Posts
Dragoncon is one of the largest S-F/Fantasy/Pop Culture conventions in the southeast. I've been attending (since it's in my backyard) for almost 10 years. It happens every year on Labor Day Weekend and is one hell of a party!!!
If you like to people-watch it is the extravaganza of people-watching! Beats Mardi Gras in New Orleans any day of the week (I'm from Louisiana). You can see everything from high Opera costumes to cardboard box leggo costumes!
On most nights they host a dance/drum circle. It started out being very small and very quiet and then it moved out to the pool and got crazy and then it moved back indoors and was small and quiet and now it's held in one of the larger ballrooms and is crazy. At any given time - once the drummers get going - you can hear three or more different rhythms being played as you dance around the circle. This can make for some interesting transitions!
Everyone comes to dance - belly dancers, club dancers, goth dancers, drunken gay pirates, fuzzies, jedi, - you name it they will probably show up at the drum circle. Some years I make it and some I don't - this year it's not scheduled to even start until mid-night.
There is also dance and costume tracks held in the Silk Road panels and a dance expo on Sunday in one of the smaller ballrooms - thank heavens! Last year the dance expo was overflowing and we definitely needed a bigger space.
In spite of the fact that Dragoncon is not a belly dance convention, there is plenty of belly dance stuff going on!
If you happen to make it there - look me up! If you can find me ......
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Belly Dance as Art
Is belly dance art or is it just side show/floor show entertainment? Is there a difference? Are the two mutually exclusive? These are all questions that many professional dancers in the belly dance world ask themselves and each other.
What is art? Boy howdy is that the big question! One man's art could be another man's trash. Is it art if the the message is incomprehensible by an audience? Is it necessary for art to be communicated or is it enough that the artist recognizes it as art? Heavy stuff! So far what I've found is that there is no definitive answer to these questions. The belly dance world hasn't reached a consensus of thought and I'd hazard to guess that many other art forms haven't either.
So here's my two cents on the subject ... OK, it's probably more like a buck-fifty, but anyway -
Is all belly dance art? Nope. I've seen lots of dancer's performances and many have not been art. They've been bad and or good entertainment, but not art. Have I seen belly dance as art - you bet your sweet bippy!!!! There are some amazing artists out there doing beautiful and thought provoking performance art through belly dance. Performances that touch your soul in some way or make you leave the show thinking, "Wow! What was that? I don't know but I liked it!" Performances that make the audience start discussing the piece in some way - all of this is what art does. It touches us, it challenges us and it makes us think! Belly dance can do all of that and it can do all of it at once. It is growing beyond being a traditional folk dance into something else.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with traditional folk dance and there is much to be commended in the performers who choose to continue that tradition and preserve it for us to return to and enjoy over and over again. It is simply a different path than belly dance as art. Not lesser than - just different.
There is also nothing wrong with the performers who choose to practice as entertainers. Who spend years crafting audience loved performances that are enjoyed and applauded. There is a craftsmanship in this type of dance that is honorable and requires talent and dedication to achieve. It is also a different path than belly dance as art. Not lesser than - just different.
Many of us who are considering these questions compare belly dance to ballet or flamenco. Both are dance forms that rose from being folk dances to being considered art. Ballet had it's beginnings in the courts of Europe as a social dance and then transitioned to the stage. It spent decades as a scandalous pursuit and the women and men who chose to perform it were looked down upon. Flamenco began in the Spanish - Rom blending in Andalusia and went through a similar transition where it's performers were primarily Rom and looked down upon. Both have risen to be considered art.
Belly dance began as a folk dance and is still danced that way in many places today. Then it was moved to the stage. When that happens, the dance is changed. It is less intimate and not performed solely for the pleasure of the performer as folk dance is, but for the pleasure of an audience. Many dancers today are trying to move belly dance into the art world - they are pushing boundaries and asking more of themselves and their audiences. Will we survive the transition? Only time will tell. Personally, I hope so. I think there is room for all three versions - although as modernization occurs the true folk dance aspect will probably be lost and only preserved through the efforts of the dancers who have chosen to specialize in that aspect. Like many other folk dances have been lost throughout the ages.
Life is change - and so is art and so is dance. Sometimes we loose things in this change and other times we gain so much more. However, it is fool hardy to believe that it will not change.
What is art? Boy howdy is that the big question! One man's art could be another man's trash. Is it art if the the message is incomprehensible by an audience? Is it necessary for art to be communicated or is it enough that the artist recognizes it as art? Heavy stuff! So far what I've found is that there is no definitive answer to these questions. The belly dance world hasn't reached a consensus of thought and I'd hazard to guess that many other art forms haven't either.
So here's my two cents on the subject ... OK, it's probably more like a buck-fifty, but anyway -
Is all belly dance art? Nope. I've seen lots of dancer's performances and many have not been art. They've been bad and or good entertainment, but not art. Have I seen belly dance as art - you bet your sweet bippy!!!! There are some amazing artists out there doing beautiful and thought provoking performance art through belly dance. Performances that touch your soul in some way or make you leave the show thinking, "Wow! What was that? I don't know but I liked it!" Performances that make the audience start discussing the piece in some way - all of this is what art does. It touches us, it challenges us and it makes us think! Belly dance can do all of that and it can do all of it at once. It is growing beyond being a traditional folk dance into something else.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with traditional folk dance and there is much to be commended in the performers who choose to continue that tradition and preserve it for us to return to and enjoy over and over again. It is simply a different path than belly dance as art. Not lesser than - just different.
There is also nothing wrong with the performers who choose to practice as entertainers. Who spend years crafting audience loved performances that are enjoyed and applauded. There is a craftsmanship in this type of dance that is honorable and requires talent and dedication to achieve. It is also a different path than belly dance as art. Not lesser than - just different.
Many of us who are considering these questions compare belly dance to ballet or flamenco. Both are dance forms that rose from being folk dances to being considered art. Ballet had it's beginnings in the courts of Europe as a social dance and then transitioned to the stage. It spent decades as a scandalous pursuit and the women and men who chose to perform it were looked down upon. Flamenco began in the Spanish - Rom blending in Andalusia and went through a similar transition where it's performers were primarily Rom and looked down upon. Both have risen to be considered art.
Belly dance began as a folk dance and is still danced that way in many places today. Then it was moved to the stage. When that happens, the dance is changed. It is less intimate and not performed solely for the pleasure of the performer as folk dance is, but for the pleasure of an audience. Many dancers today are trying to move belly dance into the art world - they are pushing boundaries and asking more of themselves and their audiences. Will we survive the transition? Only time will tell. Personally, I hope so. I think there is room for all three versions - although as modernization occurs the true folk dance aspect will probably be lost and only preserved through the efforts of the dancers who have chosen to specialize in that aspect. Like many other folk dances have been lost throughout the ages.
Life is change - and so is art and so is dance. Sometimes we loose things in this change and other times we gain so much more. However, it is fool hardy to believe that it will not change.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Recovery and Classes
Last spring I developed some serious perneal tendon issues in my ankles. Caused by falling down my driveway the previous August and not realizing that I had done major trauma to my feet - I continued dancing and performing. Bad Me!
So last April I was put into a cast and ordered not to dance - HA! I was in the middle of recital rehearsals for two schools and had to finish out the beginner sessions. Thanks to help from some really good friends, I managed to make it through all that. I was released from the cast in June and spent July trying to build some dance strength.
Classes started back at the beginning of this month. Two hours on Monday nights, 1 hour on Tuesdays, and 2 hours of intermediate and advanced class on Thursdays. Lots of dancing and that doesn't include my personal practice time, rehearsal time for performances and private lessons! I'm feeling the time off! My ankles and tendons are feeling the time off!!!
Thanks to some wonderful alternative healers - massage therapy and reiki, I'm making it through, but oh my aching feet! ;) Oh yeah and this great topical anti-inflamatory cream that my orthepedist ordered for me - great stuff!
I'm sure this will all get better as long as I take care of myself. The classes are going really well and I used my down time to revamp some thoughts on teaching and restructed my classes. I tend to do this every few years anyway, but I like the revamp. I hope the student's do as well!
Now ... back to work on rebuilding those ankles!
So last April I was put into a cast and ordered not to dance - HA! I was in the middle of recital rehearsals for two schools and had to finish out the beginner sessions. Thanks to help from some really good friends, I managed to make it through all that. I was released from the cast in June and spent July trying to build some dance strength.
Classes started back at the beginning of this month. Two hours on Monday nights, 1 hour on Tuesdays, and 2 hours of intermediate and advanced class on Thursdays. Lots of dancing and that doesn't include my personal practice time, rehearsal time for performances and private lessons! I'm feeling the time off! My ankles and tendons are feeling the time off!!!
Thanks to some wonderful alternative healers - massage therapy and reiki, I'm making it through, but oh my aching feet! ;) Oh yeah and this great topical anti-inflamatory cream that my orthepedist ordered for me - great stuff!
I'm sure this will all get better as long as I take care of myself. The classes are going really well and I used my down time to revamp some thoughts on teaching and restructed my classes. I tend to do this every few years anyway, but I like the revamp. I hope the student's do as well!
Now ... back to work on rebuilding those ankles!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tribe.net
So for those of you who are unaware, there is a social group called Tribe.net. Many belly dancers, particularly tribal belly dancers, are on this group and use it extensively for their dance needs - obsessions - joys - business. Unfortunately, it is not a really stable platform and periodically goes down. This causes all kinds of hysteria amongst the belly dance community as people contemplate loosing the easy access they have to communicate about belly dance.
This past weekend we had such an outage. It's back up - thank goodness - but it again poses the question for how long? What would we do if it falls and can't get back up? How would that change the face of belly dance? Not so much for the serious professionals, who are tied into the community in many ways, but for the hobbyists and the students who use Tribe to develop their knowledge and careers.
They (you know the proverbial "they") call this the information age and boy howdy they aren't kidding! A friend and I were discussing something and I made the statement, "you know before we had cellphones." The conversation stopped as if we had to search the deep recesses of our memories to remember the time before cell phones! Yes. There was such a time and it wasn't all that long ago. The information age has impacted our society as much as the industrial age did back in the 1800's. Life has changed and for better or worse we would be hit a hard blow were we to suddenly loose our ability to communicate.
Now, back to Tribe... There are other belly dance communities on the web - Buzz, Myspace, Frontpage, website, blogs, yahoo groups, etc, etc. For some reason everyone likes Tribe the best - I think it's how the "tribes" or groups are set up and accessed. The groups don't send you tons of e-mails that you don't want to read like yahoo groups does, yet you have easy access to all of the messages once you log in to the community. Myspace and Frontpage are individually neat - but they don't foster such a large group community. Then there is Buzz. Buzz is pretty good, but it's not as easy to access the community groups as Tribe is. Also, Buzz seems to be more cabaret oriented than Tribal.
In the end, if Tribe goes down the community will have to cope. Such is life - life is change and if you aren't changing ...well then you're dead!
Peace!
This past weekend we had such an outage. It's back up - thank goodness - but it again poses the question for how long? What would we do if it falls and can't get back up? How would that change the face of belly dance? Not so much for the serious professionals, who are tied into the community in many ways, but for the hobbyists and the students who use Tribe to develop their knowledge and careers.
They (you know the proverbial "they") call this the information age and boy howdy they aren't kidding! A friend and I were discussing something and I made the statement, "you know before we had cellphones." The conversation stopped as if we had to search the deep recesses of our memories to remember the time before cell phones!
Now, back to Tribe... There are other belly dance communities on the web - Buzz, Myspace, Frontpage, website, blogs, yahoo groups, etc, etc. For some reason everyone likes Tribe the best - I think it's how the "tribes" or groups are set up and accessed. The groups don't send you tons of e-mails that you don't want to read like yahoo groups does, yet you have easy access to all of the messages once you log in to the community. Myspace and Frontpage are individually neat - but they don't foster such a large group community. Then there is Buzz. Buzz is pretty good, but it's not as easy to access the community groups as Tribe is. Also, Buzz seems to be more cabaret oriented than Tribal.
In the end, if Tribe goes down the community will have to cope. Such is life - life is change and if you aren't changing ...well then you're dead!
Peace!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Crazy Questions????
In my tenure as a belly dancer, I've been asked some crazy questions about the art and my own participation in it. Here are some of my favorite crazy questions:
1. Did you have to go to China to learn how to do that?
I've had variations on this so feel free to substitute any exotic far away country you'd like, but believe it or not China is the one most often mentioned. For the record - belly dance is a traditional folk dance from the Middle East. It can be found all over the world today - but it evolved in the Middle East. Traditionally this dance was done in Egypt, Turkey, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and along the Silk Road. I learned in Atlanta, GA. Most larger towns have someone who teaches throughout the US. As far as I am aware China did not traditionally dance in a fashion that I would refer to as belly dance. ;)
2. Do you teach pole dancing too?
Nope. Never have - never will. Pole dancing has nothing to do with belly dance. It's sort of like asking a ballet teacher if they also teach cheer leading. Two completely unrelated art forms. I get this one a lot!
3. I saw (insert professional belly dancer's name here) last weekend on TV and I want to dance like that for my anniversary in a month. Can I take a couple of lessons to learn to do that?
Wow! This one, or one of it's common variations really blows my mind. The implication being that of course it's not hard to learn and become an expert in a few short lessons - let's not break a sweat! The question is born out of ignorance, but it can be difficult to answer without making someone mad. The short answer is "No". The long answer is, "Professional Dancer X has spent at least 10 years perfecting her art form and spent hundreds of dollars on lessons and rehearsal space. I can teach you something basic in a short time, but if you want to dance like Professional Dancer X, it will take longer than a few weeks." I usually put a big smile on my face and hope for the best!
4. Does your mother know you do this?
Usually asked by a kindly elderly lady with a concerned look on her face. Yes. My mother knows I do this, she loves seeing my videos and photos although she has never attended a show since she lives half a country away from me. I have no doubt she would be front row center if she could!
5. I bet your husband/boyfriend really likes that you do this?!
This one is usually asked by a slightly leering male. I can be covered head to toe with elaborate turbans and not an inch of flesh showing other than my hands and feet and still get this question. My answer goes something like this, "Not really. It costs tons of money to keep up my training and costumes and travel and I'm teaching most nights of the week. So for him it kind of sucks!" Smile and walk away...
There are tons more, but those are currently my favorite one!
1. Did you have to go to China to learn how to do that?
I've had variations on this so feel free to substitute any exotic far away country you'd like, but believe it or not China is the one most often mentioned. For the record - belly dance is a traditional folk dance from the Middle East. It can be found all over the world today - but it evolved in the Middle East. Traditionally this dance was done in Egypt, Turkey, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and along the Silk Road. I learned in Atlanta, GA. Most larger towns have someone who teaches throughout the US. As far as I am aware China did not traditionally dance in a fashion that I would refer to as belly dance. ;)
2. Do you teach pole dancing too?
Nope. Never have - never will. Pole dancing has nothing to do with belly dance. It's sort of like asking a ballet teacher if they also teach cheer leading. Two completely unrelated art forms. I get this one a lot!
3. I saw (insert professional belly dancer's name here) last weekend on TV and I want to dance like that for my anniversary in a month. Can I take a couple of lessons to learn to do that?
Wow! This one, or one of it's common variations really blows my mind. The implication being that of course it's not hard to learn and become an expert in a few short lessons - let's not break a sweat!
4. Does your mother know you do this?
Usually asked by a kindly elderly lady with a concerned look on her face. Yes. My mother knows I do this, she loves seeing my videos and photos although she has never attended a show since she lives half a country away from me. I have no doubt she would be front row center if she could!
5. I bet your husband/boyfriend really likes that you do this?!
This one is usually asked by a slightly leering male. I can be covered head to toe with elaborate turbans and not an inch of flesh showing other than my hands and feet and still get this question. My answer goes something like this, "Not really. It costs tons of money to keep up my training and costumes and travel and I'm teaching most nights of the week. So for him it kind of sucks!" Smile and walk away...
There are tons more, but those are currently my favorite one!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
New Toy!
Since I'm new to blogging, I'm still playing around with the features of the page. I just added my first gadget - Moon of the Day!
I'm really into the moon. I've always loved to look at it and it calms me. I hope the photos will be breathtaking and inspirational!
Enjoy!
I'm really into the moon. I've always loved to look at it and it calms me. I hope the photos will be breathtaking and inspirational!
Enjoy!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to this new space where I will be able to share some thoughts and knowledge on Belly Dance! I'm excited about this new venture and hope that those who stop by will find something useful or something that makes them see or think about the world of dance in a new way.
For those who don't know me...
I started dancing in 1990 and currently teach 5 classes a week at two different school as well as offer workshops on a variety of topics. Stop by my web page (www.halleyah.com) for more information on my teaching and current performances.
In addition to teaching I have been researching the history of belly dance since 1990. I own a fairly extensive library on Persian dance images from the Medieval period and have a good variety of literature on other styles of dance from that period as well as more recent history from the Victorian Era and early Twentieth Century information in the United States. This is a continuing area of study for me and I'm always searching out the new source on the history of this elusive dance form!
I use this research to create performances from the different periods that I study as well as to enhance my more modern fusions with Tribal Style belly dance. Currently, I'm looking at more theatrical uses of belly dance and use of dance in ritual and ceremony.
I'm looking forward to sharing some of this information with others and hearing what others think about what I share.
For those who don't know me...
I started dancing in 1990 and currently teach 5 classes a week at two different school as well as offer workshops on a variety of topics. Stop by my web page (www.halleyah.com) for more information on my teaching and current performances.
In addition to teaching I have been researching the history of belly dance since 1990. I own a fairly extensive library on Persian dance images from the Medieval period and have a good variety of literature on other styles of dance from that period as well as more recent history from the Victorian Era and early Twentieth Century information in the United States. This is a continuing area of study for me and I'm always searching out the new source on the history of this elusive dance form!
I use this research to create performances from the different periods that I study as well as to enhance my more modern fusions with Tribal Style belly dance. Currently, I'm looking at more theatrical uses of belly dance and use of dance in ritual and ceremony.
I'm looking forward to sharing some of this information with others and hearing what others think about what I share.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)