Remember that one has to keep the mind motivated while learning something new. Belly dance takes time and practice, but you also don’t want to go into this new art of dancing at a 100mph. Balance the mind and body.

When I first purchased my belly dance DVD, I thought I needed to wear something that complimented the workout. The kid in me wanted to buy all the needed gear before starting my lessons. Reality soon kicked in and I realized that I needed to first be comfortable and confident before taking any further steps.

Hopefully, you decided to try the DVD with nothing on your feet. This is different from other workouts or other dances where shoes are a necessity. Belly dance looks better with nothing on the feet. Besides, most of the instructors on the DVDs have their feet exposed while doing the movements. Belly dancers usually do movements on the balls of their feet or feet grounded to the floor. For example, an instructor may demonstrate a shimmy on her tip toes. She may also demonstrate a hip lift, with one foot grounded, while lifting the heel of her other foot.

Wear comfortable workout pants. Pants that are designed for Yoga, are great for belly dance. You can look for bell bottom looking pants at any dance store. That flare look is what I’m really trying to get at. Now the pants can either cover your waist or hug the hips. It is all about you. Besides, most of the instructors on the DVDs wear sexy looking dance pants. Only in the bonus features do you see them wear the actual belly dance costume.

If you want to wear shorts, that is fine. However, if you are like me where your inner thighs are your enemies, then wear the pants. Most belly dance moves do not require wide stances. In other words, you will have your feet shoulder width apart. The inner thighs can be a problem; believe me!

No t-shirts. This is your time to feel sexy and liberated. You may want to start off with a nice tank top that is snug around your body. As you progress, you will want to venture into wearing a sports bra to expose your beautiful abs.

You will do your DVDs over and over again. Once in awhile, stand in front of a mirror, think about some of the moves you learned, and in your tank top or sports bra, do some of those moves. With your stomach exposed, you will see how your abdominal muscles take part in moving your hips and your chest. Wearing a long t-shirt does not give that benefit and will not do you justice. You want to see your progress.

So far we have covered the feet, pants and tops. How about those hips scarves? Of course! Those hip wraps that have gold, silver or bronze colored coins sewn on them, is what I am referring to. Because belly dance is rapidly becoming popular, you may find belly dance hip scarves at a retail store in the mall. The internet is the best place to look for them. Prices range from nine dollars to as much as seventy!

Please don’t make the mistake of getting too excited and purchase your first hip scarf from a man or woman who sells them out of a plastic bag. I remember when I attended my first belly dance class and a woman was selling several of them that she made. All were in a big plastic bag. She sold me a black, belly dance hip scarf with gold coins for forty dollars. The coins and the threading came apart so quick!

Make sure the quality of the hip scarf is good. The color of the thread should match the color of the material (she sewed the coin on the black material with green thread). These hip scarves should last a long time and you want them to, since you may want to add them to your future belly dance costumes. A coin falling off here and there is not a bad thing. Pick them up and sew them back on.

Wearing a hip scarf during your belly dance lesson or workout is so much fun. When you move your hips doing shimmies or twists, you will hear the coins make great noise. The sound the coins make while you are dancing are also important, in that if you are truly isolating your chest, your coins should be silent. When you are moving your hips and there is no noise, then that is an indicator that you need to put more umpf into your hips.

At an aerobics class or jogging at the park, you probably would wear your hair up in a ponytail. Your hair is beautiful, so let it down while you dance. Notice that most of the dancers have their hair down while they teach the moves. Likewise, you should have it down to give you that sexy feeling. Observe how some of the dancers look with their hair down, while doing fast turns or spins. Isn’t it beautiful? Stand in front of the mirror and see for yourself.

You are comfortable and confident during your workout, and you should feel like that afterwards. Reward yourself for your efforts. Wear that sexy dress or those nice shoes. Put on a hot, red lipstick, and show off your sexy hips to the rest of the world!