Belly dancing is a Middle Eastern dance style that is over 5,000 years old. According to Middle Eastern dance choreographer Rania Androniki Bossonis in her book, "Bellydancing for Fitness: The Sexy Art That Tones Your Abs, Butt, and Thighs," belly dancing is a beneficial workout to develop and tone your core and abdominal region. Doing specific exercises for belly dancing can enhance your ability to belly dance and also increase your overall fitness.
Basic Push and Pull
This exercise helps you develop control of all your abdominal muscles, which is necessary to perform the belly roll, one of the basic movements in belly dancing. Stand sideways next to a mirror so you can observe the movements of your abdomen. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and relax your shoulders. Inhale to expand your ribcage and push your stomach out as far as possible. Now exhale and pull your stomach in by contracting your abdominal muscles without rounding your chest or shoulders. Pull your stomach in as tightly as you can.
Belly Flutter
The belly flutter is a shimmying exercise for your belly that involves moving your diaphragm without breathing for a short period. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Exhale and empty all the air from your lungs and abdomen. Push your diaphragm in and out very quickly without breathing in. This is a difficult movement that requires a lot of abdominal control. You may be able to perform only five repetitions in the beginning. Work your way up to 15 repetitions over time.
Rib Cage Isolation
This exercise targets your rectus abdominus and oblique muscles. Stand with your feet together. Place your hands on your hips, with your fingers pointing toward the floor. Move your ribcage to the left by shifting the weight of your upper body to the left, then move back to center and to the right using the same type of motion. Focus on isolating just your rib cage, and don't move your hips.
Horizontal Figure Eight
The horizontal figure eight targets and tones the lower part of your abdomen. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Raise your arms out to your sides, just below shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Lean forward with your right hip then twisting that hip diagonally to the left and back around to your starting position. Then perform the same motion with your left hip, leaning forward then twisting your hip diagonally to the right and back to your starting position. The motion should seem like you are tracing an imaginary figure eight on the floor with your hips.
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