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The Big 5: Ifs, Ands, & Buts
This post is part of my series on “The Big 5”. Those are the genres that an educated audience would recognize, and expect certain dance stylizations.
(i.e., the genres for which just listening to the music isn’t enough.)
To read more about this idea, or to find links to the other articles in the series, check out the first article in the series, The Big 5.
The Big 5 is a Handy Tool
When you’re familiar with these genres, you can be confident that you’ll meet an educated audience’s expectations.
Most other genres can be handled by listening and stagecraft, or are so obscure that few audiences will have expectations.
But there are a few things to keep in mind…
There are a some subtleties to this approach that can trip you up. So let’s look at the “ifs, ands, and buts” to help you get the most out of the Big 5.
1) This only applies to black-and-white cases
If a song is obviously a member of one of the “Big 5” genres, it will trigger the audience’s expectations.
For example, “Bir Demet Yasemen” is a classic lyrical veil song, so an educated audience will expect you to dance with a veil.
And so it’s a good idea to train your ear.
I recommend that you learn the must-know songs for each of the Big 5 genre (I listed several in each article). It’s also a good idea to listen to other songs in the genre, so you can get a sense of its unique “sound”.
(If you need more recommendations, ask your teacher, dance friends, or in the belly dance forums.)
But the opposite is not true.
There is plenty of “grey area” music that could be used for one of the Big 5, but doesn’t necessarily call for it. In these cases, there’s no right answer.
For example, lyrical veil work can be done to a chiftetelli, but a chiftetelli doesn’t require veil work. (i.e., if you do floorwork or standing slow moves instead, it wouldn’t look out of place.)
And many pop songs use the Saidi rhythm. You could use those songs to dance with a cane, but you wouldn’t have to.
2) Some may be outside your style
Not all of the Big 5 are must-knows for every style of belly dance.
If a Big 5 genre is outside your style, it’s optional
If you’re a Vintage Orientale (aka AmCab) dancer, you may never be required to do a beladi progression.
If you do Egyptian, you may never need to do a 9/8.
If you’re a Tribal dancer, you may never face an audience that expects you to dance in a traditional way to the Big 5.
And so, by all means, prioritize the genres that fit your own style.
You are the boss of your own dance, and you get to decide what is and isn’t worth your training time.
But stepping outside your own style can be very helpful.
This is true for many reasons:
Cross-training is a great source of inspiration.
If the band plays something unexpected, or the DJ pops in the wrong CD, knowing the basics of these genres can be a life-saver.
For teachers, having a basic understanding of the Big 5 makes you a better resource for your students, even if you don’t dance them all yourself.
Besides, you have to know the rules to break them. My favorite fusion pieces are the ones that play with my expectations. (Ditto for humor pieces.)
3) You don’t have to be perfect
The Big 5 concept is just a tool to help you choose what to work on. There’s no moral imperative that says that you have to master them all.
If you have perfectionistic tendencies, this can feel like a lot of pressure.
It’s yet another thing that you “should” be able to do.
And pressure and “shoulds” can make you want to shut down.
They make learning about fear and inadequacy, not about excitement and discovery.
But try to keep it in perspective.
It’s okay to be a beginner at this, even if you’re an advanced dancer. (Really: you have my personal permission.)
You don’t have to stop performing and hide in a cave until you have mastered all these styles. Keep doing what you feel fits the music, and as you keep learning, let your research inform that.
Your Turn
Which of these subtleties is most relevant to you?
Can you think of any other subtleties, “gotchas”, or limitations of The Big 5? (Don’t be shy!)
Which of the Big 5 is your top priority?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
I created the ifs, ands, buts image myself, using the tools at pinwords.com.