75 Belly Dance Steps with Cory Zamora

10 Reasons to Love this Video

by Dorothea Barth
1059 words

While living in Fresno, California between 2000 and 2003, I had the pleasure of taking some belly dance lessons with Cory Zamora, a masterful teacher who has dedicated her career to dance.  Having enjoyed belly dance with various teachers and in miscellaneous workshops over the decades, I was drawn to Cory's repertory of standing steps. I was immediately impressed by the clarity of her teaching and her organized approach to presenting and explaining a huge repertory of belly dance moves. I always appreciated the time I spent with Cory and carefully tucked away the list of classic belly dance steps she provided.

            In recent years, Cory has embraced the teaching power of video and has made numerous DVD lessons available, the most recent of which is 75 Belly Dance Steps with Cory Zamora. Recollecting our standing step lessons, I was eager to purchase this video and was not disappointed. Below are 10 reasons to love this video.

1.         Cory provides a generous 2 hours of comprehensive standing step instructions, with an accompanying step list. All of the steps on the list are surveyed in the video, which also includes a 9/8 section (not on the list), a delightful drum solo section, and as a bonus, several sections that appear to be Skype lessons and that serve to reinforce some of the steps previously introduced.

2.         Cory presents these steps in a straightforward manner. This video does not try to win over the viewer by the romance of costuming. It is assumed that those who want to learn its teachings already have an acquaintance with and fondness for belly  dance.  Therefore, the impressively fit Cory Zamora is dressed in leotards--no, not even a hip scarf. She thereby removes the mystery (which is, after all, more for the audience than the serious dance student to experience), clearly showing us the mechanics of each step.

3.         Cory counts the steps. I cannot express fully enough my appreciation of this aspect of her teaching. Indeed, I've never had a teacher who counts as relentlessly as Cory (who is also a musician) does. Although I've taken lessons with some prominent teachers in the 1970's and 1980's, I frequently became confused because the steps, having different durations (like eighth, quarter, and half notes in music), didn't seem to match the beat. Likely, I couldn't take it all in at the time; this was frustrating to my sense of logic, and I wasted many an hour obsessing over my confusion. Cory 's counting clarifies each step by matching it to the beat.

4.         Cory encourages the use of finger cymbals, so much part of the identity of belly dance in the 1970's. Alas, whether for stylistic reasons or simply because they represent an added challenge, cymbal playing has often been neglected in succeeding decades. You will definitely enjoy Cory's cymbal playing, which is both solid and inventive.

5.        Cory's step repertory is often introduced without accompaniment. The steps are then presented with cymbals only, and then accompanied with cymbals and classic or contemporary belly dance music. Cory frequently demonstrates how the steps may be creatively combined.  These segments show Cory's strength both as a teacher and as a performer.

6.         Cory's teaching includes 2/4, 4/4, 6/8, and 9/8 steps. The 9/8 (karsilama) section, though not on the list, is particularly interesting and includes anecdotes about colorful folkloric gestures of the 9/8 repertory.

7.         Cory presents other fascinating folkloric steps and gestures that dance students may not be familiar with. Even for those who have elsewhere encountered some of these moves, this presentation can serve as a recap of the steps and will most likely improve them. Where applicable, Cory includes anecdotes about the origin of some of the moves or where she learned them.

8.         Cory offers recommendations about which steps are basic and therefore important building blocks of the dance, and which should be used more sparingly, later in the dance, or in confined restaurant situations.

9.         Cory provides explanations of transitions, weight changes, and punctuation. Have you ever learned a step and then wondered why your version didn't look quite as charming or dramatic as the teacher's or performer's step? By mastering transition and punctuation, you will become a more musical dancer, learning to incorporate elements of grace, surprise, and whimsy in your dance.

10.       Cory, who herself has studied with pioneering belly dance instructors of the 1960's and 1970's, conveys her love and respect for belly dance in its classic form--timeless as Cory herself.  There was indeed something special about the dance as I first saw it performed by fine dancers in the 1970’s. Dancers and their public were jointly discovering belly dance, which resulted in great synergy. Ever-evolving styles, over-fusion, a scarcity of live music and improvisation, a decrease in intimate, creative public dance venues, and a slackening of enthusiasm and support for dancers by the general public--all of these factors have diminished the prevalence of this classic style.  Seeing Cory teach and dance these steps brought back the beauty of "old school" belly dance for me.

This video is ambitious in scope. By simply watching it once or twice, one cannot master and integrate 75 steps of a rich, diverse dance vocabulary . Cory's survey of the standing step repertory should therefore be visited time and time again, and for beginning dancers, used in conjunction with some of the other videos available from her website.  For those aiming toward mastery of this repertory, Cory provides private or class instruction at her Fresno studio. She is also available for dance intensives or via Skype. It is worthwhile to take ample time to appreciate and absorb these steps. Only then can you integrate them in your own eloquent dance and make them your own.

If you are seeking a video with multiple camera angles, fantasy surroundings, or glamorous costuming, this one may not be for you. But if you prefer a challenging learning video high in content, with a comprehensive and clear presentation of more standing belly dance moves and variations than you imagined existed, 75 Belly Dance Steps with Cory Zamora is a great choice.

Cory's dance videos are available for purchase from her website: www.bellydancingbyzamoras.com

Dorothea Barth is a writer and musician currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having just celebrated a milestone birthday, she may be ready to take up belly dance again.