Belly Goes Modern 12 November 2011

Belly Dance Divas proudly presents Belly Goes Modern where this year we are putting a slight twist on the original belly dancing scene by dancing to modern, upbeat, funky songs.

We are going to wow and dazzle our audience with various acts ranging from Fire to balancing to Isis Wings, Veils and so much more.

So please join us for an evening of fun, dancing and socializing at the Highway Gardnes Community Centre.

Bookings are essential....

Call Amanda on 073 283 2038 or email us on bellydance@magicmail.co.za to avoid dissapointment.

Spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues, we would love to have you there...

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 11 June 2011

On the 11th June 2011, IDS Dance Studio held a charity show entitled Girls just Wanna Have fun.
It was interesting seeing all the different schools come together to dance in aid of this event.

The different styles, the props, the creative thought processes that went into all of the choreographies was truly inspiration and interesting to watch.

It makes you think of your own dancing and where you can improve...
Also nice to see people you have heard about in the industry and see them dance is a nice experience if I can put it that way.

I got to do my 3 tier fire POI solo that night and I must admit whoever took photos that night really did justice to my dance. I know I will figure out the right setting soon on my Camera that can catch such wonderful fire trails as caught in the picture below.

I love fire especially the pictures you get from your efforts with them.

My lovely girls doing their thing in our Isis Wings and Shimmy choreographies

A definite must for those who are interested in seeing whats going on out there. Join us again next year.

Interesting Belly Dance Website

I must say that it is amazing what you can find on the internet and how some websites not only give you a bit of information but all information you require on a specific subject and more.

One such site I found interesting was Atlanta Belly Dance, especially their costuming article and how detailed it is.

Click here to view website article.

You will find everything you need to know from Turkish Costumes to Egyptian Costuming styles to Saidi Dresses, Thobes, Tribal and more all on one page.

The knowledge some people possess astound me and makes you want to strive to know as much as they do.

So if you have ever been unsure of what certain belly dance costumes are called or what they look like, now you will know... :-)

Belly Dancing and Belly Burlesque

I came across an article today on Belly Dance and Burlesque and how it should not be seen as an artform to be combined with Belly Dancing.

Burlesque is a raunchy tease dance and many in South Africa have tried to start incorporating it into Belly Dancing (a beautiful feminine artform that IS NOT sleasy in anyway).

Have a read for yourself and form your own opinions, but in my opinion I agree with the author 100%...

Belly Dance and Burlesque

Lets keep Belly Dancing what it is and keep it completely seperate from Burlesque...

Hagallah

What is Hagallah

The Hagallah is a dance of celebration, usually performed by the Beduin in Western Egypt. Hagallah is also known in areas of neighbouring Libya and is related to kaf (clapping) dances in other regions of the Middle East.  

The word "hagallah" is believed to derive from an Arabic word hag'l, meaning to skip or jump.  Hagallah is performed at weddings (leading the zeffa or wedding procession), for honoured visitors and at engagement celebrations.

 'Hagallah' refers to the dancer, the music and dance itself.  It is often performed during the date harvest, which also happens to be the wedding season.

The men of the community clap to show unity and the central figure in the dance is female.

The dresses are a glitzy stage version of a classic female Beledi dress, and the head scarf is called a mandil, the traditional pom-pom headscarf worn in Egypt to attract attention to the face.

The Hagallah is about women representing power and showing their beauty as individuals. It is a custom that is playful and not about husband hunting -- that is a far more complex subject.

Music
Hagallah music has three parts: 1) the Shettaywa or main theme, which is sung by the whole group 2) the Ghennaywa which is sung by a soloist or poet and is responded to by the group 3) the Magruda which is sung by the soloist and the group together.   The dance is performed during the Shettaywa section.

In the Dahiya or samir version of eastern Arabs, the three sections of the music are called samir, daheeya and reeda/beda.

"Dahiya" is the piece of music most identified with the Reda Troupe's Hagallah performances.

Solve Conflicts rather than Create Feuds

Friends or Feuds?  

Dance class is fertile ground for new friendships - sharing the fun and excitement of new experiences helps students grow together. I enjoy watching friendships form and encourage students to get together outside of class for practise or video nights or to carpool to events or shopping.

I've also witnessed friendships damaged and lost as a result of misunderstandings or personality conflicts. Leading a troupe has also given me a front-row seat to a lot of psychological drama, though sometimes it took place "off-stage" and didn't come to my attention until later.  

As I watched or was embroiled in these tensions I tried to discover ways to undo or avoid the relationship damage that usually followed. At the same time I was watching these conflicts happen around me, I also saw them happening in the larger dance world. What a potential loss of community - factions and feuds equal friendships lost. But it doesn't have to be that way! 

Sooner or later you may experience these situations yourself - you may think someone's "acting funny" around you; there may be harsh words spoken, written, or reported to you; you may find yourself ridiculed or even "blacklisted" somehow.  

Give some thought to how you will handle these situations so you'll be prepared if it happens to you or your friends. What will you do - will you repay in kind? That's often the first reaction when hurt - to lash out. But there's a better way. It's not necessarily easier but the results are worth it. 

Dynamic Relationships  

Conflicts or feuds often start with a simple misunderstanding between two people. 

If you wonder whether someone said something, did something, wrote something unfair or derogatory about you, why not ask them and find out? Approach them with an open heart, not a chip on your shoulder; a "dynamic relationship" nurtures trust and sustains all involved.  

If you know someone did or said something unfair or false about you, talk to them - politely - in private. That gives them a chance to save face and work things out with you. Wouldn't that make more sense than talking to everyone else instead?

What if they don't respond to your needs and won't stop their negative behavior? I suggest asking another - impartial - person to be with the two of you while you talk. This can be uncomfortable but provides another set of ears to witness what happens between you and your antagonist.

That's all there is to it! It may work, or may not; whatever the outcome though, for your own health choose to forgive them or it will fester inside you. Avoid talking about it to others within the dance community if you can; in other words, no gossip. 

Building Bridges
What if YOU hear gossip about someone else? (I think it's safe to say you certainly will!) You can either ignore it - or you can go to that person and get their side of the story. In other words, it's really driven home the adage, "different strokes for different folks". And on a sadder note, it's also enabled me to avoid misplacing my trust. 
 
After I developed a conflict resolution method for my troupe I realized there are many areas where bellydancers often stumble as they make their way in the dance scene. As one dancer recently put it, 
"only the names of those involved change" as the same issues arise time after time.

Why not be PRO-active rather than RE-active? Decide now to take the high road when faced with these difficult situations.

Top Reasons to be a Belly Dancer

Reasons why it is great to be a belly dancer.
I must admit, some of these contributions are really classic.

(Contributions from past and present students)



1. You can now wobble legally in the classes without any one looking at you in disgust!!!!!!!! It’s suppose to wobble - right?????????

2. You now have a reason to own dangerous weapons like a sword and a cane

3. Makes you feel lekker when you "get it" (Translation: makes you feel lekker when you click on a certain movement or technique and are doing it correctly)

4. You meet great ladies from all walks of life and you share something more than friendship - a mutual love for the dance.

5. Belly dance is said to help relieve PMS.

6. You appreciate your body

7. Belly dancing is something which you can start no matter what your level is.

8. You have a reason to literally play with fire.

9. It makes you feel beautiful and sexy even if you are not in the real world.

10. You can express how cold it is by actually shimmying instead of quivering.

11. You can sing along to lyrics in a foreign language with no idea of what they mean

12. You can dress up in beautiful metallic and shiny colours with things that jingle and shake and actually be allowed to go out in public.

If you have any contributions to add, please let me know...

Melaya Lef

I have never done the Melaya Lef form of Belly Dancing but was asked the other day to share the insight of what it exactly is. So for those who are unsure or who may not have ever heard or seen of this dance, you might find the following information useful and who knows, might incorporate it into your own dance routine.

There is a type of character dance done by Egypt's folk troupes known as melaya lef which uses a shawl-type of garment known as a melaya as a prop.

In the melaya lef folkloric dance, the dancer plays the role of a mischievous young woman who flirtatiously plays a "conceal and reveal" game with her wrap.

Beledi music is used specifically for the Melaya Leff (pronounced “ME-LIE-AH LEF”). The dance itself is from Alexandria, Egypt. A melaya itself is a large, black shawl made of nylon or silk, in which the women wrap themselves completely from head to toe. It is a modesty garment for when they leave the house.

For the stage, the melaya is trimmed with gold or silver pailettes. The word leff simply means “to wrap”.

Under the melaya, the dancer wears a form-fitting dress that is short, ruffled and bright in color. She dons open-toed slippers with high heels called ship-ship, and on her head she ties a small scarf decorated with pompons or flowers. Also worn is a crocheted face-veil known as a burr’oh. The melaya is draped upon the body, and during the dance it slips off and is re-wrapped time and again.

As Alexandria is a port city, the dance scene is between the fishermen and the women who are looking to profit by sharing their liberties. The men sit on the street beside a café, drinking and smoking their water pipes. The women compete for attention by flirting. Eventually, the men and women dance together. The men’s costuming is that of the typical fisherman, including a black trouser, a sweater, a multi-colored waistcoat and a white fisherman’s hat.

In Egypt, an Oriental dancer might use the melaya lef dance for the folkloric part of her show, but she doesn't do so wearing her Oriental costume.

In the U.S., since most Americans doing Egyptian style dances don't have the opportunity to do a costume change after the Oriental set and come back out in folkloric costume, they rarely use the melaya lef in their Oriental performances.

A great example of Melaya Lef Performer below.

Secrets for Memorizing Choreography

One of the most important skills for a new dancer is being able to learn the steps of a dance routine. Not many people realize how much brain and memory ability is required for becoming a successful dancer. Not only must a dancer be able to execute several dance steps, he or she must also be able to remember the steps in a set order.

The following tips will help you learn how to quickly memorize dance routines.

1. Know Your Steps

Every dance routine can be broken down into a series of familiar steps and combinations. Good dance instructors make an effort to instill core skills in introductory classes, urging students to learn both the step as well as the name of the step.

2. Watch Your Dance Instructor Closely

Choreography is generally taught in series of step combinations. Watch your dance instructor closely as she demonstrates the steps. Good dance teachers will stand in front of the class and demonstrate each step slowly.

Wait until the teacher has completely finished demonstrating before trying the steps yourself. Some dancers follow right along with the instructor, mimicking the steps as they are demonstrated. If you fail to watch first, you risk missing part of the step. It is better to watch first and then try.

3. Understand the Music

Dance usually combines movements with music. When a choreographer creates a dance routine, the chosen music selection is vital to the success of the dance. A piece of music is often selected because it possesses certain beats and tempo changes.

Listen closely to the music. Try to mentally associate certain steps with strong beats or lyrics of the song. Remember that step combinations are often repeated each time the chorus of a song is played. Get a copy of the music from your instructor so that you can practice your routine at home.

4. Take Notes

Some instructors will give you written notes. Some won't. If yours gives you notes, keep them with you while she is teaching, and consult them to see what words she used to describe each move that she teaches. Then add your own comments to explain the move in words that you will understand. Draw stick figures if necessary.

Don't just passively accept the notes and put them away. The act of describing the move in your own words will force your brain to analyze it, and that will help you remember it.

5. Know yourself enough to understand how you learn

Different people learn in different ways. Some of us learn best by absorbing information by watching while some of us learn by paying attention to what we are hearing and some of us learn best by using physical movement. Assess yourself – and decide which learning style works best for you?

Now that you know which way you learn best, think about how you can use that knowledge to learn choreography more easily.

So if you learn best by seeing take the written notes given to you for the choreography and consult them as you learn. If she doesn't give you written notes, write your own and in an explanation you will understand.

If you learn best by hearing, ask the instructor for permission to record what she says during class. Focus on listening to what she says, and listening to what the music is doing as you practice it.

If you learn best by using physical movement, focus on how to do the transition from one move to the next.

You may have additional ideas on how to draw upon your preferred learning techniques to memorize choreography. Experiment with them, and explore what works best for you.

6. Practice

As with any new skill, practice makes perfect. Don't be too hard on yourself if it seems to take you a little longer than others to learn the choreography of a dance routine.

Your ability to learn routines quickly will improve over time, as your mind will grow accustomed to forming associations. Practice will bring about improvements in all areas of your dancing, which will make it easier to learn complicated step combinations.

The more comfortable you are with the steps, the easier it will be to link them together in your mind.

I hope this article has given you insight and useful advice on learning choreography. Implement these ideas and you are on your way to be a dancing star in your class choreographies.

Politics in a Profession

I have always felt that in order to expand your knowledge and become more proficient in a field in which you work, there is no such thing as 'I know it all'. You can never possibly know everything there is to know about belly dancing as it is a dance form that many have created into a art form and have formed many new aspects and their own style into the dance.

So my question is: Why do belly dance teachers (not all but some) feel threatened by you when they find out you are a teacher yourself and don't feel that they want to share their knowledge with you in a class environment?

And it not only happens within your area in which you live but everywhere.

I am not downing any one in any way but I feel in order to learn, you must be able to feel free to go and attend classes from another professional teacher and not feel you have to hide the fact that you teach.

Yes, stick to teacher confidentiality and don't go out your way to try take her students away and go for the intention you have persued, to learn...

I have had many teachers come to me to learn new things to add into their cirriculum and have found myself happy to share this knowledge with them so that they may grow as well...

Tina Kapp from http://www.orientalfire.blogspot.com/ had an interesting blog post on networking amongst belly dancers which I found to be very insightful and agree with it 100%.

Have a sister network going and help grow yourself with others in the same field as you. It can only show how professional belly dancing as a dance form, not how catty the industry can be.



                                     "Just savor the moment and dance like no one is watching"