Let us dance, Weather!

Oh December, how fickle you are!
Some days have been warm, even almost 70 degrees; but this past week we're getting Virginia's winter worst: sleet, freezing rain, and ice. I had to reschedule my Improvisation workshop to this coming weekend, and my fingers are crossed. Let us dance, weather!


I've got a new Improv Handout ready to go; I'm all about one-page handouts lately so I distilled a bunch of different tactics down to just 6 ideas... after the workshop it may turn up here in a new post.

Meanwhile I'm updating my website, streamlining and reformatting the pages; and getting that done will keep me busy during the holidays when we don't have many classes. Since I started my site in 1999 it's really grown, I think there's over 125 pages - lots of articles of course, a couple of sewing tutorials, history pages, and a handful of photo pages from "before Facebook"!
I used to make one Photo page each year and include it on my site, but that was getting out of hand. Now most of our belly dance event photos are going right online to Instagram, FB, Google+ and Twitter... I don't really like having them all spread out like that, but there it is. Belly dancers end up with so many photos! Is there a better way to organize and save them now?


 Anthea / Kawakib
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planning an improv workshop

This morning it's supposed to snow, or as they put it, a 'wintry mix'! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't so my outdoor plans for today stay on track. But whatever it's doing outside, at least I can start planning the workshop I'm offering at my home studio next month, on "SIMPLE SECRETS TO BELLY DANCE IMPROV".

Dancers want to know how to do solo improvisation, and seem almost afraid of it - especially with live music; yet it's so easy once you SEE the music patterns, and FEEL the music pulsing through your body. 

Our dancing is another manifestation of the sacred shapes, geometric patterns, and universal vibrations all around us.

Indian Line Art

Those are the two keys that really unlock improv for me. I've written so much about this, not only in my Dance Tips booklet but in several of my Zaghareet magazine articles (and even The Belly Dance Reader) that I'm always a little surprised when people still want me to explain or teach it. But I'm happy to do so!
As I wrote in my previous post, last month all my local classes focused on solo improvisation so the students would feel comfortable dancing at the Hafla we had just before Halloween. Each week we looked at a different strategy or trick to do improv. What I heard was that even though they all "knew" the concepts and had my booklets, and read about it, they liked being led through the concepts in class. I like it myself because then I can just dance, as me, and how I feel the music. 

This is probably the way the workshop will go, taking the concepts apart a bit at a time and doing a little "follow me"; and experimenting (as a group) with each other's ideas. We won't have time for much else, the workshop is only two hours, barely time to sample all the delicious improv flavors; just enough time to give everyone a little taste and help them discover these simple secrets! 

 Anthea / Kawakib
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tuning in... to improv

dancing to Lissa Fakir (about 2:25 in video)
Photo by "Mr. Latifa", David Wilkinson

Ever wanted a peek into the mind of a bellydancer while she improvises? Read on.

A lot of my writing (especially the articles for Zaghareet! Magazine) focus on ways to develop easy solo bellydance improvisation, so I'm deconstructing this video of me improvising to live music to explain what's happening in relation to some of those concepts. When you see something with an asterisk* that means there's a link at the end of the post that takes you to an another article.

First, it's formal* (onstage in costume); and the venue and context* can be summed up as: live Arabic music for an audience of belly dancers. Now that's fun! That means I can dance "right" (authentically) instead of working an audience who doesn't know what's going on. I can rest assured that this audience knows both the music and the Raks Sharki style and will appreciate the performance for what it is.

The musicians playing in this video (gotta love them, they're pretty awesome) are mostly the house band(1), with a guest instrumentalist sitting in (actually a Greek musician on... bazouki? sure, why not!), so they're feeling out the music together as they go, following the keyboardist who leads the changes. Have some fun watching that. And YAY for having a leader! Sure beats dancing to a band going through a power struggle.

In a situation like this (unrehearsed) I always ask the band what songs they like to play best, and from their top picks, choose well-known favorites - hence "Lissa Fakir" - perfect! I love that song, and when I hear it I always think of one of my dance idols, Soheir Zaki. Yummy.
So we all know the song, but without rehearsing together you (the dancer) won't know which instrument will play the next taqasim, or how the band as a whole will handle the bridges and breaks, etc. So you have to keep your ears totally focused on the band at all times. Luckily I'm pretty good at hearing music cues - I could probably win big on a "Guess That Tune" musical game show!

During the song's intro there's already a Pattern/Change* going on as the melody winds through several rhythmic sections, but an intro is just the appetizer for the main meal of a song (see storyline of a solo*), so the changes are small and subtle.
When the actual song begins about 50 seconds in, I release that built-up energy into travel steps (a "Step-touch" - a 2-step foot pattern* with a sway and hip lift) going backwards to keep the energy low. The keyboardist Hisham interprets the beautiful melody so well, conveying such emotion, that even a minute and a half into the song you can see it coming through my shoulders (raising the shoulders raises the emotional content of your body language).

When the music's energy builds again and starts "driving" (about 2.40) it's time to circuit the stage, with a 4-step* variation - I want to get to another part of the stage because the audience is on three sides, including deep into the corners. During the many taqasim of this lovely piece I try to use different body poses as well as facing various directions to give the audience wide range of visuals. I find it's often boring to watch a dancer who faces front a lot.

Hisham is wonderful with a synthesizer (what a wonderful invention!) and can provide a wide range of instrumental sounds which means we'll be exploring different movement quality even in this short number, from the shimmery kanun effect to violin and accordion sounds. Along about 3.10 we're getting into it, it's feeling good - who wouldn't want to dance to this band? We know more taqasim are coming up - I check the band and they're busy figuring out who's going to solo next or something, so continue...
In that funky Saidi rhythm section around 4.15 I begin to travel towards those people in the back corner (the ones you can hear are having a great time) so that we can enjoy a moment together. Always make sure you give some focused energy back to the people who are giving it to you onstage, including the musicians. Just don't overdo it - everything you do onstage is magnified*.

The middle of a song is always fun in a different way, sort of like a sandwich - the bread is good, but in between there's SO MUCH to experience - it's one taqsim after another - and so we go on for a minute or two. I can see I'm feeling the diverse energies happening* at this show; I have dance friends and a student or two in the audience; I'm excited and there won't be much of a slow part in my dance tonight.

The song starts nearing the end with a funky maqsun rhythm toward 5 minutes in; which is probably my favorite part so far; but there are dancers waiting their turn in the lineup - so I know we'll be wrapping it up soon.
What are we NOT seeing? A lot of floor patterns: I'm going with the flow and just getting where I felt I should be, without thinking of using the floor very creatively. "...disconnect from all intellect and let the rhythm affect. To lose your inhibition, follow your intuition. Free your inner soul and break away from tradition"(2)

I'm paying such close attention to Hisham's playing that you can see at about 5.27 I hear the ending immediately... watch the drummer pick up on it next. Maybe Hisham checked the time and decided to wrap it up!
I bring myself back to the center - but near the band - to finish. Without the musicians, I wouldn't be dancing; so rather than ending in the middle of the stage like "The Star of the Show" I go upstage to finish more like part of the band. Performing is egotistical enough without overdoing it, and personally I loathe watching dancers who seem extremely ego-driven onstage. Isn't body language interesting?

And by the way, do any of us (me or the musicians) pay any attention to the waiters walking through? Absolutely not, because they're not part of the show! Of course we're aware of them, but to give them any focus while we're performing would be inappropriate. So though the audience may sometimes be distracted - and probably even amused - the performers carry on as though the waiters aren't even there.

Last but not least: before I came onstage, did I remember my pre-performance devotions*? Of course! I always ask for a blessing before dancing, and ask that my mind makes the right choices. And was I channeling the Creative Spirit during those few minutes? Obviously! For me, that's what makes for a good show.

*Interested in these concepts? Here are links for more info on:
formal improv; venue and context
pattern/change
storyline of a solo
2-step foot pattern 
4-step foot pattern
powerful performance space
connecting with your audience onstage
pre-performance devotions

(1) Casablanca Band: Hisham on keyboards, Moisin on tabla, Ibrahim? on drumset, Jamil on flute. (George? on bazouki). My memory with names isn't so good, so I may be wrong.
(2) Black Eyed Peas

If you have any questions or comments please let me know, I'd love to hear from you.

  Anthea / Kawakib
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