My work schedule has just been crazy for the last few months between travel, overtime, weekends, and occasionally weird hours (showing up at 4:30 AM on a Saturday, for example). It's totally worth it even if it means falling asleep by 7:00 on a Friday night (this just happened).
In the midst of some overtime weeks, I threw my back out, which was awesome. I was walking around with heating pads and medicated pads over the area. Fun times. It took about a month to heal since I couldn't really rest during that time... But at least it did in time for me to make it to the third Aubre's technique tune-up series.
I haven't been attending weekly classes due to my schedule and the practicality of driving to LA on a weeknight. Thankfully, Aubre started a series of mini-intensives back in January. I've made it out for glutes and upper body work (missing the obliques while my back was out). I love studying with Aubre. She totally kicks my butt and always gives me something to really think about. A lot of workshops wind up being about learning tricks and combos. My experience studying with Aubre is that I get new ideas for general technique. She has a vast amount of knowledge and is an amazing and very supportive teacher. She has two more of the intensives at the Center of Worldance in Alhambra coming up (April 2 and May 2). I highly recommend them. I was thankfully able to schedule a break in my upcoming work travel so I can get to the one on April 2nd.
I've actually done a lot of updating on my website. My shiny new computer with its vastly superior processing power (it replaced a 2005 laptop that I bought to carry everywhere for grad school and was thus small, lightweight, and not very high-powered) was able to convert some pictures I'd gotten from an August show and cut video. So, that's up there.
Of course, watching videos of myself made me cringe anew and reflect on how much work I have to put in to my dancing. Especially now, since my dance practice schedule has definitely suffered. I'm finally starting to get into a "wake up at 4-4:30 for yoga and dance practice" zone but I'm leery of something else coming up to break the cycle.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
It seemed like time to update
I'm so rarely online anymore. I've been kept busy at work, putting in some extra hours and traveling, and have a wonderful boyfriend and adorable kittens at home that need attention. I'm still working out consistently fitting dancing into my schedule. Going "down below" and performing has been pretty much out. But I'm happy, so that's ultimately what matters.
I did get to spend a weekend with Aubre and Deb Rubin at their "Bellydance Body Intensive." It was *amazing* and I got so many new tools to work with in terms of dancing and just my overall body. I really hope they do another intensive together.
I'll also be out at the Oasis for Princess Farhana and Sabrina Fox's days Nov 7 and Dec 5. After that, I'll probably drop off the face of the dancing world for the most part until after I finish my last graduate class. There should be a performance at Moun of Tunis somewhere in there though, so I won't be totally out of it.
I'm hoping to spend some time at home working on my technique and style so I at least make good use of the time and come back refreshed and with something new. I feel really inspired by Aubre and Deb but that'll take time to incorporate it into my dancing. I also downloaded some new music from Collide (plus ordered their new CD!) and Solace (new album on CDBaby!), so I'm sure there'll be some creative juices flowing. Although I do need a new iPod to put them on... mine disappeared somewhere at LAX. Not to worry, since my insurance company covered a replacement, yay!
I think it's "curl up and read a book with a kitty" time now.
I did get to spend a weekend with Aubre and Deb Rubin at their "Bellydance Body Intensive." It was *amazing* and I got so many new tools to work with in terms of dancing and just my overall body. I really hope they do another intensive together.
I'll also be out at the Oasis for Princess Farhana and Sabrina Fox's days Nov 7 and Dec 5. After that, I'll probably drop off the face of the dancing world for the most part until after I finish my last graduate class. There should be a performance at Moun of Tunis somewhere in there though, so I won't be totally out of it.
I'm hoping to spend some time at home working on my technique and style so I at least make good use of the time and come back refreshed and with something new. I feel really inspired by Aubre and Deb but that'll take time to incorporate it into my dancing. I also downloaded some new music from Collide (plus ordered their new CD!) and Solace (new album on CDBaby!), so I'm sure there'll be some creative juices flowing. Although I do need a new iPod to put them on... mine disappeared somewhere at LAX. Not to worry, since my insurance company covered a replacement, yay!
I think it's "curl up and read a book with a kitty" time now.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Dancing in the Real World
For those not in the loop who happen on here, Desdemona has a day job. Desdemona's new day job is the best job she could possibly ask for. Some dancers talk about being the little three-year-old cuties pirouetting around and wanting to be dancers when they grew up. Well, I wanted to do what I do now Monday-Friday.
The reality of my work is that I'm gone at least eleven hours out of the day between my commute and my work day. Very soon, I'll start pulling extra hours as necessary, meaning evenings and weekends. I really want to do well in my career and I have definite goals for myself there. So... there has to be a new balance.
First thing people around me may have noticed: I've dropped off the face of the planet. I'm rarely online, I have a multi-day turn-around to most e-mail (although I do try and get to the most important stuff on the same day), and I never go anywhere. That part shouldn't be shocking. I'm up 5-5:30 AM to get ready for work and home around 5:30. I then have a few hours before I have to start thinking about going to bed to start it over. While I love my friends, I love my boyfriend more. And sustaining my body through consumption of delectable items.
No offense.
I'm working on balancing dance into all of it. I can't really go to classes anymore since they're pretty much all mid-week and, considering how far away I live, it's pretty much impossible to make anything on a work night. Practice is trying, too. I'm used to getting up and having an hour practice for work. I'm trying to work out getting up before 4:30 and being alert enough to do some dancing but I've only succeeded a couple times thus far.
So, I consider other options. Thankfully, there are still workshops offered on weekends (yay for Politti and the Oasis for my monthly excursion to Highland!), although I'm planning on moving next month and have to pay double rent for a few weeks so that's not a guaranteed thing right now. There are also private lessons. I've gotten more and more into private instruction. I look for people who will tear my dancing apart and give me a very focused idea on what I can do better. I'm something of a criticism glutton, honestly. It's just how I motivate.
Performing is going to have to take a step back, too. I really want to focus on improving my technique and polish and performing sometimes gets in the way of that. I'm not really happy with my dancing right now, so that means it's time for a lot of hard work. It'll be good for me though and I'm sure I'll still be getting out to perform once a month or so.
I miss my friends and I miss dance classes with the camaraderie there. It's been hard feeling so isolated but I do know I'm where I really want to be. I'll still be around.
Wow, it is *so* past my bedtime...
The reality of my work is that I'm gone at least eleven hours out of the day between my commute and my work day. Very soon, I'll start pulling extra hours as necessary, meaning evenings and weekends. I really want to do well in my career and I have definite goals for myself there. So... there has to be a new balance.
First thing people around me may have noticed: I've dropped off the face of the planet. I'm rarely online, I have a multi-day turn-around to most e-mail (although I do try and get to the most important stuff on the same day), and I never go anywhere. That part shouldn't be shocking. I'm up 5-5:30 AM to get ready for work and home around 5:30. I then have a few hours before I have to start thinking about going to bed to start it over. While I love my friends, I love my boyfriend more. And sustaining my body through consumption of delectable items.
No offense.
I'm working on balancing dance into all of it. I can't really go to classes anymore since they're pretty much all mid-week and, considering how far away I live, it's pretty much impossible to make anything on a work night. Practice is trying, too. I'm used to getting up and having an hour practice for work. I'm trying to work out getting up before 4:30 and being alert enough to do some dancing but I've only succeeded a couple times thus far.
So, I consider other options. Thankfully, there are still workshops offered on weekends (yay for Politti and the Oasis for my monthly excursion to Highland!), although I'm planning on moving next month and have to pay double rent for a few weeks so that's not a guaranteed thing right now. There are also private lessons. I've gotten more and more into private instruction. I look for people who will tear my dancing apart and give me a very focused idea on what I can do better. I'm something of a criticism glutton, honestly. It's just how I motivate.
Performing is going to have to take a step back, too. I really want to focus on improving my technique and polish and performing sometimes gets in the way of that. I'm not really happy with my dancing right now, so that means it's time for a lot of hard work. It'll be good for me though and I'm sure I'll still be getting out to perform once a month or so.
I miss my friends and I miss dance classes with the camaraderie there. It's been hard feeling so isolated but I do know I'm where I really want to be. I'll still be around.
Wow, it is *so* past my bedtime...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fourth of July at the Pirate Faire!!
This is the post where I get to share Performing Gone Wrong, which is kind of fun in its own way. It's really a learning experience for me. In this case, I hadn't done much performing outdoors and I'm still REALLY inexperienced with veilwork, so it's important for me to learn what went on in this case. I'd also never really experienced sword-work outside in the wind. For some reason, it just didn't occur to me that my sword, which is kind of heavy, would also be subject to wind. Boy, did I learn!!!
I was asked by the lovely Laura of 2 Hip Tribal to perform at the first ever Brown's Canyon Pirate Faire in Chatsworth over Independence Day weekend. I was given fifteen minutes to perform and wound up with a sixteen minute set (or maybe a little more... I did cut my music slightly). I debated on what to dance to and even if I'd pick three different sets of music. Ultimately, I went with Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger.
In the 1930s, Grainger went forth to the English countryside with cylinders and recorded locals singing traditional folk songs. He then arranged the songs for wind ensemble, trying to capture the spirit of each singer. I performed this music when I was in the University of Toledo's wind ensemble, playing clarinet. I really enjoyed dancing to very Western classical music. It was kind of a nice bridge between my own heritage (check the skin tone, I am SO English/Irish/German in ancestry - well, and Italian) and the dance form I love.
The great thing about the music was the six movements. Faire crowds kind of have ADD (well, most crowds do, honestly...), so I knew it'd be hard to maintain anyone's interest in me for fifteen minutes. Thus, I broke out every prop I own (minus zills, they really didn't work with the music). I danced with sword, double veil, single veil, sai, and (doing something I think is really cool) sai with a sword on my head.
I think I mentioned funny outtakes? Flipping sai with sword was NOT easy to learn. When I started, I would sometimes do things like hit the sword with my arm while flipping the sai out, get hit in the head by my hilt (which is jarring, I assure you), have to toss a sai to the other hand, and catch the sword by the blade. One time, I failed and my sword wound up on Donavon's concrete floor (yay boyfriend to reshape and sharpen the tip!). In other words, kind of like any other time I try to do something crazy and new with sword but this time my hands were full.
The first performance went well (I only have 8-9 minutes of that video, which covers three movements and some of the fourth). The second? The wind had picked up. It was a *really* low key event and most of my audience were people who had seen my performance earlier and/or were performing themselves. Otherwise, I would not have continued trying to dance with veil long after I'd concluded it was a bad idea.
It wasn't just the veil. I was standing with my sword on my head to get my "groove" for dancing and I had to keep an arm in front of the blade to keep the sword from twisting on my head. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do the sword+sai trick when I was performing and was prepared to cut it (I went for it anyway because I'm like that, I just had to do some adjusting as I went). The veilwork... I mostly just need more experience. I was fighting the wind most of the time instead of working with it. In normal performing, I'd have dropped the veils and just danced but I figured I could keep trying and learn something from it.
Oh yeah, that was a 3.5 yard veil, too. And trust me, half a yard makes a difference. I did go out and get heavier fabric since I knew silk would be even more challenging in wind.
At the end, I wound up busting out what I call the "frell it Turkish drop" (I may be editing my word choice a little). It was unrehearsed, unprepared, unpracticed (actually, I'd wanted to end with a Turkish drop originally but I hadn't been practicing them, since they can be rather hard on the joints and cut it so I could focus on the sixteen minutes of dancing). In fact, the only other drops I'd done in performance were my mini-drops with a sword on my head (you can't really get as low, so it's not the same). But I was just tired from fighting the wind, hot, and I'd been going for sixteen minutes. So, I tossed the veil and drop. DONE. It looked pretty good and I didn't feel any pain from it, so yay for me.
Story done, here are the videos! I'm pretty sure there will be video from Sunday later and I'll make another post then.
First performance: includes sword and double veil
Second performance: includes sword and double veil
Second performance: includes sai, sword, and single veil
I was asked by the lovely Laura of 2 Hip Tribal to perform at the first ever Brown's Canyon Pirate Faire in Chatsworth over Independence Day weekend. I was given fifteen minutes to perform and wound up with a sixteen minute set (or maybe a little more... I did cut my music slightly). I debated on what to dance to and even if I'd pick three different sets of music. Ultimately, I went with Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger.
In the 1930s, Grainger went forth to the English countryside with cylinders and recorded locals singing traditional folk songs. He then arranged the songs for wind ensemble, trying to capture the spirit of each singer. I performed this music when I was in the University of Toledo's wind ensemble, playing clarinet. I really enjoyed dancing to very Western classical music. It was kind of a nice bridge between my own heritage (check the skin tone, I am SO English/Irish/German in ancestry - well, and Italian) and the dance form I love.
The great thing about the music was the six movements. Faire crowds kind of have ADD (well, most crowds do, honestly...), so I knew it'd be hard to maintain anyone's interest in me for fifteen minutes. Thus, I broke out every prop I own (minus zills, they really didn't work with the music). I danced with sword, double veil, single veil, sai, and (doing something I think is really cool) sai with a sword on my head.
I think I mentioned funny outtakes? Flipping sai with sword was NOT easy to learn. When I started, I would sometimes do things like hit the sword with my arm while flipping the sai out, get hit in the head by my hilt (which is jarring, I assure you), have to toss a sai to the other hand, and catch the sword by the blade. One time, I failed and my sword wound up on Donavon's concrete floor (yay boyfriend to reshape and sharpen the tip!). In other words, kind of like any other time I try to do something crazy and new with sword but this time my hands were full.
The first performance went well (I only have 8-9 minutes of that video, which covers three movements and some of the fourth). The second? The wind had picked up. It was a *really* low key event and most of my audience were people who had seen my performance earlier and/or were performing themselves. Otherwise, I would not have continued trying to dance with veil long after I'd concluded it was a bad idea.
It wasn't just the veil. I was standing with my sword on my head to get my "groove" for dancing and I had to keep an arm in front of the blade to keep the sword from twisting on my head. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do the sword+sai trick when I was performing and was prepared to cut it (I went for it anyway because I'm like that, I just had to do some adjusting as I went). The veilwork... I mostly just need more experience. I was fighting the wind most of the time instead of working with it. In normal performing, I'd have dropped the veils and just danced but I figured I could keep trying and learn something from it.
Oh yeah, that was a 3.5 yard veil, too. And trust me, half a yard makes a difference. I did go out and get heavier fabric since I knew silk would be even more challenging in wind.
At the end, I wound up busting out what I call the "frell it Turkish drop" (I may be editing my word choice a little). It was unrehearsed, unprepared, unpracticed (actually, I'd wanted to end with a Turkish drop originally but I hadn't been practicing them, since they can be rather hard on the joints and cut it so I could focus on the sixteen minutes of dancing). In fact, the only other drops I'd done in performance were my mini-drops with a sword on my head (you can't really get as low, so it's not the same). But I was just tired from fighting the wind, hot, and I'd been going for sixteen minutes. So, I tossed the veil and drop. DONE. It looked pretty good and I didn't feel any pain from it, so yay for me.
Story done, here are the videos! I'm pretty sure there will be video from Sunday later and I'll make another post then.
First performance: includes sword and double veil
Second performance: includes sword and double veil
Second performance: includes sai, sword, and single veil
Monday, June 29, 2009
Nike could be the official sponsor of my belly dancing...
And hey, if they wanted to pay me ridiculous royalties to dance in special Nike-gear bellydance shoes, I'd be down for that.
Warning, this is so ramble-y and long! I blame multi-tasking and my lack of interest in editing my writing down to perfect, article-like form.
I've been thinking a lot about my dancing lately (my self-confidence has been wavering a bit lately). I suppose it's normal and happens to everyone, so I'm honestly not that bent out of shape about it. Mostly, I just haven't been practicing like I usually do. There's no one reason, it's just an endless cycle of feeling dissatisfied with myself, so I can't muster up the inclination to practice, and then I'm dissatisfied with myself for being lazy.
I finally had to write the bio for my webpage and did research on it by reading what other people had written. Most common opening? "Bob is a life-long dancer." Well, I'm not. I think my parents had me in some kind of dance/theater-type thing when I was a toddler (I have photographic evidence but I'm frightened to ask about it further... Looking at the face paint, there could be a relation to my dislike of clowns...). But I didn't take ballet. Or jazz. Or tap. Or etc. etc. etc. I wasn't even allowed to be a cheerleader, so I don't even have *that* background. Ask for a demo of how I danced pre-bellydance sometime. I'll try to duplicate it.
So, unlike all these other amazing dancers, I started dancing in my mid-twenties. I didn't think I'd be any good at it. As some totally impossible goal, I wanted to be able to dance like Ariellah but, mainly, I wanted to make friends outside of work and maybe have female friends again (I had some when I was in my engineering fraternity in college and it's nice having lady friends with similar interests - I love being one of the guys, but they sometimes come with super-jealous SO's and then I'm out a friend). I didn't find out about the dance troupes in my area until after I moved to California though. Oops.
I think the thing that saved me was that I *didn't* worry about being good at it. I just did it. It was a way to get some extra exercise (I was into running and lifting but dancing was a new way to work on flexibility and balance that didn't bother my wrists like yoga did (I started yoga off DVDs, too, and it was a while before I learned how to distribute my weight correctly). It was a few months before I got into classes at all and, when I did, I still wasn't really looking to be good at dancing.
Then, I learned about *workshops* and I got to take one with Ariellah. I really couldn't keep up and it was totally above my level but that workshop was the turning point for me. I went from being convinced I'd never be any good at it to thinking, "Wow. I can actually study with Ariellah. If I can learn *from her*, I might one day be *good* at this." Ariellah's one of those great, down-to-earth dancers who will talk about how it just takes practice and then she'll tell stories about when her technique wasn't as flawless as it is now. That had a pretty big impression on me.
So, I practiced more, I took workshops, I started driving a hundred miles to OC for classes. My technique started getting better and I really started to believe in myself.
I was on a high from taking all the workshops at Gothla (including Ariellah and Romka), when I was asked to perform at a club I regularly attended (it's where I met my darling boyfriend, too). Was I ready? Probably not. I trusted the opinion of the promoter/DJ of the event. If she thought I was worth hiring to perform, there must be something to it, right? So, I just did it (see what I did there? I finally got to Nike). I whipped up a choreo for a sword performance. Why sword? 1) I'd have a weapon if people hated it and 2) my sword is my partner when I dance, so I didn't feel so alone out there... Of course, I forgot my choreo a couple of times, and I had to adapt it on the spot since my audience was on four sides and I'd choreographed to my mirrors. I got through it though. And the first time is DEFINITELY the hardest.
Actually, my first time was a performance with a class I'd joined *that day* doing a choreo I'd learned in a city-run course. I tend to not count it though.
I think the secret to getting where I am as fast as I have (and I have to CONSTANTLY remind myself how short a time I've been dancing, especially now, when I get frustrated with myself) is that I don't really hesitate. I just do it. I decided I wanted to learn veil-work. I approached someone about private lessons but she would never get back to me about times/dates, so I learned from DVDs.
That's right, my single and double veil work? I've never had a minute of real instruction. It's *ALL* DVD. I can't even practice it that much. I pretty much have to rent a studio to have any kind of practice. So, you know, it's not as good as I'd hope.
Despite this, I started performing with veil. If I start second-guessing myself, I could easily see myself slipping into a pattern of never doing anything. I didn't develop any performing skill by practicing over and over at home (I did develop belly dancing skill by practicing over and over at home, performing is a different story). I did it by performing for an audience. A lot. I could watch video and see how my technique suffers in front of an audience, how I would get "thinking" face, or how my first improvisational performances were *really* repetitive, etc. It gave me things to work on in my practice (I get that from seeing my veil performances, too, choosing to perform with it has given my practice focus).
Sidenote: funny thing about double veil? Repetitive is good... People seem to like it when you spin for a really long time. I find this kind of funny. All that time practicing so I *wouldn't* be repetitive and then I learn double veil and just SPIN. Or choo-choo shimmy my veil out of my butt-tuck, as happened when I was practicing Saturday.
I learned from performing and I think I did it faster than I ever would have if I kept my dancing to classes and practice. I also took other opportunities to learn. I learned improvisation from going to DJ Xian's clubs and dancing to whatever she played. In my opinion, the BEST way to learn improvisation is to have no clue what's coming next. Then, you start thinking in terms of ebb and flow of music and how to feel an upcoming moment, so you can match it.
And you can't worry about missing it either! Kind of like how you can't worry about dropping your sword or getting your veil tangled up. Belly dancing isn't *easy* and it takes work. Screwing up comes with the territory. I've done it so many times, I've lost count (my first improvisational sword performance? My sword slipped off the back of my head and I had to catch it - I was performing at a wedding, too). Not to mention the near accidents I've had! I can watch videos of me dancing and talk about that time I almost tripped and fell over (total klutz, remember?), or my sword started slipping and I had to recover it, or I made myself really, really dizzy and was spotting to a blur so I could still have the effect of spotting (yesterday? That totally happened. Most of my spotting was fake). I bet if someone just watched it (watched, not scrutinized), they couldn't find those moments. I didn't order the DVD but there was a moment early on in my Punk Raqs performance where I tore off a callus. I was in so much pain, I couldn't put my shoes on after performing and I've been limping around the apartment. I bet the moment it happened couldn't be found. I doubt anyone could even tell I was in pain (and I was doing crossover and paddle turns with that tender spot rubbing against the carpet). Things happen and you can't spend your whole life freaking out over possibilities.
Just do it.
Warning, this is so ramble-y and long! I blame multi-tasking and my lack of interest in editing my writing down to perfect, article-like form.
I've been thinking a lot about my dancing lately (my self-confidence has been wavering a bit lately). I suppose it's normal and happens to everyone, so I'm honestly not that bent out of shape about it. Mostly, I just haven't been practicing like I usually do. There's no one reason, it's just an endless cycle of feeling dissatisfied with myself, so I can't muster up the inclination to practice, and then I'm dissatisfied with myself for being lazy.
I finally had to write the bio for my webpage and did research on it by reading what other people had written. Most common opening? "Bob is a life-long dancer." Well, I'm not. I think my parents had me in some kind of dance/theater-type thing when I was a toddler (I have photographic evidence but I'm frightened to ask about it further... Looking at the face paint, there could be a relation to my dislike of clowns...). But I didn't take ballet. Or jazz. Or tap. Or etc. etc. etc. I wasn't even allowed to be a cheerleader, so I don't even have *that* background. Ask for a demo of how I danced pre-bellydance sometime. I'll try to duplicate it.
So, unlike all these other amazing dancers, I started dancing in my mid-twenties. I didn't think I'd be any good at it. As some totally impossible goal, I wanted to be able to dance like Ariellah but, mainly, I wanted to make friends outside of work and maybe have female friends again (I had some when I was in my engineering fraternity in college and it's nice having lady friends with similar interests - I love being one of the guys, but they sometimes come with super-jealous SO's and then I'm out a friend). I didn't find out about the dance troupes in my area until after I moved to California though. Oops.
I think the thing that saved me was that I *didn't* worry about being good at it. I just did it. It was a way to get some extra exercise (I was into running and lifting but dancing was a new way to work on flexibility and balance that didn't bother my wrists like yoga did (I started yoga off DVDs, too, and it was a while before I learned how to distribute my weight correctly). It was a few months before I got into classes at all and, when I did, I still wasn't really looking to be good at dancing.
Then, I learned about *workshops* and I got to take one with Ariellah. I really couldn't keep up and it was totally above my level but that workshop was the turning point for me. I went from being convinced I'd never be any good at it to thinking, "Wow. I can actually study with Ariellah. If I can learn *from her*, I might one day be *good* at this." Ariellah's one of those great, down-to-earth dancers who will talk about how it just takes practice and then she'll tell stories about when her technique wasn't as flawless as it is now. That had a pretty big impression on me.
So, I practiced more, I took workshops, I started driving a hundred miles to OC for classes. My technique started getting better and I really started to believe in myself.
I was on a high from taking all the workshops at Gothla (including Ariellah and Romka), when I was asked to perform at a club I regularly attended (it's where I met my darling boyfriend, too). Was I ready? Probably not. I trusted the opinion of the promoter/DJ of the event. If she thought I was worth hiring to perform, there must be something to it, right? So, I just did it (see what I did there? I finally got to Nike). I whipped up a choreo for a sword performance. Why sword? 1) I'd have a weapon if people hated it and 2) my sword is my partner when I dance, so I didn't feel so alone out there... Of course, I forgot my choreo a couple of times, and I had to adapt it on the spot since my audience was on four sides and I'd choreographed to my mirrors. I got through it though. And the first time is DEFINITELY the hardest.
Actually, my first time was a performance with a class I'd joined *that day* doing a choreo I'd learned in a city-run course. I tend to not count it though.
I think the secret to getting where I am as fast as I have (and I have to CONSTANTLY remind myself how short a time I've been dancing, especially now, when I get frustrated with myself) is that I don't really hesitate. I just do it. I decided I wanted to learn veil-work. I approached someone about private lessons but she would never get back to me about times/dates, so I learned from DVDs.
That's right, my single and double veil work? I've never had a minute of real instruction. It's *ALL* DVD. I can't even practice it that much. I pretty much have to rent a studio to have any kind of practice. So, you know, it's not as good as I'd hope.
Despite this, I started performing with veil. If I start second-guessing myself, I could easily see myself slipping into a pattern of never doing anything. I didn't develop any performing skill by practicing over and over at home (I did develop belly dancing skill by practicing over and over at home, performing is a different story). I did it by performing for an audience. A lot. I could watch video and see how my technique suffers in front of an audience, how I would get "thinking" face, or how my first improvisational performances were *really* repetitive, etc. It gave me things to work on in my practice (I get that from seeing my veil performances, too, choosing to perform with it has given my practice focus).
Sidenote: funny thing about double veil? Repetitive is good... People seem to like it when you spin for a really long time. I find this kind of funny. All that time practicing so I *wouldn't* be repetitive and then I learn double veil and just SPIN. Or choo-choo shimmy my veil out of my butt-tuck, as happened when I was practicing Saturday.
I learned from performing and I think I did it faster than I ever would have if I kept my dancing to classes and practice. I also took other opportunities to learn. I learned improvisation from going to DJ Xian's clubs and dancing to whatever she played. In my opinion, the BEST way to learn improvisation is to have no clue what's coming next. Then, you start thinking in terms of ebb and flow of music and how to feel an upcoming moment, so you can match it.
And you can't worry about missing it either! Kind of like how you can't worry about dropping your sword or getting your veil tangled up. Belly dancing isn't *easy* and it takes work. Screwing up comes with the territory. I've done it so many times, I've lost count (my first improvisational sword performance? My sword slipped off the back of my head and I had to catch it - I was performing at a wedding, too). Not to mention the near accidents I've had! I can watch videos of me dancing and talk about that time I almost tripped and fell over (total klutz, remember?), or my sword started slipping and I had to recover it, or I made myself really, really dizzy and was spotting to a blur so I could still have the effect of spotting (yesterday? That totally happened. Most of my spotting was fake). I bet if someone just watched it (watched, not scrutinized), they couldn't find those moments. I didn't order the DVD but there was a moment early on in my Punk Raqs performance where I tore off a callus. I was in so much pain, I couldn't put my shoes on after performing and I've been limping around the apartment. I bet the moment it happened couldn't be found. I doubt anyone could even tell I was in pain (and I was doing crossover and paddle turns with that tender spot rubbing against the carpet). Things happen and you can't spend your whole life freaking out over possibilities.
Just do it.
Friday, June 26, 2009
My website is live!!
I finished development of my website (at least for now, I'm sure I'll keep working on it over time). Check it out and pass along any comments, feedback, problem reporting, etc.
I'm now working on my first site commission. Catch me now, while I'm cheap and think this is fun!!
I'm now working on my first site commission. Catch me now, while I'm cheap and think this is fun!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
On music
This was going to be a facebook/twitter update (I do have a twitter and facebook) but it got too long in my head, so it's blog time!
I was a musician long before I was a dancer (so at least my "dancing" was in rhythm - air quotes are a necessity, I wouldn't call what I used to do dancing), so it's a really big part of my life. It not only serves as a reminder of people, places, events, etc. It's tied in to my mood and is always my first point of inspiration in pretty much everything I do. I'm one of those people who is quite happy jacked into an iPod 24/7. In fact, when I was in grad school (and for a bit at the end of undergrad), I would thread earbuds down the back of my shirt and attach my player to my belt as part of my "getting dressed" routine. If I'm not listening to it, it's in my head... I'm pretty much always walking to some kind of beat.
Anyway, that's not where I was going with this. Now that I've gotten into the bellydance world, I find songs reminding me of performances (this post brought to you by me listening to my "bellydance performances" playlist). Some songs, I associate with a particular dancer and performance so strongly, I would never consider using that song for myself. Pretty much anything Ariellah uses in a performance is off-limits to me. I've danced to those songs at clubs and I can't listen to it without thinking of her performance. There are other songs out there that I think of as, "Oh, that She'enedra song or Shoop's song" or whatever.
Then, there are the songs I consider permanently sullied by a less than stellar performance. It's almost to the point where I can't listen to some songs because it reminds me of a particular performance that I was... less than impressed by. The worst is if someone uses a song that I associate in a very positive way with one dancer and then... well... smears dirt all over it, to be metaphorical. Thankfully, for this, there are DVDs and youtube videos that work well as a form of eye bleach. But less abrasive (and yes, I really do have, "Quick! Go to a new video!!" occasions).
I just find that interesting. I wasn't a dancer AT ALL until... about two years ago, I suppose? Anyway, it's strange to me now how I associate music with dancers and dancing. I will say that part of what drove me to dance was the choreography I saw in my head while listening to some songs. I definitely have a longer list of songs I've been inspired to dance to than songs I have used. It's part of why almost every performance I do is completely different. I have to much music to reuse anything! :)
While I'm kind of on the subject, I'm really excited about Pirate Faire in July. I'm really thrilled about my music choice, which I got from when I was a clarinetist in the University of Toledo wind ensemble. The last segment of music is one of my favorite tunes. If you ever catch me dancing to nothing, it is entirely possible that song is in my head. It's an extremely danceable tune and also so very happy. To me, dancing should always be something that makes you happy.
Enough rambling... I'm actually busy today and should get back to that.
I was a musician long before I was a dancer (so at least my "dancing" was in rhythm - air quotes are a necessity, I wouldn't call what I used to do dancing), so it's a really big part of my life. It not only serves as a reminder of people, places, events, etc. It's tied in to my mood and is always my first point of inspiration in pretty much everything I do. I'm one of those people who is quite happy jacked into an iPod 24/7. In fact, when I was in grad school (and for a bit at the end of undergrad), I would thread earbuds down the back of my shirt and attach my player to my belt as part of my "getting dressed" routine. If I'm not listening to it, it's in my head... I'm pretty much always walking to some kind of beat.
Anyway, that's not where I was going with this. Now that I've gotten into the bellydance world, I find songs reminding me of performances (this post brought to you by me listening to my "bellydance performances" playlist). Some songs, I associate with a particular dancer and performance so strongly, I would never consider using that song for myself. Pretty much anything Ariellah uses in a performance is off-limits to me. I've danced to those songs at clubs and I can't listen to it without thinking of her performance. There are other songs out there that I think of as, "Oh, that She'enedra song or Shoop's song" or whatever.
Then, there are the songs I consider permanently sullied by a less than stellar performance. It's almost to the point where I can't listen to some songs because it reminds me of a particular performance that I was... less than impressed by. The worst is if someone uses a song that I associate in a very positive way with one dancer and then... well... smears dirt all over it, to be metaphorical. Thankfully, for this, there are DVDs and youtube videos that work well as a form of eye bleach. But less abrasive (and yes, I really do have, "Quick! Go to a new video!!" occasions).
I just find that interesting. I wasn't a dancer AT ALL until... about two years ago, I suppose? Anyway, it's strange to me now how I associate music with dancers and dancing. I will say that part of what drove me to dance was the choreography I saw in my head while listening to some songs. I definitely have a longer list of songs I've been inspired to dance to than songs I have used. It's part of why almost every performance I do is completely different. I have to much music to reuse anything! :)
While I'm kind of on the subject, I'm really excited about Pirate Faire in July. I'm really thrilled about my music choice, which I got from when I was a clarinetist in the University of Toledo wind ensemble. The last segment of music is one of my favorite tunes. If you ever catch me dancing to nothing, it is entirely possible that song is in my head. It's an extremely danceable tune and also so very happy. To me, dancing should always be something that makes you happy.
Enough rambling... I'm actually busy today and should get back to that.
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