| Egyptian Twist Studio of Bellydance Bellydance Lessons and Performances with Helena (Juanita Smart) AFAA certified Personal Trainer |
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Articles page 2
| Helena's Articles page 2 |
| Body Language My students have often heard me talk about the ancient symbolic meanings behind some of the moves commonly seen in "bellydance". I thought perhaps I should share with our readers, as well. Circles (hip circles, chest circles, wrist circles) Circles are an ancient symbol of wholeness. They represent the infinite cycle of life, death and rebirth. Circles can also represent spirituality. Circle dances symbolize the sun and the moon, the masculine and feminine and the fullness of life and it's experiences. Circles are at the core of life on a cellular level. We also find circles in ripe fruit on vines and limbs and in the belly of a pregnant woman. The crescent (half circle) is symbolic of being open and receptive. The crescent shape is symbolic of female organs in the body. Vibration (hip and shoulder shimmies, full body shimmies) The vibration expressed in the shimmy represents the invisible energetic atmosphere that surround us, our auras and the energy that animates us. It is the quiver of excitement in our breath and limbs. It is found in our heartbeat and is the pulse of life. Waves or Undulations (bodywave up & down and sideways, bellyrolls, snakearms, hand waves) Waves (undulation) is in the many unseen forces of our universe. It is the pathway of heat and the way sound travels. It represents the serpent and also sexual energy. It is seen in the way snakes move and the belly of a woman in contractions. The undulation takes us deep within our spine, allowing us the freedom of open, flowing life force energy. Psychic energy, electric energy and sound all travel in waves. Figure 8 (hips, ribcage) Symbol for infinity. Our blood flows in a figure eight throughout our bodies. Being that it is comprised of 2 circles flowing together as one, the figure 8 symbolizes balance. It is symbolic of the creative and destructive forces of nature, opposites and unification. Spiral (spinning and turning) Spins and turns stimulate our energy system and can induce altered states of consciousness. Spiraling energy is associated with both creative and destructive forces of nature. The spiral symbolizes the seen and unseen, male and female and the unification of opposites due to the negative space contained within the spiral. |
| Am I ready for Sword Dancing? Props seem to be ever so important to the Western bellydancer for reasons that are a whole other topic in itself. One of the most frequently asked questions students and audience members alike ask me is "How long does it take to learn to dance with a sword?" The answer is as simple as it is complicated. It depends on the individual. Ballet students do not immediately start dancing on pointe when they sign up for ballet class. The technique must be mastered before wearing pointe shoes or else it can cause permanent and irreparable damage to the ankles and feet. The time it takes varies from student to student, but the bottom line is that the technique has been mastered and the body strengthened and prepared for the next level. The same applies to sword dancing. If you have not mastered isolations and good posture, you will be unable to balance anything on your head while dancing. If you are still moving your shoulders while trying to do a hip shimmy, you will need to take more time mastering body isolations and control. Then the next question is, is your neck able to carry the weight of a sword? If you have disc issues in your back and neck, you may want to reconsider putting that kind of weight on your head while dancing. The average sword weighs between 3 to 5 lbs and while that doesn't seem like a lot, your neck, especially, will know the difference. How long does it take? When you have mastered technique, that's how long it takes. Is it necessary? No. Balancing something on your head does not make you a bellydancer. The use of props is fun, especially for the Western audience, but a bellydancer is only a bellydancer if she can move her audience with emotions through her body language, facial expressions and the aura she projects, not the use of props. Do you want a circus act or a wonderful experience in music interpretation? That's up to the individual to decide. My personal philosophy is that less is more. I use props sparingly. While the sword is my personal favorite prop, I do not use the sword for each and every number that I do. It makes for a nice surprise for the audience when you do something unexpected. |
| Finding the Beat Often times, one of the hardest things for students just starting out is staying on beat. The biggest problem new students encounter is being distratced by all of the other sounds they hear in the particular piece of music they are learning choreography to. Because of all of the other instruments being played along with the drum rhythms, the music can sound much faster than it is, or also slower, depending on the instruments and how they are being played. What is important to understand is that all other instruments are being played in time with the drum beat. Timing is a critical skill that not just the musicians, but also the dancer must master, as dancing requires one to be in harmony with the music. Whether you feel the music or understand the mathematics of music, timing is key in executing your choreography successfully and in time with your music. So how do we find the beat? Let's start with what IS the beat. A beat is the basic time unit of a piece of music. A sequence of beats is referred to as the rhythm of a song. Most often, music is characterized by both stressed (strong) and unstressed (weak) beats. The speed at which these beats occur is the tempo. The first step in finding the beat of music is to listen for the stronger beats. Perhaps you hear a group of four or eight beats, with the first beat seeming a little "louder" or "stronger" than the next three (or seven). You might hear some thing like: "ONE, two, three, four, ONE, two, three, four..." or: "ONE, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ONE, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." Try clapping your hands to the stronger, louder beat, and tapping your foot to the next three, weaker beats. You should be clapping once and tapping three times: this is the beat. The best way to become good at finding the beat is to listen to a lot of different types of music and, if time allows, ask your teacher for a little help in finding the beat. With time and practice, you will soon be keeping time to music without even trying. |
| Evolving within the realms of tradition~ Many well intentioned dancers believe that dance, like any other art form, is a constantly changing and evolving art, which, in and of itself, is true. But some feel they should incorporate other forms of dance that don't always blend well with Middle Eastern Dance’s deep rooted traditions. Yes, art evolves. However, one must understand the traditions of the art form and know it’s roots, and, as teachers, make certain that our students understand the difference. If you are teaching your students a burlesque number, than call it burlesque, not bellydance. Make sure it is not listed as a bellydance class and make sure your audience is aware of the fact that you are not performing a bellydance. Contrary to what some may think, burlesque has nothing to do with bellydance. I would think that the people of the Middle East would know what their own dances are about better than we do. In our ever changing, politically correct world, we often try not to offend others by excluding them from being labeled as "bellydancers." I believe that this contributes to the misconceptions of this beautiful dance. As Americans, we may not fully appreciate tradition as many other cultures do. We are a new country compared to the rest of the world and do not have the ancient history and traditions that go along with having been around for centuries. Having been raised in Europe, I have come to understand that, while dance evolves as any other art form does, there are some things that one just simply must leave to tradition. If a Bellydance Superstar decided to make changes to the dance and add a risqué burlesque to this ancient tradition, it would not make it “bellydance”. It is like adding hip hop to the traditional folkloric Austrian dance, the “Ländler”, which has it’s roots in the waltz and dates back to the 15th century. The Ländler hasn't changed much since that time. There are some things that just simply remain steadfast in tradition and should be respected as such. This in itself creates controversy, when, logically, it should not. Art can evolve within the realms of tradition. Respecting it’s roots can preserve the bellydance as it evolves. That means avoiding the addition of those dance forms that have it’s roots in streaptease. Doing so only adds to the misconceptions and, in this dancer’s opinion, is disrespectful to another’s culture. Stripping is about sex. Bellydance is about dancing, rich in tradition and culture. Many of us traditional dancers have worked very hard to dispell some of the myths surrounding the bellydance. In some areas, this can be more difficult than in other areas. Larger metropolitan areas have a diverse population of people and are perhaps more understanding of cultural differences. Smaller towns and communities tend to be less accepting of “foreign” things, especially when it comes to this dance genre. It is for this reason that some of us have had a more difficult time dispelling the myths surrounding this dance than perhaps others have. All it takes is a simple little act such as listing a striptease show or workshop in an otherwise bellydance related listing. I can just imagine how many people would tell me, “I told you so!” Unfortunately, it is human nature to use good things for the wrong reasons. There will always be a certain few who turn the bellydance into a lap dance. |
| What is American Bellydance? American bellydance /Cabaret and Tribal. American cabaret, also known as American restuarant style or nightclub style, is a style of bellydance that developed in America. Its origins are both American and Middle Eastern, incorporating a melting pot of cultures in America that have resulted in a dance form that combines moves from multiple Middle Eastern cultures, combined with a distinctly American flavor. Cabaret style can include influences of jazz, ballet, Spanish fusion and various other styles of dance with the basics of Middle Eastern dance and modern Middle Eastern pop music. The costuming is not what you would find at a community event or family gathering, but rather, more "nightclub" or Hollywood influenced, with glitzy, sparkley two piece costumes and generally geared more for the adults. Tribal Style comes in various forms whose roots lie in ATS (American Tribal Style). ATS is an ethnic fusion style, influenced by Middle Eastern dance but " inspired by American artistic sensibilities." It has nothing to do with representing a particular tribe, but it combines movements and costuming to form one cohesive presentation or style. The "American" part of the label acknowledges that the dancers are continents away from the culture that created the dance form and are taking artistic license with it. While Egyptian dance celebrates a woman's femininity and maturity, ATS celebrates a woman's strength and power. Whatever style(s) a dancer chooses, it is important to remember that it is the style of the dance that can change, but technique does not. Establishing your roots and developing basic Middle Eastern bellydance technique is essential before branching out into other styles. |
| A Teacher's Perspective It has often been the case where one or more students may not be right for a particular class and as such, holds back the rest of the group, for whatever reason. In these intances, a teacher may be inclined to separate their students for a better “match” to optimize the learning process in class. My dance instructor, the late Marie Monforte, would, at the end of the year, break up the class and form a new group of students who were equally “yolked”, so to speak, in that they were at the same level and had the same learning capacity and learned at the same pace. This made for an easier class instruction and was helpful to both types of students, those who leanred quickly and those who learned at a slower pace. Most students were grateful for this yearly “break up” as the slower paced students felt less stress to learn at a pace that they may not yet be ready for, and the more advanced students did not feel as though they were being “held back”. It also made it easier for the teacher, as well. In addition, everyone has different goals. Some students were only there for a hobby. Others were very serious about their studies and wanted to take their dancing to the next level. This is, more often than not, the way a teacher feels when he/she is instructing. As a teacher, I have so much information, and so many ways to move, so many ideas and new dances that I would love to teach my students, but am often unable to do so because either the student is not interested in taking it to the next level, is not yet ready, or simply is just there for a one hour “fun time” every week. Taking it to a more difficult level is not in some student's best interest, or, in some cases, the student just does not want to learn any more than they already have. This, in a way, holds back a teacher. Not being able to advance because of lack of interest or ability can be frustrating for a teacher. As a student, one must keep in mind WHY we want to take dance lessons. Taking lessons because you want something to do for an hour a week is probably not the best reason to take lessons. A teacher may be a serious teacher wanting to push their dance students to the highest possible level. If this is not what you want out of dance lessons, then it is probably not the best student/teacher match and will eventually result in resentment and hard feelings between the teacher and student. Finding the teacher that is right for you is key. If you are a serious student, then it is important to find a teacher who is qualified, has credentials and is serious about teaching dance, and the student, in turn, must be willing to follow the directions and advice of their teacher (i.e. practice during the week, take workshops recommended by the teacher, take private lessons, if the teacher feels it is necessary, etc.) If you are more interested in a hobby or social gathering, then a teacher who is likewise only in it for fun, would be a better match. In a recent conversation with a student from out of state, all I heard in regards to an upcoming workshop was how much fun they thought they were going to have. As a teacher, I am not interested in fun. I am interested in teaching. I am happy when a student gets enjoyment out of their classes, but it is not my goal to provide entertainment. I am paid to teach and that is what I do. Workshops are not fun, they a learning tool designed to cover topics that are not always possible to cover during regular class time. As always, it is important to make your goals known to your teacher. This will allow for a better student/teacher relationship, allow for respective goals to be met and create a more pleasant and less stressful learning experience. |