip width apart with both knees slightly bent. Shift your left hip out to the left and draw it backwards and to the right, then forwards and to the left, then backwards and to the right again.

Travelling Step

Front & Back Step: Stand with your feet together. Step forward on your right foot, pick your left foot up and place it down on the same spot, step back on your right foot. Repeat. Step forward on your left foot, pick your right foot up and place it down on the same spot, step back on your left foot. Repeat.

This is a useful travelling step and can be performed on the spot, to take your forward (emphasis on the forward step) or back (emphasis on the backward step), or to either side (cross the forward step over the opposite foot).

Basic Walk: Start by stepping forward with your right foot and then bring your left foot forward, just touching the ball of the foot to the floor and lift your hip forward by pushing against the floor. Step on to the left foot and then touch the ball of the right foot to the floor and lift the hip forward by pushing against the floor. Step on to the right foot. Continue to repeat this sequence, step and touch and step and touch. You can use this to walk forward or backward.

Queen Of Sheeba Walk: You may hold your arms in a soft "v" or just out to the sides. To do the actual walk is very simple, it's like walking with a reverse horizontal figure eight. Step forward with the right foot and make half of the figure eight, now step forward with the left foot and make the other half of the figure eight. There shouldn't be any pausing and the moves should be fluid and flow into each other. Walk normally, no stepping and pausing or pivoting (unless that's part of the choreography). This should be done on the balls of your feet. Keep you head held up high.

½ Pivot Turn: Stand in basic position facing forward. Step forward on your right foot (lead foot) and take your left shoulder back so that your body faces the left wall. Using your left foot as your pivot and taking your left shoulder back, make a ½ turn, pointing your right foot to the back wall and your body now faces the right wall. Try extending the same arm as the lead foot when stepping forward. Repeat on the other side.

Cha Cha: Step the right foot forward and across the left foot so that 90% of your weight is on the right foot. Step on the ball of the left foot in place. Step the right foot back to its original position. Bring the left foot to the right foot and quickly step the right foot out to the right side. Repeat on the opposite side.

Travelling Hip Circle: Place your feet about hip width apart and then place your right foot silghtly forward of your left foot. Now do a small circle. When the weight is on the left foot step to the side with the right foot. When the weight is on the right foot, step to the right with you left foot. Don't step too far out.