belly dance

Review: World Dance Workout

February 8, 2011 by 4dancers

Product: World Dance Workout CD

Cost: $25 for CD, $22 for digital download

World Dance Workout is a CD designed specifically for dance. The music is percussion, and the musicians understand that a steady rhythm is needed to accompany movement. The centerpiece of this album is a nice, hypnotic beat that would be great for many different types of dance class. I can see belly dancers using it, modern dance classes or even dance classes at a health club. [Read more…]

Expanding Your Dance Horizons

April 19, 2010 by 4dancers

When I was younger, almost all I knew was classical ballet. I studied Irish Step Dance for a few years, but other than that, I didn’t recognize the fact that there are many different types of dance out there in the world. These days it is far easier, with YouTube, cable and the increasing popularity of dance styles that didn’t get as much attention in the past.

breakj — Copyright Catherine L. Tully 2005

None of this is news to you I’m sure. Still…how often do you go and see something out of your comfort zone? When is the last time you checked out a performance that was completely new and different? Sometimes these can be the most impactful. And they can help inform your dancing, teaching or choreography.

My encouragement today is simply this…expand your dance horizons. Go to an Indian dance performance. Check out a belly dance group. Stop and watch some street dancers–or simply attend the showing of a new choreographer and see what they have to offer. You cannot lose by doing this. Even if you don’t enjoy what you see, it will give you a more comprehensive view of dance and the possibilities that exist out there.

Have you ever been impacted strongly by something like this?

If your answer is yes–I’d love to hear about it.

If your answer is no–perhaps it’s time…

Tips For A Healthy Learning Environment

April 17, 2010 by 4dancers

It’s time for another guest post from Piper–this one offers some tips for creating a healthy, supportive learning environment in the belly dance classroom–

The one thing I’ve noticed the most about teaching belly dance is that confidence is the best side effect to come out of it. I always get girls/women who start off in baggy clothes. They want to learn belly dance, yet they won’t show off the belly. And this is common throughout all body types and ages, (yes – even the skinny young girl is shy about what they have). The women start off by being a bit shy, uncomfortable; thus they hide.

Slowly and surely, the more they learn in the classroom, the more their confidence starts to peek out. As it begins to peek, the clothes start to get a little more fitted. And this is achieved in part by the encouragement of the instructor. In all dance forms the instructor’s feedback is key in motivating the students. Especially In today’s world, where we still see eating disorders, and overall lack of confidence in women because they don’t look like the hottest celebrity (who may even have “bought” their body).

Because belly dancing really does expose women’s bodies a bit more than other forms of dance, it’s very key for the instructor to make sure the students don’t feel vulnerable. My first goal in class with my students is to get them to relax. More than anything, I want them to enjoy themselves. Learning dance should be fun!

In my classes, what seems to work is that I try to make jokes of what not to look like first, and then what is acceptable before we begin moving, (usually by demonstrating both the bad and the good), so that the positive image is the freshest in their mind. When I’m teaching new moves, I always try to create a visual in their mind as to what I’m hoping for them to achieve. I encourage anything positive I see in them; from them keeping their chins up to a perfectly placed elbow. I believe firmly that they need to walk out of a class knowing they got ‘something’.

I also tell them that it’s perfectly acceptable to mess up; that the rest of the class is the ‘support group’ and if you’re going to mess up, then mess up big. It’s ok if we laugh at ourselves. I often share my stories of messing up on stage so they know that it happens to everyone at some point. If you can learn how to recover from a mistake, then you’ve just stepped up your game.

I also feel a good friend of the instructor these days is a small camera–to video the class from time to time and play back to the students so they can see their progress. It’s one thing for someone to ‘look ‘ in the mirror, but it’s completely different to actually see on ‘film’ what one looks like. When women look in the mirror, they don’t often see themselves – but the camera allows them almost an unbiased eye. This has been one of the keys in my students gaining more and more confidence within them. I hear things like ‘wow – I don’t look so bad’ or ‘ooh – my arm looked nice there’.

It’s wonderful to see a new door opening for my students.

Finding Your “Voice” In Belly Dance

March 5, 2010 by 4dancers

by Karen Hersh

I have been in the belly dance community as an instructor and performer for several years, and I have had the pleasure of studying and performing with people who have been in this art form for decades. What drew me to stay in belly dance was a sense of sensuality, and a bit of sisterhood, especially since I started with learning American Tribal, as this form is generally done with a group of two or more. It’s a great energy to dance with a group!

Now, I realize that when ATS or Tribal in general was first brought into the light, some people who had been dancing classical Egyptian/Oriental had issues with it; it’s not pure Oriental, etc. Even so, little by little, Tribal was being accepted. It embraces the old with the new.

Belly dance is the one true form of dance that does embrace every body type – which is wonderful! We all share one common denominator: the love of dance. We are a sisterhood, a community. But are these words overused and spoken with emptiness? As a community of sisters, we should encourage each other and our students to continue their studies. This means taking not only additional belly dancing, but ballet or other styles–with various instructors. For our students, (and for us as well), these additional classes can assist in finding one’s own voice in dance.

There is nothing greater for me as an instructor than to see a student who has taken fusion, ATS, Egyptian, etc. to step out and perform, because they’ve taken a pinch from X, a handful from Y, a little bit of Z and mixed in their own personality – and now we see them really dance! We see a glimpse inside their soul.

Who are we to put limitations on our students and tell them they can’t take from other instructors? Don’t we as instructors seek to improve our quality of dance? Wouldn’t it be hypocritical for us to stop our students from furthering their knowledge? And shouldn’t we encourage/support their performance opportunities? Nothing would be more satisfying to me then to see a student of mine surpass me; grow past me. That truly would be the highest compliment I could receive.

Belly Dance: ATS vs ITS vs FUSION

February 10, 2010 by 4dancers

Have you ever been confused by the newer styles of belly dance? Let’s clear things up a bit, shall we? 4dancers contributor, Piper, is back again to sort things out by sharing information about some of the styles that are out there today. But first, some definitions:

ATS = American Tribal Style

ITS = Improvisational Tribal Style

Fusion = blend of various styles of dance

Now, let’s hear from Karen:

I teach/perform my own tribal fusion style of dance, but I came out of a class that originally was American Tribal Style. What exactly is ATS? Long story short, ATS is a modern style of belly dance that was created by Carolena Nericcio, who formed Fat Chance Belly Dance in 1987 in the San Franciso Bay area.

It needs to be said that this category of belly dance should be credited to Jamila Salimpour. She utulized her knowledge of traditional folkloric dance and belly dance by presenting the now infamous Bal Anat production. It showcased dances from Algeria, Morroco, Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. Thus – tribal style belly dance was born.

From Fat Chance and Carolena, many troupes have descended and created their own style.

Some of todays tribal troupes who have roots within ATS have now become what is known as Improvisational Tribal Style. ATS & ITS tend to be strictly performed by 2 or more dancers – thus, a troupe.

Both are done with cues from the arms or hands, so both are presented in an improvisational style. And there is something to be said about watching either style of troupes perform – the energy that is shared by the troupe is like no other.

And now, for fusion. Now personally, fusion is my favorite. Fusion is brought about by individuals pulling in their own unique style. Usually, this style is based on the other forms of dance the performer has studied. Fusion can be influenced by hip hop, African, modern, ballet, as well as traditional belly dance. But the key is always to respect the dance.

As with any dancer, it took me a while to find my own voice within tribal fusion. I felt in the beginning ‘oh – if I’m tribal, then I can’t do ‘X’; but the more I understood what fusion really was, the more I found myself. I study Egyptian style now, as well as going back to ballet. I take workshops with some of the best dancers (at least I feel are the best) – famous as well as the unknowns – and I walk away with more knowledge every time. I’m constantly trying to improve, and will always do so.

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