Middle Eastern Dance
Lying on Back Floor Work Moves
This page lists descriptions of the various floor work movements done lying in the back variations.

Inch Worm
This is a movement that is not seen very often and requires a lot of muscle control.  I have only seen it used twice, but
it was very gracefully done both times and worked very well with each of the choreographies.  Lying on your back with
your feet crossed, start by lifting your chest off the floor squeezing the shoulderblades slightly, allow the head to stay
on the floor, your body should be lifted so that you are resting on the tops of the shoulders and the back of the neck.
When you lift your chest flex whichever foot is on the bottom, the foot on top will always remain quiet.  This is where it
can get tricky; roll down your spine lifting your whole body off the floor for the smallest millisecond.  Make sure that
you roll the small of your back down or the movement will not look fluid.  When your entire body is in the air your
weight will be on the tops of your shoulders and the heel of whichever foot you have on the bottom.  Also, as you roll
down your spine your legs will be picking up the slack the very last thing you do is to straighten them out and begin
again.  I recommend practicing this a lot, to get it right.  If it's done incorrectly it will just look ridiculous.

Stomach Rolls
Doing the stomach rolls while lying on your back can be very dramatic but is not seen very often.  It feels pretty much
the same as doing it standing up.  In either direction simply contract the diaphragm and the lower abdominal's and
then release them in alternation i.e. in, in, out, out, or out, out, in, in.  This is not done for long periods of time.  If
attempting a coin trick you will want to prop youself up on your elbows.

Stomach Flutters
Doing the stomach flutters while lying on your back can be very dramatic but is not seen very often.  It feels pretty
much the same as doing it standing up.  Simply contract the diaphragm and then release it, the lower stomach will
come along for the ride.  This is not done for long periods of time.
Red Series #1. (2005). Acrylic on canvas by Cassandra Strand.
Red Series #1. Cassandra Strand