Fabulous Friday - Ruth St. Denis

 

Ruth St. Denis as Quan Yin, 1916

Mm Mm Monday -Shabnam and Mandanah

The playfulness in this is ridiculously infectious. Are these women have the BEST time or what? But check out the MAD finger cymbal skills paired with some seriously challenging choreography, and you have a truly entertaining piece to start off your week! (Um, I don't know what all is going on at 2:00 and 3:36, but I sure want to find out!!)

Concise Teaching - fewer words, bigger impact

One thing I have always admired about Carolena's and Paulette's teaching, both, is their ability to distill concepts down to refined verbiage. That is to say, they take more complex details of technique and refine their teaching language so that the important points are all addressed, without overburdening a student with too much information. Of course they have lots of additional details they are keenly aware of, which they have learned through years of studying, dancing, and teaching; and while all of it is useful, it's not actually helpful or efficient to try and share every single detail when trying to teach someone else.

Today as I was driving home to the grocery store, I was thinking about how important this skill is. For instance, if I wanted to get someone from the grocery store to my house, I would say "Take Highway 99 south until you hit 145th. Hang a left at the light, right on 1st, then right onto my street. Our house is on the right hand side."

By contrast, when I am driving MYSELF home from the grocery store, the volume of information I know from this well traveled route is much greater, and I know little tricks and ways to make the trip more smoothly and quickly because of these little details. For instance, I know that the traffic on Highway 99 is difficult at some times of the day, so I may actually take a slightly different route depending on the day. If I do take it, once on the highway, I get in the left hand lane and watch for the lights as they cycle. If I hit 145th while the through-light is red, then I will actually plan to go ahead to 125th instead of waiting for the turn signal, as it will be a long wait through the full cycle until the turn light I need turns green. But if the through-light is already green, then I know the left turn signal will ping soon, so I hop into the turn lane and take 145th as planned. If I instead end up taking 125th, I have to go around the lake but that road turns into my street so there are no more turns to navigate, and in that case my house will be on the left side as I drive up. If I take 145th I skip the lake, but it means I have two additional turns ahead of me, and my house will come up on the right side... (You didn't really read all this, did you? Well if you did congratulations! You know how to get to my house...sort of!)

All that is a very long way of saying I know how to get to my house very well, with a multitude of options which I choose in the moment depending on various factors I have become familiar with over the 12 years I have lived in my house and going to that grocery store. But if I am telling someone ELSE how to get there, trying to disseminate all that information would just confuse the heck out of them! All they really need is a small set of instructions, and the rest of the information simply comes through individual experience.  They need to travel that path several times on their own, and through that repetition they will figure out their own little tricks and shortcuts to make the trip more efficient.

So yeah, dance is like that. Students really only need a simple road-map--a concise set of instructions on how to do what they do. As they practice and grow, they will learn more naturally on their own. 

And of course, in the case of driving directions, if a friend comes to me and says "Hey I will probably be coming up from the south this time, how do I get there?" I can give them new information that is relevant to their specific needs at the time.

Mm Mm Monday - A Cutout Dance

There is really no need to explain this one. Just enjoy!

What I mean when I say "Good!"

Anyone who has been in my classes for any length of time is very familiar with a common exclamation I make during drills or at the end of class: "Good! Really good job, guys!"

I say it so much, perhaps it has seemed to lose its meaning. I wonder sometimes if students think I just say it to "be nice" or as a wrote form of encouragement, which is not actually a reflection of what I think is capital G "Good".  But if one pays close attention, you will see that while it is true I say it often, I don't say it every time, and that I do in fact use it only when I think it is warranted.  So let me explain what I mean (and don't mean) when I say "Good!"

Good is not a reflection of perfection. I don't say "Good" because everyone has gotten all the details perfectly right. Good is a combination of factors I see displayed, such as:

• posture
• confidence
• doing the right thing even if it's not quite "there" yet
• error recovery
• smiles
• gaze
• awareness
• joy

All of these things, individually and in combination, are strong and important steps in your growth in the dance. When I tell you what you have done is good, I am telling you that you are on the right path, that you are progressing in the way I hope for you to progress, that you are demonstrating improvement in the skills I am trying to push you toward improving.  Good really DOES mean GOOD!

So rest assured, students, that I am not just blowing smoke and rainbows around when I say encouraging things frequently. It is because you are so frequently meeting or exceeding my expectations, it warrants a verbal pat on the back to let you know you are on track and that I see your efforts paying off. Trust in the word "Good"--when it comes from me, it's for real!

Mm Mm Monday - Karim Nagi

Known more for his amazing dumbek skills (and dancing!), Karim is a spectacular percussionist and musician on many levels, not the least of which includes his ridiculous finger cymbals skills. Not only does he make beautiful music with those simple disks of metal, listen to all the different sounds and effects he is able to coax from them, and how he uses his right and left hand as if they are two different players rather than two arms on the same body. So inspiring!
(PST Pacific Northwest dancers take note! Karim is teaching workshops here in March of 2013, including his zill technique. Don't miss it! Details at http://www.nazaneenbellydance.com/#!events )

November Student Spotlight - Sara!

The Student Spotlight is back! It took a short hiatus this summer, but now it's time to revisit some stories from dancers just like you. Enjoy!

Name: Sara Thueringer
Profession: Content Project Manager at WildTangent Games
Hobbies: knitting, computer gaming, reading (I heart my Kindle!) , killin' it on the drums in Rock Band
How long have you been studying bellydance? about six years

When did you first see bellydance? What were your first impressions?
The first time I really remember seeing live belly dance was at a press release party for the computer game Guild Wars: Nightfall thrown by ArenaNet (a local game studio here in the Seattle/Bellevue area).  The game is set in an African inspired setting, and to add some "spice" to the party, they had three cabaret bellydancers.  They all had such grace and confidence, with radient smiles!

What motivated you to finally take your first bellydance class?
I had always been interested in dance, but never had a chance to actually explore it when I was younger.  After attending that party, I started talking with one of my friends who was taking classes with Aleli.  With her encouragement, I started taking the intro level classes with her.

What was your first class like?
Intimidating!  All of these lovely ladies!  But also exhilerating.  After a year of folkloric and cabaret, I decided that tribal was the place for me, and found Shay's classes through the first Cues and Tattoos.  It was scary to show up to that first class not knowing anybody, but I felt like I finally found something that fit ME.

In what ways do you think you have changed or benefited as a result of taking bellydance classes?
So many ways!  I've developed some amazing friendships, grown in my self-confidence and self-esteem (I used to be much, much more shy), as well as physically improving my body.  Dancing has been the best therapy I've found for reducing my chronic back pain.

What is your favorite move or concept you have learned so far and why?
Anything slow, gooey and chewy.  Something you can really sink into: physically, mentally and musically.  It makes me feel powerful, strong, and yes, sexy!

Any advice for other students who are just starting out?
Show up to class every week!  Everyone feels awkward in something. 
Don't compare yourself to others in the class: what comes naturally to you will not be the same as them, and vice versa. 
Set goals for yourself, and do them! 
Smile!  Laugh!


Sara is a member of Deep Roots Dance advanced student troupe, Nomaditude, and has been dancing with us for many years. Thanks, Sara, for sharing your thoughts with us!

Fabulous Friday - Modern Vintage