What a an awesome and tough day today! Some of you know I am a dancer. I am a student of Oriental Dance, and I have issues. I have no instructor in my style of dance (Gothic Fusion), no troupe for this style, and I live far away from the nearest dance teacher. So why am I telling you all of this? Because it greatly influences things. If I want to take classes, I have to change.
Depending on what’s available I either have to adapt to Classical or American Tribal Style. I can’t complain because I am still studying, learning, moving, and dancing. I have good basic posture. I know how to activate my muscle groups. I have my hip movements independent of my arms, independent of my torso, and independent of my hips.
But to change I have to change EVERYTHING. I have to change hand positions, arms, feet, hips. There are some moves that you DON’T do in one style that are in another. Are arms allowed to move only above the rib cage or can they be at hip level? Flat foot or relevé? Shimmies? Yeah, what kind? Are they straight leg, hip, 3/4, Egyptian? And the combos, turns, and foot work. And don’t forget the music styles are very different.
It’s like wearing 3 different hats as a dancer and learning 3 different dialects. Some of the basic stuff is the same, but the rest is very different. I love to dance. I have to be flexible to get through life. And I guess if the only way I can improve myself as dancer is by being a “Jill of all dances, master of none”, then I shall be!
with love,
angel
oh and if you are curious about all of this, here are a few names:
Fusion: Ariellah, Zoe Jakes, Rachel Brice, Classical: Sadie, Princess Farhana, Fifi Abdou, Samia Gamal, Jillina Tribal: Fat Chance Belly Dance, Black Sheep Belly Dance, Silvia Salamanca,
Can you take ballet, jazz or modern classes? the basics of posture and movement coordination will be covered in those Western forms…
again, I have to drive 30 miles one way at the minimum. The dance teacher in town has children’s classes only.
So for now, I will keep doing the workshops, the out of town lessons as my finances permit, and the DVD’s with my wonderful huge mirror.
My kids can relate–they have to mentally disengage from one style of dance and move on to the next style for different routines, since the movements are so different (you don’t do jazz hands in hip hop, etc.).
<3