Belly Dance Hands

“The upper limb is the lightning rod to the soul.”

Robert Markison

Hands – those funny things that hang off the end of your arms. They are a significant part of what separates us physically from other mammals and an underrated part of our body when it comes to dancing.

When dancing, your hand and fingers, when held in a nice position, can finish your arm line and make your reach appear longer than it really is. They can bring attention to a part of your body by framing it or by literally pointing at it.

They also help us as belly dancers by being the part of our body we play our finger cymbal’s with.

Hand Facts

  • Your hands contain 27 bones in your hand itself and 8 bones in the wrist.
  • Each finger has 3 bones, except your thumb which has 2.
  • The wrinkling of your skin in your hands and fingers is known to be related to one of the nerves in your hand as when that nerve is cut, the hand and fingers will no longer wrinkle when submerged in water.
  • There are 17 muscles in your hands and 18 muscles in your forearm that make those 17 work.
  • Your thumb is controlled by 9 muscles and all 3 nerves that control the hands and fingers.

Looking After Your Hands

Wrist exercises can increase flexibility and help lower the risk of injury. Stretches are recommended as a preventive measure or to ease slight pain. However, like most things, if you suffer from wrist or hand issues, please consult your doctor or your health professional before trying these.

Finger Cymbals

Finger cymbals are an essential part of being a belly dancer. Check out my Finger Cymbals 101 blog post for more information about how we use them in belly dance.