Dip It Low

I forget at times how important it is to bend your knees and tuck your tail. Lamees reminded me of that tonight and more. You know how you make an attempt to dip low and you can feel everything just tighten in your legs? And the ever more difficult part is the attempt to recover back to neutral? Yeah that's it. It makes for great workout but in the aftermath, I'm not sure if I can feel anything but the throbbing contractions of the muscles in my hamstrings and glutes screaming, "What the hell, woman!? We don't operate like that!" Now try repeatedly doing that layering shimmies and mayans on top of that while keeping your chest lifted and maintaining a neutral position with your hands in second position. Again, your body will hate you later unless you're an experienced dancer. So with that said, practice, ladies, practice and for your the love of your body, you may want to consider stretching more often...

Overcoming Stage-fright and Shyness

When I started bellydancing, I was a shy person. I couldn't imagine dancing alone, on stage, or even making the short beginning-of-show announcement without breaking into a sweat! Even taking a speech class didn't help ease my nerves about being the center of attention. The last few years have taught me how to be confident in front of people in a way nothing else could. Here are some tips I've learned from my wonderful teachers, dance sisters, and my own experience:

Before you perform

Be Prepared. This is the most basic and essential point. If you are using a choreography, know it well, and if you are free styling, you should spend time practicing on your own and getting to know the music. Know some 'thinking moves' (Thank you SAM), that you can use if you lose your way.

Know your music. If you know everything about your song, it will tell you how to dance, even if you forget what you were going to do! Is it pop or folkloric? Are the lyrics about happy things or sad? Figure out the rhythm and use moves that fit.

Know your dance personality. Your dance persona is there to help you. Spend some time thinking what she is like, what kind of attitude she has, and how she would show it. Make up your mind that she is confident (even if you aren't!). When you get ready for a performance, remind yourself that you are becoming Her, and when you step on stage or into a restaurant, you are that talented, confident woman. People are there to see you, and you have a dance worth sharing.

Hydrate. This might sound silly, but you need to drink plenty of water the day of a performance. It will help you regulate your temperature better and be less distracted at showtime.

Don't skip meals. Hunger is also a nasty distraction. Listen to your body and eat what it needs: protein, whole grains, fruits and veg as well as healthy fats. Don't eat junk, that will just make you feel bloated (which doesn't feel pretty, does it?).

At show time

Get in the mood. Listen to dance music that makes you want to move.

Stretch.

Realize that everyone makes mistakes. What's the worst that could happen? Probably just that you make an awkward movement and feel embarrassed. Is that really so bad? Think of your favorite dancers; I bet they have made worst mistakes, and on camera! It happens. It's not the end of the world. I've been there and I promise. Ask me some time if you need an embarrassing story to make you feel better.

Breath. Start regulating your breath; take deep breaths in and out while you remind yourself that your dance personality is taking over.

Change your posture. Go ahead and get into your dancer's stance. Shoulders down and back, head up, pelvis tucked, knees bent. This helps you get into the right frame of mind. You are a dancer, and the way you carry yourself proves it.

Give yourself one last pep talk. YOU are looking and feeling wonderful. Think of how beautiful you look with your costume on, and all made up. You've prepared and you know what to do. You know a dance and have a talent you WANT to share with your audience. Most of them don't know how to do it, so they will be in awe of what you can do; be confident in that knowledge, and know that nobody else can do it exactly the same way you do.

As you step out, head up, confident in your preparation, you can give your all. Feel the music, and enjoy the dance!

Choreography 08.09.2011

I'll admit I am rather slow at learning certain choreographies. Dance differs from having to pick up a violin and letting the hairs on the bow glide across the strings to emit sound. It is frustrating to find myself confused, however, I move forward and continue to learn it, let it marinate in my mind, and practice it. I take in as much as I can and utilize it in the same manner as students do after taking notes and being assigned homework. In fact, that is exactly how it is: You follow your instructor, take notes at what is hinted, go home, complete the assignment, and study it. Because the next class attendance, an exam is prepared to see how well you've covered over the material. It sounds rather redundant but it does, in fact, work. Say in this evening's class with Lamees and Arastya, I struggled to identify the combination of a pelvic tuck, release, and chest lift, followed by a reverse belly roll, ending with a hip drop, hip drop kick, repeated hip drops again. It sounds rather complex but in all reality it is not so once you break it down and identify each individual step. Everything has a process and when you identify it, you are capable of replicating it. In Lamees' class it was drilled repeatedly down to the point where the girls were capable of owning it. That is my assignment for tonight, though as I build up on it, it is required of me to embellish movements in my performances one day. Repetition is the key. Practice

My weakness is learning new material, however it is also my strength. Like many weaknesses I have, they call for an evaluation, a great deal of ethics in practicing, and embellishing them to become my strengths. The confidence in learning is there, it just needs a little polishing. :)

Who is Zareen Amar?

It is agreed that we all wish to emulate internationally acclaimed belly dancers Sadie Marquardt, Didem, the belly twins Neena and Veena Bidasha, tribal dancer Rachel Brice, and so many more. Even here in our own home studio the AALIM Belly Dance Academy we dream to emulate our reigning queen Soraya Al Musri and beautiful princesses Ayperi Al Jawahir, Arastya Amar, Alifia Amar, Zafirah Amar, and countless others. It takes time and dedication, but most importantly it takes finding our own self. We are intimidated by dancers who are the true professions of the elite. Yet in being timid, we tend to lose our sense of self and our own confidence in who we stride to represent, that is, the dancer within. A dancer is not of full bloom until she can free her mind and express herself through her music and her body. She should be unique in character and be capable of telling a story. She should be complete, whole, in sound and body to transition into a masterpiece. A dancer is an artist and storyteller.

When I envisioned Zareen, I didn't envision the names of the dancers mentioned above. I envisioned gold. That is what Zareen's name means just as my own. She is not just of any gold, but one of rare gold that flows like water from the Nile. When she rises, she is a goddess of sensual beauty with a fierce persona. She is the representation of what I long to be - a woman more than just an artist, but a masterpiece. She is a passionate storyteller with her body and mind. Her green (or honey) eyes and signature arm movements are her weapons of mesmerizing expression. All else is a sedating illusion. Zareen makes her presence known. She owns you in her brief performing moments. She is fluid in her moves that it is difficult to divert your eyes from her. The goal is to surrender all thoughts and become enamoured in her character. When she tells a story, she tells it from the heart. Seldom may one catch her shed a tear during her performances, though when one does, the feeling is mutual as the response from the audience is to embrace the beautiful emotions she feeds through her music. Should the audience share in the same emotions as Zareen, then she has not only left her mark, she has proven her love and passion in her own artistic manner. Zareen is more than just a princess, she IS a golden goddess. That is my envision of Zareen Amar.

I am far from proclaiming that golden status, but she is the fire I seek within and will soon be capable of being. There is no doubt that being Zareen will be my biggest obstacle, however, I do not wish to be any other. To emulate a dancer is a loss of character. To create a dancer is the evolution and adaptation of one's own character and confidence. We should never attempt to emulate those around us, but we should never fear them as our resources as well. I dare not continue to hold back. I AM Zareen Amar. I own her proudly and like the belly dance princess she will one day want me to be. :)

Repetition need not be repetitious!

Identify  -  Replicate  -  Perform  -  Embellish

For a Bellydancer, these four words are words to live by.

Oftentimes, a dancer, especially a new dancer, does not take the time to fully "explore" repetitive movement.  A new dancer wants to keep changing steps and movements, believing repetition is an indicator to her audience that her repertoire is limited and/or that she doesn't know what to do next.  She believes that constant change will keep the audience's attention and create interest.  

Most often, this is far from actuality.  Watching dance sequences which have no foundation and no structure, can be very disconcerting to the viewer.  Consider..... the music has structure, a defined musical composition, which any listener can relate to, understand and recognize.  Consequently, any dance form performed to music should also have a structure and composition.  The music is repetitious, the dance movements should also be repetitious to compliment the music. 

Dance Combinations are built around four repetitions and a dancer should consider working within these parameters:  Identify, Replicate, Perform, Embellish!

The First Repetition:  "Identify" - identify the music, its rhythm and the instruments.  This will immediately give clues as to what steps/movements are appropriate.

The Second Repetition: "Replicate" - repeat  the same step/movement, now with a greater understanding of putting it to the music - now it makes sense!

The Third Repetition: "Perform" -  perform it!    dance it!    make it your own!

The Fourth Repetition:  "Embellish" - Change it up, add layering (shoulder shimmies, hip shimmies, locks, pops); change directions; add travelling or level changes.

The audience can now see a progression of dance, they are comfortable, they can see structure which matches the music they are listening to - and, in all respects, they can recognize and take time to appreciate the dancer's skill.  Don't be afraid of repetition - make it work for you!

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