What the expert says...

Josephine Wise is one of the world's top exponents of belly-dancing. She has danced extensively throughout the UK, Europe, Egypt and the Middle East, including regular functions for Arabic royal families. She runs classes and teacher training through her school, the Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance.

Practise isolating the abdominals

Standard ab exercises, such as sit-ups, don't isolate the abs in the way you need for belly dance. You need to stand in front of a mirror to practise 'rolling' the muscles - that is, contracting them in sequence, mainly from top to bottom. To begin with, you'll find this tricky. You can also practise lying face down on the floor, leaning on your elbows, so you can look down at your abs in action.
Express yourself

Try not to be selfconscious when you are dancing - put your own personality and emotion into it, like all the great dancers do. In fact, many women find the environment of a belly-dance class a safe and amazing way of expressing themselves.

Go figure

Figure eights, in which the hips trace the figure eight, are a wonderful move for giving muscle tone and shape around the waist. Bring your left hip forward, then take it out to the side and around to the back before coming back to centre and going straight into the same move with the right hip. It's important to be clear about which direction you're aiming for, and to watch yourself in a mirror. Remember to lead with the hips, not the abdomen.

Use your arms

Beautiful arm movements complete the picture, but some of the traditional arm moves don't come naturally. I'd recommend learning each move with the appropriate arms at the outset, so the arms don't hang down or fly around out of control. Choose an arm shape, or two, for a particular move, and then stick to it, practising it regularly until it becomes habitual. Then you can add more and vary them.

Don't hold your breath

Most people hold their breath when theyconcentrate, especially when learning a new move. Most moves don't have synchronised breathing patterns, but it's important to maintain regular breathing throughout. That said, it can take people a few weeks or even months before they can do a hip shimmy and breathe at the same time.

No six-pack, no problem

Belly dance is not confined to the young or skinny, and many women with a negative body image learn to love their bodies and feel proud of them through taking up belly dance. Regular belly dance develops strong abs, but not a six-pack.

Broaden your knowledge

Mastering the technique is only one part of learning to belly dance. Yougradually learn to recognise the different rhythms and know what to do to them. Then there are all the different styles of the dance - and music from modern Egyptian pop towonderful classical orchestral music. It's alifelong study to become an expert.

Getting started

There is no central or governing body for belly dance, and teachers have varying levels of experience. The biggest and best source for finding teachers is Mosaic (mosaicdance.org), the Arabic Dance Network founded in 1993. It also produces a magazine which lists events, gear suppliers and other belly-dance organisations. Also worth a look is Bellydance UK (bellydanceuk.co.uk).

Josephine Wise offers teacher training at her school (jwaad.com). JWAAD-trained teachers and dancers are prominent in the dance world, working both nationally and internationally. The school also runs and promotes classes, workshops and performances throughout the UK. Its annual summer school ( August 10-17) runs workshops in all styles of Egyptian dance for all levels, with belly-dancing performances to inspire students, live music and percussion, as well as music and costumes for sale, talks on background history and culture, and massage.

Even pregnancy need not be a hindrance to shaking those hips: check outJacqueline Chapman's sixweek Belly Babies courses and workshops (bellydancer.org.uk), designed to help prepare for childbirth.

Alternatively, if you'd rather learn somewhere more exotic, Dance Holidays (danceholidays.com) offers courses in Morocco and Spain. If you want to find out even more, then you could do worse than head for the first International Belly Dance Congress (bellydancecongress.com), at Butlins in Bognor Regis, from September 28-30.

The gear

You can dance in whatever you feel comfortable in - you don't need to expose your belly to see the movements, so a T-shirt is fine if you don't fancy a leotard or crop-top. Most people dance barefoot, but if you'd prefer something on your feet, soft dance shoes are fine.

If you get hooked, however, you'll probably want to wear a hip scarf or belt to accentuate your movements. Scarves designed specifically for belly- dancing are usually colourful or adorned with coins or beading, and cost from around £25. And if you get really serious about it, you may want to invest in a traditional costume, such as long skirts, pantaloons, decorative tops, gloves, veils and dresses. Good stockists include Aladdin's Cave (aladdinscave.com), which sells everything from clothing to music, instructional DVDs and jewellery; Leicester-based Forbidden Fruits Bazaar (forbiddenfruitsbazaar.com); or Farida Souk (faridadance.com).

The downside

An image problem

Mention belly dancing, and many people think along the lines of semi-naked lap dancing. It's not a great cardiovascular workout... Belly-dancing will tone, strengthen and improve flexibility, but you won't work up much of a sweat or burn many calories.

No central body

It's not always easy to find a reputable teacher because of the lack of formal qualifications and no governing body. As a result, it can take a fair bit of research to find the perfect class.