These are just brief descriptions/notes on just about all the basic moves in ATS. They're based on my limited understanding of the movements, as I've learned them from FatChanceBellydance. There may be other ways of doing them, and certainly better ways of explaining them!

Taxeem: This is the basic slow movement in ATS. It's a vertical figure 8 without any horizontal twist at all. Drop the hip down first, then push it out and draw it up using your obliques, before switching to the other side. The movement is based on the natural movement of the hips as you walk. Right arm is down, with right hand alongside right hip and elbow forward, and left arm front, doing hand floreos. Or you can layer snake arms over the taxeem.

Reverse taxeem (Maya): This is the opposite of the basic taxeem, in that the hip is pulled up first, then pushed out and down.

Torso twist (and turns): This is a complex movement that consists of a torso rotation, starting from the left side and circling back around to the right, your center point describing a heart shape, with snake arms layered over it. This movement turns to the left, with 3 twists making a complete 180° turn.

Circle step: Another complex movment, turning to the right. The right hand is next to the right hip, with the left arm extended front. Lead with the left hip, stepping with the left foot in a T-step, and do a complete hip circle as your left hand does a hand floreo. Usually 3 circle steps get you back around to the front.

Propeller turn: Start with both arms overhead. Drop the right arm to shoulder height, with hand floreos, and raise it again. Then do the same with the left arm. Drop the right arm again, and cue the turn with a slight raise of the wrist. Cross your right foot over your left and pivot in place, dropping the right arm and crossing your arms at chest level as you turn to the back. As you come around to the front again, end with the right foot crossed in front of the left and pull the arms apart to create a dramatic pose (right arm behind your ear, left arm in front).

Camel walk: Step with the right foot onto the balls of the feet as you press down with the right hand and raise the left overhead. Keeping all your weight on the right foot, bend your right knee and extend the left foot to the side. Right arm goes up and left hand reaches toward extended left foot. Straighten your right leg as you draw the left foot in, and layer an arm undulation over a small torso rotation to bring you back to center.

Hand floreos: Similar to the flamenco hand floreo, this is the most basic embellishment, used in combination with all slow movements and on its own.

Snake arms: A graceful arm undulation, used most often in combination with the taxeem. Arms should never drop below ribcage level. Remember to keep the shoulders back and down. Lift from the elbow and then squeeze from the shoulder blades to get the right rotation and curve.

Flutters: Accomplished by breathing in halfway, closing the throat and quickly contracting the diaphragm repeatedly.

Head slide: Use your neck muscles to slide your head from side to side.

Belly rolls: These can go in two directions, up or down. Contract the muscles of the abdomen in succession: top, middle, bottom, or vice versa.

Ribcage circles: Lift the ribcage to the front left and rotate it around to the right front, then drop it down to complete the bottom of the circle. The ribcage travels in a circle tilted about 45° (with the top tilted towards the front).

Body wave: Start by pushing the chest up and forward, then lean back and roll the movement down the spine. There are varying degrees of body waves; an effective combination is a couple of smaller ones leading up to a deeper one. Arms should frame the upper body and face, and hand floreos are a good accent. The body wave is all above the waist: no hips.

Levels: Many steps can be combined with a level change, which simply means you bend your knees to lower yourself and then come back up. Often used with the taxeem, shimmy, Arabic (ribcage drop).

Shimmy: This movement is based in the natural bounce of a woman's hips as you walk. With every step, accentuate the movement of the hip: up-down-up. The 3/4-time shimmy is performed on the balls of the feet. Arms are out to the side.

Half-time shimmy: The slower, more defined version of the 3/4 shimmy, performed with feet flat.

Pivot-bump: The right hip goes up-down on the beat. Pivot on the left foot as you turn to the right or left.

Pivot bump singles: The right hip goes up-down to the front and then up-down to the back, as the right foot steps forward and back. Arms are out to the sides.

Pivot-bump doubles: The right hip goes up-down twice to the front, then up-down twice to the back. Right arm up, left arm forward when right hip is front, right arm forward and left arm up when hip goes back.

Choo-choo: Same as the pivot-bump, but moving to the right (or whatever direction the right hip is facing) instead of turning in place. The left arm is up and right arm is extended in direction of travel.

Arc turn: Choo-choo to the front, gradually bringing left arm down to meet right arm in front. Cue the turn by slightly raising both wrists, then pivot around to the left, bringing both hands to the left hip as you turn to the back. Sweep arms around and overhead to complete, ending with arms in starting position.

Reach and sit: Step with the right foot and press the right hip up, then release the foot (foot will come off floor slightly) and drop hip. Arms are shoulder height and curved forward, and reach to the right (from the elbows) as the hip comes up, then pivot back to the front when the hip goes down.

Egyptian basic: My favorite step! 4 counts: Step on the ball of the right foot, twisting the right hip up/forward, then drop it back (1-2), and repeat on the left (3-4). Try to accentuate the natural swivel in your hips as you change weight from side to side: this will give the step more shape. Arms are overhead with elbows back. The arm on the same side as the hip that's working will be pulled back slightly; the effect will look like your hands are making an X overhead. Shoulders and torso face front. Cue this step by raising both arms overhead.

Egyptian half-turn: Cue this turn by turning the shoulders and torso first to the left (when the right hip is forward, on 1) and then to the right (on 3); then turn by stepping back with the left foot on 4 and pivoting to the left, ending with the right foot ready for 1. Turn back to the front on 4 again. The half-turn will continue until the leader cues a different movement by dropping her arms as she turns back to the front.

Arabic (basic): Performed on the balls of the feet, with right foot leading. Angle the body so that right hip is toward the audience. Step with the right foot as you pull your chest up and forward. Roll the movement down through the hips as you follow through with a (small) step on the left. Weight shifts from front to back, but right foot stays in front. Cue this movement by plunging arms down across chest, then raising them to the side. This step can travel or turn in place.

Arabic shimmy: Layer a shimmy over the Arabic basic. Right hip goes up-down-up as you step on the right, then the left hip goes up-down-up as you step on the left. This step turns in place beautifully.

Arabic hip-twist: 4-count step. 1-2 is an Arabic basic; on 3-4, step on the right and twist the hips to the right and back to the left. Arms are out to the sides and curved slightly front. On 1-2, add hand floreos, turning into the center. On 3-4, the arms should stay in place, framing the torso, as the hips twist.

Arabic hip-twist half-turn: Cue this turn by turning the torso slightly to the left, so that the shoulders are perpindicular to the audience (rather than angled), then on the hip twist, step around with the right foot as the hip twists back to the left, and turn to the left.

Turkish shimmy: 4-count step performed on the balls of the feet, with body angled slightly to the left (45° to the audience). Step across the body with the right foot, shifting weight to that foot and picking up the left foot. Then put the left foot down, step back on the right and lift the left foot again. Layer a shimmy over the steps, so that every time you step, your active hip goes up-down-up. Arms are shoulder-height and curved slightly forward to begin, then sweep across the chest in a horizontal plane as you step forward on the right, and return to neutral when you step back.

Turkish shimmy turn: Cue as for the Arabic hip-twist turn. Turn to the left, using both the forward step and backward step to turn. Usually turns in thirds. Arms are as for the regular shimmy. Another variation: start with arms overhead, and sweep right arm out and down in an arc as you step forward on the right, then back up as you step back (using 4 counts), and repeat with the left arm. This works well as a half-turn.