This summer marks my tenth year since I started belly dance. The most common question I get (besides "How do you balance that sword on your head?") is, "Why did you decide to learn belly dance?" It's a valid question, but I also know this question comes with an a certain amount of curiosity about how a Chinese girl picked up a Middle Eastern folkloric dance as a passion.
The story: in 2000, I graduated from my second Master's degree program at nearly the same time a very important relationship with a troubled man was put on hold. My own personal suffering translated into physical illness. I ate and slept so poorly, my doctor recommended that I find something more gentle to do than running and aerobics for exercise (I had lost approximately 25 pounds in two months).
Picking up a Discover U catalog for Seattle-area classes, I flipped through it, looking for "something" that seemed interesting. I didn't know I was looking for belly dance, though I had been exposed to Lebanese belly dancing while on a tour of Israel a few years earlier. One of the Discover U class offerings was belly dance with Yasmine, who I would later find out was not only a dancer but a musician as well. With a few group classes, Yasmine encouraged me to consider belly dance as "your dance"; that is, she felt that I took naturally to it. I must admit, being a musician has its advantages: zill playing was a bit easier for me than the average beginner.
Imei, celebrating 10 years of belly dance, and different styles of dance
People ask me where I get my ideas for choreography. Certainly, all of us learn from someone, and we borrow their moves as it suits us. Later, we learn to listen to the music, playing with variations of how those shapes and emotions might look when in motion and facial expressions. Finally, we create, film, observe, perform, and elicit feedback, constantly working to refine the feelings and messages we wish to send to the audience with each piece.
Sabura once wrote an email with a piece of advice I have taken to heart over the years. She reminded me that it didn't matter so much what movement I did in a choreography, as long as it perfectly expressed the emotion of the music in which it occurred. If I can get an audience feeling what I feel -- longing, joy, tension, release, breath, misery, anger, confidence, comedy -- I have accomplished no small feat.
In essence, we dancers give our viewers the unique opportunity to feel what is is to embody the music itself, yet without having to move from one's chair, nor ooze a single drop of sweat. If you find yourself holding your breath, smiling, laughing, or emitting a flirty confidence from every pore in your body, you have just understood perfectly what it is to be a belly dancer: orchestrating emotions in a waterfall of pleasure
Showing posts with label costumes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label costumes. Show all posts
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Belly Dance At MedFest: Why We Love This Festival
I am shocked when Seattle locals who have lived here for years are surprised to hear that one of the Northwest's largest belly dance shows occurs annually every third weekend in July in the vibrant West Seattle Community.
Over 600 dancers from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and even Alaska register for non-stop dancing over two days on two stages for the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, hosted by the Babylonian Ensemble. Audiences are exposed to various forms of the classic as well as emerging genres of belly dance, which include steam punk, tribal fusion, goth, martial arts, hip hop, and circus elements.
Additionally, MedFest has been open to Bollywood dance, and over the past few years, I've seen a few troupes present Indian-inspired works or full-on Bollywood pieces. This year, Mollie Singh introduced Bollywood Seattle, with excerpts of three solo choreographies as well as a group number, all choreographed by Mollie.
What I love about MedFest is how the organizers never fail to attract a high-quality workshop instructor and performer. Saturday July 17 Tito Seif of Cairo, Egypt performed on the outdoor stage (video recordings were not allowed), wowing the audience with his exciting stick dance, beledi, and dance performance while balanced on a tabla.
Tito Seif is one of the world's best male bellydancers, and an exciting choreographer. His joy is infectious, and his intensity and precision inspires dancers across the globe. In terms of the level of accomplishment this man has achieved, I was only surprised that I could not find a Wiki page about him. Bet his press team is working on that, because he is surely a "notable".
If you missed out on his workshop Saturday morning, Seif is offering another choreography workshop at 6 pm Sunday July18. For more information, go to the Babylonian Ensemble website, and click on the workshops.
Last but not least, one of my favorites is back: Shoshana of Arcata, CA. Shoshana's playful use of the four-yard veil always takes my breath away. She was the first to teach me how to use my veil like a rubber band, flicking it across the room if necessary [Added: Sunday July 18 at 1:45 pm. Shoshana had to leave early, so she performed at 12:30 pm instead of the listed time of 3 pm. Here's a few photos, taken on my Vado 3rd generation camera]:
Cocooned within a transparent, over-sized veil, Shoshana shows the audience how to spin out of a web.
Did I mention the shopping? I'm not much of a shopper, so when I do shop, it's usually in binges. This year, I purchased four dresses for $65! I wasn't in need of a new costume, but there are plenty of costume vendors ready to suit you up in gorgeous glamour, whimsical skirts, and gothic tribal wear. If you don't want to depart with any hard-earned cash, do not (I repeat, do not) go anywhere near the indoor stage area where Shiny Sparkly Things is happily liberating people of their dough. I bought a pair of earrings from SST a couple of years ago, and I'm getting great mileage out of their high-quality, costume jewelry.
Hungry? Falafel sandwiches, kabobs, and non-alcoholic beverages are vended from a conveniently placed truck and grills.
All-in-all, you and your family can spend the afternoon at MedFest in this highly entertaining, vital community of dancers, musicians, fans, and people who love world music. Come and join us if you can (just don't park on Walnut Street, or you are likely to get a parking ticket), and bring a light jacket, as it is a bit chilly for mid-July.
Over 600 dancers from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and even Alaska register for non-stop dancing over two days on two stages for the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, hosted by the Babylonian Ensemble. Audiences are exposed to various forms of the classic as well as emerging genres of belly dance, which include steam punk, tribal fusion, goth, martial arts, hip hop, and circus elements.
Additionally, MedFest has been open to Bollywood dance, and over the past few years, I've seen a few troupes present Indian-inspired works or full-on Bollywood pieces. This year, Mollie Singh introduced Bollywood Seattle, with excerpts of three solo choreographies as well as a group number, all choreographed by Mollie.
What I love about MedFest is how the organizers never fail to attract a high-quality workshop instructor and performer. Saturday July 17 Tito Seif of Cairo, Egypt performed on the outdoor stage (video recordings were not allowed), wowing the audience with his exciting stick dance, beledi, and dance performance while balanced on a tabla.
Tito Seif is one of the world's best male bellydancers, and an exciting choreographer. His joy is infectious, and his intensity and precision inspires dancers across the globe. In terms of the level of accomplishment this man has achieved, I was only surprised that I could not find a Wiki page about him. Bet his press team is working on that, because he is surely a "notable".
If you missed out on his workshop Saturday morning, Seif is offering another choreography workshop at 6 pm Sunday July18. For more information, go to the Babylonian Ensemble website, and click on the workshops.
Last but not least, one of my favorites is back: Shoshana of Arcata, CA. Shoshana's playful use of the four-yard veil always takes my breath away. She was the first to teach me how to use my veil like a rubber band, flicking it across the room if necessary [Added: Sunday July 18 at 1:45 pm. Shoshana had to leave early, so she performed at 12:30 pm instead of the listed time of 3 pm. Here's a few photos, taken on my Vado 3rd generation camera]:
Even with a breeze, Shoshana's control makes throwing, tossing, and flicking the veil look like liquid magic.
Letting the veil follow her slightest coaxing.
Did I mention the shopping? I'm not much of a shopper, so when I do shop, it's usually in binges. This year, I purchased four dresses for $65! I wasn't in need of a new costume, but there are plenty of costume vendors ready to suit you up in gorgeous glamour, whimsical skirts, and gothic tribal wear. If you don't want to depart with any hard-earned cash, do not (I repeat, do not) go anywhere near the indoor stage area where Shiny Sparkly Things is happily liberating people of their dough. I bought a pair of earrings from SST a couple of years ago, and I'm getting great mileage out of their high-quality, costume jewelry.
Hungry? Falafel sandwiches, kabobs, and non-alcoholic beverages are vended from a conveniently placed truck and grills.
All-in-all, you and your family can spend the afternoon at MedFest in this highly entertaining, vital community of dancers, musicians, fans, and people who love world music. Come and join us if you can (just don't park on Walnut Street, or you are likely to get a parking ticket), and bring a light jacket, as it is a bit chilly for mid-July.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Costumes: How to Buy Them Without Breaking the Bank
Every week, I get requests on my FB page or messages to my Youtube channel asking questions such as, "How many costumes do you have?" and "These look expensive. How do you afford them?"
I have watched many belly dancers go through countless costumes over the years. Some are great purchases; others, not so much. How do you purchase good costumes without taking out a small business loan? Here are my ten tips to purchasing quality costumes and starting a belly dance costume brokerage.
You can find this exact post on my hiring website, DreamYogaAndDance.com.
How to Purchase and Maintain Quality Costumes (without breaking the bank)
I now own 14 costumes, which I cycle through on a regular basis. I started out with two costumes in 2002. One was a poor purchase, and is useless (beading fell apart, backing of belt also ripped). The other got a lot of mileage, and has since been resold at the top of the market. Here's how you can own quality costumes and get your money back.
1. Find a costume maker you love. Some suggestions:
Dahlal.com
Bellacostumes.com
2. Participate in a swap board or consignment group
Bhuz.com
The Belly dance costume recycle project (Facebook)
Belly dance Costume SWAP (Facebook)
3. Know what colors you want, what style looks good and moves well with you, and don't buy anything less than that (or you might regret the spendy purchase). Additonal tip: if you dance with a troupe, you might want to think about colors, shapes, and designs where others can purchase similar costumes to match.
4. Keep your costumes in excellent condition, doing repairs and replacing bead loss immediately. This will help when you are ready to re-sell your costumes to purchase your next costume. Store them in separate boxes after airing them out after a performance. Do not smoke or eat in your costumes, and do not wear your costumes longer than you need to (i.e. change into street clothes after a performance).
5. Dance at least ten times for pay in each costume, and keep track of how much money you made. Some costumes are "money" costumes, attracting more tips and better pay. You might wish to keep this costume longer, even if it isn't your personal favorite. Sell the costume after the 10th time you've used it in your same town.
NOTE: Here's the kicker: if you aren't being paid for performances, you should pace your costume purchases and quality to the pace of your ability to pay for them. If you simply buy costumes because you really want them, make sure you have the income to cover these purchases. Otherwise, consider doing a "costume brokerage" systems, buying and reselling approximately two costumes a year, and purchase costumes that you believe will have a high resell value.
6. Purchase costumes in bright colors with interesting details. These will not only gain you great attention while you dance, they'll be popular when you're ready to sell it.
7. If you know a professional dancer who is close in size to you, offer to purchase costumes from her for below-new prices, or get on her email list when she places them on sale. My favorite: Sandra of raks-sharki.com
8. Don't buy costumes if they are:
a. full of small problems you wish you could fix, but know you won't
b. ill-fitting, too large or too small, or requiring massive amounts of alterations (adding more cost)
c. in drab colors that don't suit your complexion
d. trendy, unless you can truly pull it off AND you believe you can resell it later
8. Don't make emotional decisions about costume purchases. Get a trusted friend's opinion if you are unsure about a purchase. When it comes time to sell, don't hesitate if you find a buyer.
9. If you do a lot of performance where you are the solo entertainment for the event, consider buying costumes that are easy for you to dress yourself. If they have unreachable clasps, requires a lot of pinning, or have details that need a second pair of hands, save those costume purchases for when you are doing stage shows (people in the dressing room can help you).
10. Consider buying conservative fitting skirts with slits that can be shortened or closed, and those with beading sewn directly to the skirt (instead of a separate belt). Costumes showing too much of the thigh are pretty for pictures, but not always practical (and sometimes unappreciated) in some settings.
Have costume purchase tips you'd like to add? Please send them offline to info@hipsforhire.com
I have watched many belly dancers go through countless costumes over the years. Some are great purchases; others, not so much. How do you purchase good costumes without taking out a small business loan? Here are my ten tips to purchasing quality costumes and starting a belly dance costume brokerage.
You can find this exact post on my hiring website, DreamYogaAndDance.com.
How to Purchase and Maintain Quality Costumes (without breaking the bank)
I now own 14 costumes, which I cycle through on a regular basis. I started out with two costumes in 2002. One was a poor purchase, and is useless (beading fell apart, backing of belt also ripped). The other got a lot of mileage, and has since been resold at the top of the market. Here's how you can own quality costumes and get your money back.
1. Find a costume maker you love. Some suggestions:
Dahlal.com
Bellacostumes.com
2. Participate in a swap board or consignment group
Bhuz.com
The Belly dance costume recycle project (Facebook)
Belly dance Costume SWAP (Facebook)
3. Know what colors you want, what style looks good and moves well with you, and don't buy anything less than that (or you might regret the spendy purchase). Additonal tip: if you dance with a troupe, you might want to think about colors, shapes, and designs where others can purchase similar costumes to match.
4. Keep your costumes in excellent condition, doing repairs and replacing bead loss immediately. This will help when you are ready to re-sell your costumes to purchase your next costume. Store them in separate boxes after airing them out after a performance. Do not smoke or eat in your costumes, and do not wear your costumes longer than you need to (i.e. change into street clothes after a performance).
5. Dance at least ten times for pay in each costume, and keep track of how much money you made. Some costumes are "money" costumes, attracting more tips and better pay. You might wish to keep this costume longer, even if it isn't your personal favorite. Sell the costume after the 10th time you've used it in your same town.
NOTE: Here's the kicker: if you aren't being paid for performances, you should pace your costume purchases and quality to the pace of your ability to pay for them. If you simply buy costumes because you really want them, make sure you have the income to cover these purchases. Otherwise, consider doing a "costume brokerage" systems, buying and reselling approximately two costumes a year, and purchase costumes that you believe will have a high resell value.
6. Purchase costumes in bright colors with interesting details. These will not only gain you great attention while you dance, they'll be popular when you're ready to sell it.
7. If you know a professional dancer who is close in size to you, offer to purchase costumes from her for below-new prices, or get on her email list when she places them on sale. My favorite: Sandra of raks-sharki.com
8. Don't buy costumes if they are:
a. full of small problems you wish you could fix, but know you won't
b. ill-fitting, too large or too small, or requiring massive amounts of alterations (adding more cost)
c. in drab colors that don't suit your complexion
d. trendy, unless you can truly pull it off AND you believe you can resell it later
8. Don't make emotional decisions about costume purchases. Get a trusted friend's opinion if you are unsure about a purchase. When it comes time to sell, don't hesitate if you find a buyer.
9. If you do a lot of performance where you are the solo entertainment for the event, consider buying costumes that are easy for you to dress yourself. If they have unreachable clasps, requires a lot of pinning, or have details that need a second pair of hands, save those costume purchases for when you are doing stage shows (people in the dressing room can help you).
10. Consider buying conservative fitting skirts with slits that can be shortened or closed, and those with beading sewn directly to the skirt (instead of a separate belt). Costumes showing too much of the thigh are pretty for pictures, but not always practical (and sometimes unappreciated) in some settings.
Have costume purchase tips you'd like to add? Please send them offline to info@hipsforhire.com
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