Floor Work

One part of pole dance that people love to try is floor work. The thing is, they often don’t know what to do once they get down there.

So, today’s post is a lesson on one of my favorite floor moves from belly dance, the Cleopatra. It’s sexy and seductive, and accentuates every delicious curve.

Starting Position

To start the Cleopatra, you want to be lying on your side, toes pointed. The knee touching the floor should be bent at a 90 degree angle, pointing behind you. Prop yourself up on your elbow, being sure to keep your hand lying gently and unclenched on the floor in front of you.

The Motion

The key to doing the Cleopatra is to focus on your hips. If you see it done in anything other than a long skirt, your eyes will likely be drawn to the movement of the legs and feet. This movement can be lovely to look at, but if you want to learn how to do it, tell your eyes to ignore all that and focus on the hips.

The motion for the Cleopatra comes from letting your hip fall forward and then bringing it back, accentuating the movement to give as much of a figure-eight shape to it as possible. As you do this, your feet and legs will naturally move along with your hip, but if you focus on those movements, you won’t get the move.

Instead, focus on your hips and let your legs and feet follow. If you lose the movement or have trouble finding it in the first place, just breathe, focus on your hips, and start again.

Here’s a Video to Show You How To Do the Cleopatra

Variations

Once you get the hang of the Cleopatra, you can begin to play with it. Try propping yourself on your wrist, not your elbow. Play with your hair. Use willowy arm movements. Try different facial expressions. Play with costuming – anything accentuating your hip line will look fabulous for this move.

When to Use It

Use the Cleopatra any time you want to stay on the floor for a bit, instead of continuing up to dance on the pole. After a spin that lands on the floor – say, a backwards stag – simply unwind off the pole by rolling to your side, and then begin. You can also incorporate it after any dismount from a climb or invert.

Mastering the Cleopatra

The Cleopatra takes some practice. You’re going for nuance with this move; it requires patience and a deep connection with your body. Just breathe into the movement, feel into your hips, and aim for curves. If your hip is just clunking up and down (which it will, at first), stop, breathe, and try again.

You’ll get there!

If you liked this article, you might also like to learn how to do a Reverse Horizontal Figure Eight. And, if you need help jazzing up your movements, consider treating yourself – and your dancing – to private coaching.