Big Stage, Little Stage

I danced at a party the other day at a catering hall with a HUGE dance floor. The party had about 400-500 guests, so I'm sure they needed the space. But with just my tiny self on this ginormous (it's a word now, I swear. See?) dance floor, I spent half my time running around the dance floor trying to get to each side of the room. Very little time left for the moves that make bellydance what it is, in my opinion. And then, when I'd get to one side of the room, I'd do a vibration, or a shimmy, or some impressive ab-rolling that requires serious muscle control, and then realize that only 1/8 of the party could actually see me! The rest of the guests were scattered around the football-field dance floor - to them, it looked like I was just standing still!

And I was insanely out of breath, after only 20 minutes. I attribute that to the fact that I was running around a heck of a lot more than at a normal party, when I can stand still and do my "tricks" for a big chunk of the show.

I decided that a performance by a single bellydancer (I'm not talking about big, BDSS-type productions) is better suited for a smaller venue. While we might appreciate having enough room to actually move our isis wings around without impediment, our performance translates to the audience much better when they are up close and personal, and we don't need to run around the dance floor like track stars.

What do you think?

Dancer insecurities

A wise old ballet teacher once told me "Dancers are the most insecure people of them all." Mr. Christopher firmly believed that all dancers were insecure - it was in our nature. Which was why he would start pounding his cane into the ground and yell at you if he caught you so much as whisper one word to the person next to you while someone else was dancing - he said that if a dancer sees someone else talking while she is dancing, she automatically thinks that they are talking about her. And not in a good way.



I always thought Mr. Christopher was a little off his rocker in most respects, but this point stuck with me. I think that we dancers are insecure, and I think it is because of the nature of our profession (or hobby) - that we constantly put our whole selves - our bodies, our emotions, everything - out there for the world to enjoy, or critique. How can we not become insecure? What if the world doesn't like our dance - since our dance is really who we are, does that mean they don't like us??



I recently danced at a private party in the back section of a restaurant that had a house bellydancer, who was going on right after my show. The dancer was from Greece (just arrived in America, actually), so in my born-and-raised-America eyes, she was the real deal. The singer for the restuarant was also there, and she was from Greece as well. After my show, both ladies were complimenting me and asking me questions about my dance - how long had I been dancing, who did I study with, etc. To anyone else, their questions would have seemed like genuine admiration - they really liked my show. But to me, the insecure dancer, their questions seemed insincere - like they thought I was crap and they were mocking me. Was that the case? I don't think so, I think they really did like the show - but there's always the nagging thought in the back of my head that I'm not really as good as I hope I am. Am I that insecure that I can't recognize and accept a compliment when I get one?



Do other dancers feel this way? Was Mr. Christopher right? Are we all insecure? Or is there a way to overcome the insecurities?

Ballet for Bellydancers

Sounds like fun, huh? Actually, it was! Last week, I hosted a Ballet for Bellydancers workshop, taught by Jennifer Alvarado, the owner and director of Queens Dance Project.

The workshop was a ballet class, but instead of focusing on pirouettes and tour jete's, Jen focused on the skills that we, as bellydancers, need to know.

I've taken ballet since I was a little girl, and it's been drilled into my head by dance teacher after dance teacher that "ballet is the foundation of all dance." While that might be a very grand statement to make, now that I am a bellydancer - practicing a form of dance that seems to be the farthest thing away from bellydance - I see how true that statement really is.

Ballet teaches strength, but it also teaches grace. It teaches proper posture, and proper arms and hands. It teaches you how to be aware of your body, so that you can become a better dancer. And shouldn't everybody know how to do that?!

Were you at the Ballet for Bellydancers workshop? Share your thoughts! And even if you weren't - what do you think about the connection between ballet and bellydance?

I wanna be a rockstar....

I've performed at a lot of parties throughout my professional dance career. I've met a lot of people and experienced many different situations. Over the years, I've experience two huge extremes in the types of parties I perform at, and I've labeled them appropriately....the "plague parties" and the "rockstar parties."

A "plague party" is one in which the guests treat me like I have the plague - I spend half of my time trying to pull people up to dance with me, and rather than being willing participants in the show, the guests shriek and recoil in horror and will not budge. That would be bad enough on its own, but another common characteristic of a plague party is the "point at your friend" game that the guests inevitably play. As I make my way around the room, every table will have at least one person pointing at someone else at their table and mouthing "pick him, pick him." So, I will go over to the unsuspecting guest and attempt to dance with them, which will always end with yet another shriek and recoil, at which point I move to the next table and start the process all over.

Plague parties really stink, because I can never get into the groove of the performance. I spend most of the set just traveling around to the guests trying to get them involved, and by the time I realize that absolutely no one wants to get up and dance (despite the fact that half of the guests are still furiously pointing at their friends and trying to get my attention so that I will dance with their friends, and their friends are now hiding under the table to avoid me), it's almost time for me to make my exit. Plague parties can be very trying and boring, and it's so hard to keep your energy up during your performance when the audience gives nothing back.

A "rockstar party", on the other hand, is the complete opposite of a plague party. Rockstar parties are just like they sound - I am a rockstar. Everyone wants to get up and dance with me because, well, who wouldn't want to dance with the rockstar? The audience is so into the show, cheering and clapping and encouraging. No one points at their friend in an attempt to embarrass them because (1) no one thinks it's embarrassing to dance with the bellydancer and (2) everyone wants to dance with me themselves!

Although it may not be noticeable to the guests at either of these parties, I feel like my performance is so much better at a rockstar party, because I feed off the energy of the audience and I am truly enjoying myself while I'm out there. I love rockstar parties - I wish they were all like that!

BDSS - the review!

The Bellydance Superstars returned to NY and performed for a half-empty theater at Westbury Music Fair (now known as Northfork Theater) on Nov. 11. Yes, you heard that right. The place was AT LEAST half empty. And, as the theater is normally a theather in the round, it was already cut in half for this performance, to give the dancers a "backstage." So, technically, they were performing for a theater only 1/4 full....

Why was there such a small crowd there? Surely there are enough bellydancers in the NY area to at least make a decent showing when such a big event comes to town, right? (to their defense, there was a show two days prior in Manhattan, which I did not attend and therefore I don't know how many people were there).

Here's what I think.....

If you've seen the show once, you've seen it enough times to last a lifetime. That is, as long as they keep doing the same old thing. What do I mean by this? I've been to BDSS three times (the only time they came to NY and I didn't go, they were here performing a repeat of Raqs Carnivale) and each time it's the same exact format. Aside from last year's "girls on stilts" fiasco, and other little "tricks" thrown in here and there, the show is always the same. You know when you go to see a BDSS show, you are going to see:

• Sonia and Isaam performing a drum solo;
• Isaam doing his "clap to the beat while I spice it up and try to trick you" schtick (it was cute the first time around, but come on now! He even does it in the Folies Bergere dvd, so even if you haven't seen the show live, you know what I mean);
• Jillina performing a drum solo while Isaam and Rachel Brice drum for her, and the Desert Roses will always come out at the end wearing galabeyas, they will all do some crazy zar movements and Jillina will always end on the floor;
• Petite Jemila performing a double or quadruple veil routine which consists mainly of a lot of spinning (you know you have seen something too many times when spinning that much with four veils no longer impresses you) and (for the past two years) two of the Desert Roses will come out and do a whirling dervish thing behind her;
• A not-quite-Polynesian number with Sonia in the lead (at least now they've taken to calling it "bellynesian".....??);
• A dance that just leaves you going "Huh?" (ie: Adore's gymnastics, Dondi's "Marilyn", a new blonde dancer this year doing ballet, etc);
• The group drum solo when one dancer attempts to "battle" Isaam with her finger cymbals (sorry, but no one can hold a candle to Ansuya and really shouldn't even try) and then she and three other dancers each take turns performing solo;
• for the past two years, a reggaeton choreography, obviously choreographed by Jillina, who obviously knows very few "hip hop" steps because it was basically the same dance two years in a row.

It's just, well....boring. It's not that the dancers aren't great dancers - for the most part, they are. And it's not that I don't appreciate the lack of stilts and other in-your-face gimmicks, because I do. I guess I'm just over it?

Everyone I talk to about the show says their first time seeing the BDSS was their favorite. Whether it was last year, two years ago, or this time around. Maybe that's because after the first time, it's all the same?

What do you all think?

Ready to see some stars....

The Bellydance Superstars are coming to town. They'll be performing at the Northfork Theater (formerly Westbury Music Fair) this Sunday at 8:00pm.

It's been a few years since BDSS came to NY with a new show. They were here last year, but were back performing Raqs Carnivale, which they had done (and I had seen) the year before. So, this is their first new show in the area in a while.

I'm excited about going to see BDSS. I'm really hoping for a great show this year. I have to say that, although I love (most of) the dancers of BDSS and I think they are amazing performers, I was very disappointed in Raqs Carnivale. I felt that the focus was more on the razzle dazzle of a big stage show that keeps the general public interested, and less on the actual bellydance. There was much discussion about this show on Bhuz.com at the time, and the general consensus was that BDSS was trying to appeal to a broader audience with the content of their show, but was not reaching a larger audience with their advertising and marketing. Thus, the seats were consistently filled with bellydancers, who were less-than-thrilled with the show that was obviously geared towards the general, non-dancing public.

My feeling was, if I wanted to see samba dancers, I would not go see a bellydance show. If I wanted to see a girl on stilts, I'd go to the circus. I go to BDSS to see some of the best bellydancers in the western world on one stage, and I'd like to see them actually bellydance, please. I don't ask much, do I?

So, I have high hopes for this year's production - that they keep it to what they know how to do, and what they know the audience will enjoy. I'll be sure to post some reviews when it's done!

What are your goals?

Now that my wedding is over (yay! I'm Mrs. Daniela now!), I have a lot more free time on my hands. Well, maybe not a LOT, but definitely more. Anyway, I put many of my dance goals on the back burner as the wedding got closer and closer, and now I'd like to re-focus my energy on dance 100%. I have a few goals I'd like to accomplish over the next few months. Here's what I'm thinking:

• Go to more workshops. I was on my honeymoon during Rakkasah East, so I missed out on some great opportunities there (not that I'm complaining, because I was on my honeymoon...). I'd like to aim for one workshop a month, but I know budget and time restraints will be an issue, so I'd be happy with one every two months.
• Put together a sword workshop. This is something that many of my students have expressed interest in - I'd like to do a two-day sword workshop, spread over two weeks' time. I think that this will be great for all students who have a good handle on the basic isolations, and want to add a prop to their performance repertoire
• Buy a new costume!! Ok, this might not seem like a legitimate goal to some, but I have not bought a new costume in months - I didn't want to spend the money so close to the wedding! But now I'm due!! So, I'm on the hunt for a new sparkly.....
• Choreograph show dances. It's that time of year again. Time to start getting ready for the annual student showcase. Planning on my end begins way before the actual show - before anyone can start learning their dances, I need to choreograph them!
• Blog more. I know, I know. I always say I'm going to do this. But now that the wedding is over, I really mean it this time!

So...what are your bellydance goals?