Belly Dance Geek Blog
Geek Out with Princess Farhana
Posing for the Camera Episode 11 of the Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse: My guest, Princess Farhana will talk about how to make the camera love you. Download the presentation slides If you’d like to see the photos Her Highness critiqued on the call, you can download the slides. You’ll learn: Composition and posing techniques for dance shots of all kinds How to relax in front of the camera How to create beautiful facial angles and body lines A sneaky trick to make your arms look more toned in...
read moreThe Diamond Solitaire Moment
How to make special moments sparkle. Have you ever looked at how a diamond solitaire ring is constructed? It’s designed to show off that one beautiful stone. From the cut of the diamond to the way the setting lifts it up high, every part is designed to make it sparkle. Special moments in the music are like diamond solitaires. Sometimes the music gives you an important accent moment. First it signals that something special is coming, then gives you an important (but often subtle) accent. This makes more...
read moreCreativity Boost Tweet Tips
Last month, I did my fourth “tweet tips” series of daily tips for belly dancers. July’s theme was creativity boosts. These are quick exercises to help you shake things up and think more creatively. Now that the series is over, I thought I’d share the full series in one place. The tips: 1) Take a combination you know, and try it backwards. What does it take to fit it to the music? 2) Choose a combo you know & adapt it to VERY different music. What does it take to make it...
read moreThe ABCs vs. the 3 Rs
Why more drilling isn’t always the answer. Have you ever seen a dancer who had perfect hip drops, but completely failed to capture your attention? A lot of dancers think “If I could just get that isolation a little bit crisper, or if I could add just one more layer, I would be a great dancer.” And then you drill and you drill, and a few weeks later, you have a crisper isolation, or another layer. But you still don’t feel like your performance “clicks”. That’s because most dancers focus on the ABCs,...
read morePoll: Skill Types
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool. (If you don’t know what I mean by “hard skills” and “soft skills, check out The ABCs vs. The 3 Rs.) Your Turn What skills are you working on right now? What hard or soft skills are on your wishlist? What are your favorite resources for learning soft skills? Share your thoughts in the comments…
read moreThe Routine Roller Coaster
Did you know that entertainment is the art of manipulation? Usually, we think of manipulation as a bad thing, but that’s not true for performers. Manipulating the audience is our job! A good belly dance show takes the audience’s emotions from excited highs to intense lows. Without manipulation, our show would feel pretty bland. Those highs and lows are what keep the audience’s attention. If we performed the entire show on the same emotional level, even the best dancing would get old fast. That’s why the...
read moreStagecraft Tweet Tips
Last month, I did my third “tweet tips” series of daily tips for belly dancers. June’s theme was stagecraft. Now that the series is over, I thought I’d share the full series in one place. The tips: 1) Pretend there’s paint on your feet & paint the whole stage 2) Imagine your chest is filled w/ light & let it stream out your fingertips, toes, eyes & mouth 3) When you’re tempted to add more “stuff”, vary the timing instead. Try QQS,...
read moreGeek Out with Valerie Lovely
Copyright for Belly Dancers Episode 10 of the Belly Dance Geek Clubhouse: My guest, music attorney Valerie Lovely will talk about music copyright concerns for belly dancers. We’ll also be joined by paralegal and dancer Joie Grandbois (Selcouth). Whether you perform, teach, produce videos, or just want to post your hafla performance on YouTube, there’s something here for you! Note: Copyright law varies from country to country, and Atty. Lovely can only address US copyright law. The general...
read morePoll: Are You Too Hard On Yourself?
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool. Your Turn Do certain things trigger you to be self-critical? Do you find it more helpful to diffuse those feelings or channel them? What techniques help you be less hard on yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments…
read moreEverything Else is Gravy
Why we need mere competence, not excellence. It’s funny: when I get ranty, I reach for video, rather than trying to type out my thoughts. Today’s article is no exception… Transcript I’ve had this quote on my mind for a while now. It’s a quote by Naomi Dunford from IttyBiz.com and she says: “Having room to improve is different from doing it wrong.” And I wanted to share this quote with you because I’ve seen a trend lately among dancers. I’ve seen it in my coaching students, on message...
read more