Your Reflection - Guest Post by Carmen Bellotti

Welcome back! Glad to see you again.

I want to talk about a common thought in all student’s minds – “These moves don’t look the same on me as they do on _________. I will never be able to dance like ________ does”. Comparison happens all the time in the classroom and is a self-defeating thought to have, especially when you are just beginning. No matter how effortless a move may look, others are still working to improve upon it. I write this blog as a way to motivate and inspire you to continue down your path, and not to let those negative thoughts hinder or stop your growth.

The key is to focus only on yourself, which I know is easier said than done. I was guilty of mirror watching others in my baby dancer days. I remember many times I left class frustrated after spending most of my time staring at my classmates. Why didn’t I look like them? I didn’t think it possible for me to have the control and flow that the other dancers did. I tried to force my body to move like the others but to no avail. However, once my sights were focused on MY path and MY progress I finally became the dancer I had envisioned. Try to look only to you during class and when learning or relearning a concept, find one thing to praise about your growth. It could be as big as finally mastering a concept or simply feeling stronger in your posture. Both are great milestones and you should be proud of your progress no matter how small of a step it may seem.

Many think once you have a concept, you are done learning – WRONG. I remember feeling so discouraged when I began advanced classes and saw how far behind I was all the other students in the room. At this point I did not have a shimmy and wanted nothing more than to have the others' perfectly timed hips. What I realized soon after was that they all too were still working on their technique. Refinements can be made to any and all movements, and without consistent practice we cannot maintain our technique.

Writing this makes me recall a moment I hold onto from my Bohemian days (Ed. - the troupe Carmen performed with in CO). We were preparing for a performance when after a run through my troupe-mate, Suzie, said “There is always an aspect of failure in my dance”. I turned to her and said “That just means there is room for growth”. Growth is growth – all of it equal in weight. Acknowledge it and praise yourself for your accomplishments.

So don’t worry about the others in the mirror, they are not you! Keep working on your path and soon enough you will be the dancer of your dreams. All of you have the ability to be great but you must be
patient. This is a long journey but know that around the bend lies another milestone. Remember to not
get discouraged by the beautiful people around you, and stay focused on your reflection. In due time, I know you will accomplish all of your goals.

When Will I Dance Perfectly?

Rina Orellana (Rall) is one of the most well-known former members of FatChance (woah, wait...isn't everyone a former member of FCBD now?).  More specifically, she was one of the original members--a petite powerhouse you fall in love with the minute you see her dance. (pictured below left, photo by Natasha Reed)

She has since moved on to flamenco and applied all that same power, dedication, and poise to her work there; and it will come as no shock that she is as accomplished and thoughtful in her work there as she was in the bellydance world. She keeps a blog about her experiences in teaching and performing flamenco, which I enjoy reading when I get the chance. I was just lucky enough to read THIS POST in which she emphasizes the love of learning over the perfection of performance. As you might imagine, you can plug in "bellydance" and related bellydance terms and get the same result:

"That first class for many students is such an overwhelming experience. The new compás, the coordination, the footwork, the aire. Some stop soon after because flamenco is so difficult. They wanted to DANCE not work on a gazillion other things.

But would a new student of piano expect to play a concerto after six weeks? Of course not. Most would study intensely to gain a certain level of proficiency. Others would happily play at a beginner level forever because it's just a hobby."

"If we were perfect at flamenco NOW, then there would be nowhere else to go afterward. It's the process of learning flamenco that is so rewarding. We must accept where we are in flamenco proficiency and enjoy it."

As a student, our job is to enjoy the journey. Take our time, process every stage of our growth, and really sink into the details. Any teacher worth their salt, as Rina clearly is, will emphasize this. Performances are brief. Classes and rehearsals are where the real meat of dance lies. If you don't love your time learning and pushing yourself in the classroom, you won't ever truly love dancing on a stage.

You may also like:
http://www.deeprootsdance.com/2011/11/importance-of-taking-your-time.html
http://www.deeprootsdance.com/2012/03/teaching-dance-my-job-is-to-expect-more.html

Permission to Make Mistakes

One thing I emphasize in my classes is that everyone should feel free to make mistakes. In fact, it is the only true route to growth, since humans by nature are imperfect and learn through trial and error. (Check out my blog entry "I Release You From Perfection". Go on. I'll wait...)

We have a tradition at Deep Roots Dance called "pre-apologizing". Before drills in class, I make my students promise me they will make mistakes, then we turn to our partners and pre-apologize for any "screw ups" that might occur. This is a promise to our partners and ourselves that while we may make mistakes, we won't stop or hesitate when there are flubs, and instead will dance through it all with confidence and poise. After all, the audience doesn't know what is right or wrong, only we do; and only our faces and demeanor will reveal those mistakes. By dancing through our mistakes, both as leaders and followers, we mask them entirely. Ideally, all the audience sees are dancers moving in unison, gracefully, joyfully.

The Wasted Energy in Comparing Ourselves to Others

The very first night of our six week series at Deep Roots Dance, we have about a 10 minute orientation. During this orientation, we cover the practicalities such as how to check in for classes, the lay of the land (restrooms, parking, water fountains, etc), and class ettiquette (no shoes in the studio, being on time). We also cover some other important topics, such as how they will need to repeat Level 1 multiple times to reach a level of competency and comfort before moving to Level 2, how practicing at home and/or taking more than one class a week will reinforce and accelerate their learning, and one of my personal most important notes: one should never compare themselves to others in the class.

It's so easy to do, and a very human instinct, to look at others we perceive to be doing the same thing as us and make little assessments, even harsh judgements, about ourselves and our progress. I remind them that Level 1 is called "Foundations" not "Beginner", as the skills we learn in Level 1 are not just for beginner dancers--they truly comprise the foundations of all our future work. Because of this, not only do students work at this level for several months to a year or more, but consider that students of all levels return to Level 1 to reinforce their skillset throughout their dance life. So walking into a room of "Level 1 dancers" can mean you are observing dancers of all levels, from students taking their first bellydance class to semi-pro and professional dancers refining their foundations or exploring their dance roots.

The Language of Bellydance - Another Take

We often liken our dance to a language. In class, we explore the idea that we are learning individual letters when we drill, individual words when we learn moves, and then as we learn to dance we are stringing those words together into sentences, and finally as a group we learn to tell a story or sing a song together.

The gorgeous Shems (pic right) wrote a wonderfully detailed article exploring this common dance metaphor, digging deeply into the evolution of a dancer throughout their studies. Over on Gilded Serpent you can read the full article. Some meaty tasters:

"Executing each movement properly is like pronouncing a word properly. Like some words are more difficult to pronounce than others, some movements in dance are more difficult to execute.

Often dancers who master some difficult movements begin to think of themselves as very advanced dancers, but like a child who has learned some complex adult words; these dancers may not yet understand how to use them properly in a dance sentence. Moreover, they are even further from creating a truly meaningful dialogue."

"OH MY GOD, I'M DOING IT!"

I recently read a blog post on Portland Flamenco Events entitled "Do you know what just happened?" and it reminds me of a little anecdote I relate to my students when I am teaching them shimmies.

Taking a trip into the way-back machine, there was a time when I was a baby dancer and was struggling mightily with my 3/4 shimmy--specifically my bicycle shimmy. I had some friends I danced and rehearsed with outside of classes, and one evening as we were warming up, I looked around and saw all the other ladies shimmying around the room like it was nothing. Every one of them had their shimmy down. I had been working really hard on my shimmy, and not just in class. I was practicing my shimmy in elevators, in line for coffee, vacuuming, walking the aisles of the video store...basically every little chance I got I was trying so hard to get my shimmy down. It was really demoralizing to look around and see my fellow students doing it so effortlessly (like the beautiful Mimi Fontana of Manhattan Tribal in the photo right).

Watching and Learning in the Dance Studio

The "Taking Correction" portion of this anonymous handout has been making the rounds on Facebook. I wanted to share it in its entirety, because the entire thing is just so awesome. Enjoy!

WATCHING & LEARNING IN THE DANCE STUDIO

Watching your fellow dancers

Technique, timing, corrections, there is so much going through your mind; it's so much to take in!

Stop and look at the OTHER dancers in your class. Taking note of what is happening around you can actually help you learn and improve yourself.

Don't Forget the Joy

Lauren Zehara (at right) recently posted this note on her Facebook page, and I wanted to make sure that a wide audience would be able to read and appreciate her simple yet profound wisdom--in short, that there is room for all kinds of dancers in the bellydance community, from hobbyist to professional and everything in between.  With her permission, I have shred the entirety of her note below. To read more excellent articles from Lauren Zehara, visit her web page at www.bellydancestuff.com

"Once in a while I feel like it's important to talk about the real reasons most of our students walk in the door, and the things they really want from us.

They signed up for a bellydance class because they thought it would be fun! They want to get some exercise and learn some dance moves. Leave behind their jobs, kids, responsibilities, maybe dress up in something sparkly or jingly and express themselves. Make friends, that's a biggie -- many of my students have confided in me that most of their circle of friends has come from the studio.

Those are incredibly lofty and important goals -- perhaps more important, on a human level, than competing for restaurant gigs or trophies.

Just try it.

If you have been taking dance from me even a few weeks, you already know this: I love digging in to the minutiae of movement. I could talk all night about precise foot placement, body line, muscular impetus, how it should look, how it might feel, where your energy is flowing, what the audience sees, your stage alignment, your gaze, your hands, your hands in relation to your torso...the list goes on and on.  And if you ask for more detail, sometimes I can't help myself, and I explain it away...

But the truth is, sometimes you just have to try it. And fail. And try it again. And struggle. And curse. And try again.

Web design...

Had a few more contracts crop up for web design lately. I am trying to streamline my design process, but am finding it tough. I just like the visual design part so much better than the code part!

So today I "attended" my final online Web Design Bootcamp webinar, and it covered HTML5 and CSS3 in brief. In particular, "embedded" fonts in web page design. But it's so much more than that. Whew!  I feel overwhelmed with the possibilities and what new things I will need to learn to take advantage of it. With 98% of all browsers supporting the new font functionality, we can start using it RIGHT NOW. how exciting is that? Even IE is ahead of the game on this one. Looking forward to seeing what it allows us to create...