~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Love, Hugs and Happy Wishes…
Kathreen
~~~
Delilah
The old fashion belly dance, the way I learned it, was not by choreography. It was live in a cabaret environment. The party atmosphere made things come up spontaneously that made choreography not very realistic. Sometimes the dance would stay on the stage and other times it was someone’s birthday and the dance moved around the room. Audience members made song requests and sometimes would sing low yearning poems into the microphones during my dance. The audience loved when the dancer came out into the audience and interacted with them. Most of the parties and restaurants I danced in hosted families and little kids were encouraged to put tips in my waist band. Many performances were sacred sacraments of divine grace under a mirror ball and some, down right rowdy and profane, with Greek sailors showering dancers with hundreds of dollar bills. In the 70’s I danced for 45 minutes per show. There was not one hair on my head that wasn’t soaked in sweat. My stamina was incredible and I felt like a cosmic astronaut, rocketing into out of this world trance spaces. In tribal society the trance is a big part of the dance. Dance is a means of prayer from the beginning of time. The tarab is divine ecstasy the listener gets into as part of the experience of the music. The dancer is a vessel; a container of the human interface.
This unique experience is valuable and transfers something vital to our soul experience. Today’s technical world is sadly lacking, as we sit addicted to our physically passive computer screens.
You use what you know and you create your dance in the moment. You can do this effectively if you know 5 moves or 500 moves. To me, this wildness is an exceptional opportunity in dance that should be revered and held on high. Not that it negates choreography. It’s just that at this point in society we have many dances that are contained and choreographed and fewer options that are un choreographed and free. Improvisational dance holds essential skills that benefit our life experience in important ways.
Improvisational dance doesn’t mean you don’t study rhythms, music, learn moves, develop your skill set, practice combos, condition the body and work to increase flexibility and endurance. It doesn’t mean you don’t have an intended destination either. You just navigate differently. Your moves become your paints. When we as the audience watch an improvisational belly dance, we are witnessing the painter painting. The dancer shares the live creative process with you. She listens carefully to the music and opens her heart and soul to be like a tuning fork and resonate with the vibrations in the air, using time and space. With each breath she is inspired to unfold the next movement in time. The spirit provided the force behind the motion. We call this dynamics. We all are individuals and this is an opportunity for individuality to shine. The challenge is to be relaxed enough to allow the exhibitionist to step forward. There lies the hitch. We are told at an early age not to show off. Don’t indulge yourself. This comes from our old puritan roots. However all artists are indulging the stuff that makes up their lives. We call this expression. The “don’t touch your own body policy” is just a stupid lack of appreciation for the marvelous gift of life you have been given. So check to see if that’s in the back of your brain and get rid of it, if you want to really dance. Whether you are dancing for yourself or for an audience or both, you must be open and susceptible to your emotions. Available, vulnerable and shameless.
Read the rest of this entry »
Powered by eShop v.6
