Belly Dance Geek Blog
Or Does Your Dancing Need More “Puppy”?
In my last article, we talked about kitty energy. Kitty energy is important because it brings a confident, elegant quality to your dancing. But if you find yourself dancing with your nose in the air, and a snooty, prissy demeanor, you might be overdoing the kitty. (I think of this as Haughty Dancer Syndrome.) Or maybe you’re bringing more of a “bunny” energy: staring at the floor in terror, avoiding the audience, and franticly jumping from move to move. Either Way, The Cure is More “Puppy” As I mentioned when we discussed...
read moreImprovisation Toolkit Volume 3 is in Production!
The next of the Improvisation Toolkit is now in production! Volume 3 will cover transitions in improvisation. You probably know that clean transitions add polish to your dance, but most dancers don’t realize that they also make improvisation easier. When you make friends with transitions, it’s easier to chose the next move, to make clear movement “statements” that make sense to your audience, and to innovate in the moment. In Volume 3, you’ll learn:- How to identify your body position- The three types of...
read moreDoes Your Dancing Need More “Kitty”?
When I was an intermediate student, my teacher included performance critiques in class. My friend Lilya is a firecracker, and her piece was really exciting. Her technique and musicality were excellent, and she connected with each of us as she danced. But something wasn’t as good as it could be… I couldn’t put my finger on it. When it was Heather’s turn to give feedback, she asked Lilya what was going on in her head. Lilya responded “I think of myself as a Labrador puppy, running around excitedly to greet...
read moreHow to Practice When You Only Have 5 Minutes
I was having a really bad day. I got stuck at work, missed my bus, and when I got home, I discovered that I forgot to defrost the ingredients for dinner. By the time I was home and fed, I was too tired and cranky to put on my practice clothes, much less actually dance. Now, there’s nothing wrong with skipping a practice session once in a while, but when you miss a practice session, it often turns into two, and then a week. Before you know it, you’ve missed out on hours and hours of practice. 5 minutes would have kept me on...
read moreTotally Turkish DVD Review
Totally Turkish – Belly Dance(Disclaimer: I received a free advance copy of this DVD as part of a give-away by the producer)I’m a big fan of improvisational dance: I’d rather do it, and I’d rather watch it. But even though I rarely perform choreography, learning it is great way to fill the creative well. A good choreography can help you learn new moves, ideas or aesthetics, or help you wrap your brain around a new style or skill. Totally Turkish does it all.WHAT YOU GET:- A technique break-down of some of the moves,...
read moreWhat Questions Do You Have About Transitions? (Plus a Give-Away)
Volume 2 just shipped last week, but I’m already starting work on the next part of the series.Volume 3 will cover transitions, with an emphasis on using them in improvised dance. My goal is to get it out by the end of October of this year.I have a pretty detailed outline for what I plan to cover, but before I get too deep into my own plan, I’d like to make sure that I address YOUR questions about transitions.Tell me about your transitions questions in this surveyThe GiveawayAnd because I can’t resist a give-away, one survey...
read moreHow to Learn Choreography More Easily and Efficiently – By Doing it Backwards!
When you fly in an airplane, you hope for a smooth flight. But sometimes take-offs are shaky and flights are bumpy. In the end, all that really matters is a safe landing.Flying instructors know this, and so their earliest lesson is not how to fly the plane, but how to land it. Flying students practice landings over and over again, because not only do they need to be able to land the plane safely, but they need to feel completely confident doing it. Worrying about the landing could cause them to make a mistake.Give Your Show a Safe LandingThis...
read moreImprovisation Toolkit Volume 2 is Here!
Volume 2 of the Improvisation Toolkit has arrived! It’s 7.5 inches long,weighs 3.2 ounces, and has brown eyes. (In the cover photo, that is.)Okay, that’s a corny metaphor, but I sure feel like I’ve had a baby!I’ll be picking it up at the manufacturer’s in 89 minutes, and headingstraight to the post office after that. So those of you who pre-ordered shouldhave your copies soon!Just a few more things:1) The deadline for the give-away is 5pm EST today. If you’re already on mymailing list, you’re already...
read moreHow to Improve Your Musicality with Selective Listening
I made this video late, late at night, and in my PJs. I filmed it back in December, as an assignment for my article class, and always planned reshoot it in the studio, with natural light, makeup, etc. But the topic of musicality has come up over and over again this month, so I’m taking that as a sign. So I’m squelching my vanity and sharing this with you now, PJs and all.Enjoy! Prefer to listen on the go? You can also download an MP3. Your Turn Has selective listening improved your musicality? Do you have any...
read moreWhy You Need to Make Mistakes In Order to Improvise Well
When you raise tomatoes, you have to constantly prune away the “suckers”, the new shoots the plant tries to grow. If they remain, they’ll suck the plant’s resources into growing new stems and leaves. But when you find them and get rid of them, the plant can focus on its job: making tasty tomatoes for you. Mistakes are like Suckers It’s human nature to fear mistakes, but they’re especially terrifying for dancers. After all, the audience’s eyes are always on us. So we become perfectionists, and fret about tiny...
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