I attended a classic Fat Chance Belly Dance style class this evening taught by the lovely Wendy.
As I've mentioned before, FCBD are American Tribal Style belly dance, actually, they are the founders of that specific form of belly dance. It is an improvisational form that is done in groups (or "tribes") of women. Each women studies the language of movements and cues so that they can spontaneously dance with one another. So say one ATS dancer from Kansas meets an ATS gal from Melbourne, they can instantly dance with one another with this language.
I love the fact that this dance form is community based in that way. It isn't something that is just composed of solo dancers who focus on the ego-driven goal of stardom, it is all about interaction and connection with other dancers. It's earthy and informal, the type of dance you'd expect to see performed in a meadow, as opposed to a concert hall.
I've always had a bit of an issue with high-brow art forms. I can't stand sitting in a fancy theatre with a bunch of stuff-shirts watching a melodramatic Modern Dance, nor do I really love seeing visual art in the antiseptic setting of a museum. I think art is a spontaneous part of human expression, and it's function is supposed to be as something that is interwoven with the community, not put on a pedestal behind glass. I also don't like the concept of only the privileged and insanely talented being able to create and enjoy the art.
So I guess I like ATS because it's sort of like the punk rock of belly dance. It accepts all body types, skill levels, and abilities.
Yes, there are other dance forms that have more sophisticated choreography patterns and movements, it is very folk dance like and looks very simplistic at times (though that simplicity goes away when you actually try to learn it... belly dance is challenging) Even within belly dance there are more complex schools. But I think I love this one best simply for it's heart.
Also, I think my love for it lies somewhere deeper within my psyche as well.
When I was a teenager, I was really into reading about all things New Age. I used to put myself in trances and try to recall my past lives. Think what you will of it, what I saw could be valid or total silly teenage fantasy, but regardless, it came from within me, so it has some merit within my life.
One of the lives that I recalled in a trance was that of a young woman somewhere in Europe in the Middle Ages. One of her memories was of being in a meadow with several other women from her village. They were all dancing in a circle together, doing some sort of long lost folk dance. They wore peasant-like dresses and had wreaths of small flowers in their hair. I remember feeling an incredible sense of happiness and completeness as I danced.
The first time I danced in an ATS chorus was in Sabrina's class in San Diego. At one point we all got into a circle and danced around the room before getting into formation. As we went around in the circle I remembered the past life I'd seen as a child, and I had that same incredible sense of happiness and belonging. I almost came to tears.
Recently I was thinking about what direction I would like my senior thesis to go in. I decided I would like it to be centered around American Tribal Style, it's history and also it's practical application as a tool for building community and enriching people's lives. It is my ultimate goal to advance within the class levels at Fat Chance by then and get my teacher certification. Also, by the time of graduation I would also love to be in a troupe and be performing. Hopefully I can buckle down and make all of this manifest within the next year and a half.
I talked with Wendy after class tonight and she was really helpful and encouraging. I'm excited!
Yeeeeeip!
Since I'm such a video fan, lookie here for more ATS fabulousness:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
No more bad dance habits!
So I have become rather frustrated with the lack of understanding about proper alignment, stretching, and warm-ups in the dance world.
This frustration stems from my own recent education into such matters, including a kick ass Kinesiology class that I took last spring. While enrolled in that class, I was also immersed in a very old school style mostly Ballet and Modern dance department that taught some unhealthy routines in it's classes, as well as belly dance classes outside of school that did the same thing (to a lesser degree).
It always strikes me as odd that dancers aren't more educated about physiology, because athletes seem way more in the know about proper stretching and physical therapy. On the school level athletes also have much greater access to resources, I assume because their departments are big money makers, while the artsy dance departments are not. For instance, at my college, the athletics department has an on-staff physical therapist and a clinic right in their building to aid them all daily. The dance department has no such thing, and if you are injured you have to make the trek all the way to the school doctor in the next city and get on a 2 week waiting list to see a physical therapist. Meanwhile, the culture within the dance department encourages you to dance while injured and not take proper care of the injury. They "dance through it". And you should not stretch a fresh injury!! Yet they advise you do so. It's insane.
Other bad habits I've noticed in dance classes are their stretching routines. I grew-up taking modern, jazz and ballet classes, and we all used a pretty set style of stretching that is still used today. There is some integration of yoga stretching in with traditional stretches, but it varies.
Here are a few examples of unhealthy stretches that dancers do:
- The "roll up through your spine, one vertebrae at a time" stretch. This is AWFUL for your back and over time can cause spinal damage. When you hinge over with a bent spine, you are putting the entire weight of your upper body on one half of your spinal collumn, causing massive compression of the discs. This causes stress fractures in the coating of the discs, and you can end-up with herniated or ruptured discs, among other issues. Whenever you bend over, engage your core muscles and have a flat back and an elongated spine, for goodness sake!
This also applies to the hamstring stretch done on the floor in a sitting position. That stretch crunches the heck out of your lower back.
A much better stretch to do is this one:
- You should only do deep stretching when your muscles are WARM and you need to hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds, or ideally a full minute!
I go to so many dance classes and use so many dance videos that do not warm you up sufficiently before dancing. The exception I've seen is Mira Betz, Lisa Fiera, and Darshan (her video is one of my favorites). Stretching cold muscles increases the likelihood of making micro tears in tendons and muscle tissue, which can lead to tendinitis and muscle strains. Also, if you do not hold a stretch long enough, it does little good to warm you up. I also encounter very few teachers that do a cool down stretch after a class. This is also really important! When you're all warm a sweaty after a class workout is the best time to stretch, you're going to get the most out of it in terms of increasing your muscle length, and you'll alleviate some of the muscle soreness post class.
Also, get a foam roller and roll those muscles! It feels amazing.
- Bouncing stretches! eek!
Again, being too rough on the muscles and tendons can damage them! I know from personal experience, since I have tendinitis. Tendon damage is permanent and no fun to deal with. Sorry Suhaila fans, I ain't doing the bouncing straddle squat thing!
Also, proper posture in everyday life is incredibly important. When mamma told you to sit up straight, you shouldda listened (I didn't used to... but now I wish I had).
Okay, so that's enough soap boxing for now.
Everybody go and be healthy happy dancers and love your bliss!
xo
This frustration stems from my own recent education into such matters, including a kick ass Kinesiology class that I took last spring. While enrolled in that class, I was also immersed in a very old school style mostly Ballet and Modern dance department that taught some unhealthy routines in it's classes, as well as belly dance classes outside of school that did the same thing (to a lesser degree).
It always strikes me as odd that dancers aren't more educated about physiology, because athletes seem way more in the know about proper stretching and physical therapy. On the school level athletes also have much greater access to resources, I assume because their departments are big money makers, while the artsy dance departments are not. For instance, at my college, the athletics department has an on-staff physical therapist and a clinic right in their building to aid them all daily. The dance department has no such thing, and if you are injured you have to make the trek all the way to the school doctor in the next city and get on a 2 week waiting list to see a physical therapist. Meanwhile, the culture within the dance department encourages you to dance while injured and not take proper care of the injury. They "dance through it". And you should not stretch a fresh injury!! Yet they advise you do so. It's insane.
Other bad habits I've noticed in dance classes are their stretching routines. I grew-up taking modern, jazz and ballet classes, and we all used a pretty set style of stretching that is still used today. There is some integration of yoga stretching in with traditional stretches, but it varies.
Here are a few examples of unhealthy stretches that dancers do:
- The "roll up through your spine, one vertebrae at a time" stretch. This is AWFUL for your back and over time can cause spinal damage. When you hinge over with a bent spine, you are putting the entire weight of your upper body on one half of your spinal collumn, causing massive compression of the discs. This causes stress fractures in the coating of the discs, and you can end-up with herniated or ruptured discs, among other issues. Whenever you bend over, engage your core muscles and have a flat back and an elongated spine, for goodness sake!
This also applies to the hamstring stretch done on the floor in a sitting position. That stretch crunches the heck out of your lower back.
A much better stretch to do is this one:
- You should only do deep stretching when your muscles are WARM and you need to hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds, or ideally a full minute!
I go to so many dance classes and use so many dance videos that do not warm you up sufficiently before dancing. The exception I've seen is Mira Betz, Lisa Fiera, and Darshan (her video is one of my favorites). Stretching cold muscles increases the likelihood of making micro tears in tendons and muscle tissue, which can lead to tendinitis and muscle strains. Also, if you do not hold a stretch long enough, it does little good to warm you up. I also encounter very few teachers that do a cool down stretch after a class. This is also really important! When you're all warm a sweaty after a class workout is the best time to stretch, you're going to get the most out of it in terms of increasing your muscle length, and you'll alleviate some of the muscle soreness post class.
Also, get a foam roller and roll those muscles! It feels amazing.
- Bouncing stretches! eek!
Again, being too rough on the muscles and tendons can damage them! I know from personal experience, since I have tendinitis. Tendon damage is permanent and no fun to deal with. Sorry Suhaila fans, I ain't doing the bouncing straddle squat thing!
Also, proper posture in everyday life is incredibly important. When mamma told you to sit up straight, you shouldda listened (I didn't used to... but now I wish I had).
Okay, so that's enough soap boxing for now.
Everybody go and be healthy happy dancers and love your bliss!
xo
Thursday, July 23, 2009
We got the beat
As of late I have been focusing on learning Middle Eastern Rhythms, and just finished an amazing 5 week class series on Rhythms with the fabulous Mira Betz and Lisa Fiera. Since I have a mostly Tribal Fusion background, I am lacking in my knowledge of Dombek rhythms and zill playing (but I can dance to French 60's pop and Balkan fusion jams like nobodies bizzness! :D ). But really, I have made myself hunker down and start studying the classics. And I have to say I am totally enjoying it.
Lisa Fiera turned me on to a fantastic online resource for learning the Rhythms.
This fellow named Jas has a webpage with a beat generator! Go to THIS webpage and scroll down to where it says "Q: So I want to learn some rhythms. Where do we start?" and below that is a whole list of common Mid East beats, just click on the links next to Saiidi or Baladii or whichever strikes your fancy and it will give you a few different version of the beat. How awesome!
I also found a kick ass looking DVD for zil playing. Previous to this I bought Jamilla Salimpour's zill CD, and though it is informative, I still felt a little lost. I've never taken classes with a teacher that taught basic zills on a regular basis. I've only had a smattering of ATS gallop cymbal training, and a couple of Suhaila classes with zills where I was totally over my head and lost for the entire class.
What I am really thirsting to learn is which zill rhythm to play along with which song beat. Also, I'm a visual person, so videos are better learning tools for me.
Check this out:
And the DVD is here: Zill Drills
And then I have to practice dancing while playing all of that. Yikes!
Lisa Fiera turned me on to a fantastic online resource for learning the Rhythms.
This fellow named Jas has a webpage with a beat generator! Go to THIS webpage and scroll down to where it says "Q: So I want to learn some rhythms. Where do we start?" and below that is a whole list of common Mid East beats, just click on the links next to Saiidi or Baladii or whichever strikes your fancy and it will give you a few different version of the beat. How awesome!
I also found a kick ass looking DVD for zil playing. Previous to this I bought Jamilla Salimpour's zill CD, and though it is informative, I still felt a little lost. I've never taken classes with a teacher that taught basic zills on a regular basis. I've only had a smattering of ATS gallop cymbal training, and a couple of Suhaila classes with zills where I was totally over my head and lost for the entire class.
What I am really thirsting to learn is which zill rhythm to play along with which song beat. Also, I'm a visual person, so videos are better learning tools for me.
Check this out:
And the DVD is here: Zill Drills
And then I have to practice dancing while playing all of that. Yikes!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Book Lust!
I can't wait till the new edition of this book comes out in the fall. It has been heralded by many as an amazing resource of belly dance history.
And to top it all of, on the cover is none other than the lovely Rachel Brice.
Serpent of the Nile
And to top it all of, on the cover is none other than the lovely Rachel Brice.
Serpent of the Nile
<3
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Let me explain....
When describing the kind of belly dance I do to friends or acquaintances, I sometimes feel like I hit a wall in trying to explain the differences between the types of belly dance. They are incredibly rich and varied, and often people have preconceived notions that do not fit in with the reality of the dance.
Then somewhere between explaining the difference between American Cabaret style, Modern Egyptian, and ATS... I feel like the other person's eyes glaze over a little bit. At those moments I always yearn for a visual aid.
So here it is folks, an explanation of variation in styles presented in visual video format.
(Note: These are just a smattering of videos I managed to think to dig-up... It should not be taken as an all-encompassing history of belly dance or whathaveyou. What we call belly dance is actually a conglomeration of many hundreds of years of dance evolution and cross-pollination between cultures.)
American Tribal Style, Fat Chance Belly Dance:
Jamilla Salimpour's Belly Dance Biography (a bit of a commerical, but very informative):
An example of Modern Lebanese Belly Dance:
A Turkish style:
Tribal Fusion:
(which this is just a couple examples. There are many fusion styles.)
and another tribal fusion example..
Vintage Egyptian:
American night club style:
A lovely Drum Solo:
Indian/ Romani "Gypsy" style dance:
(which I'm throwing in to illustrate the folk roots of belly dance)
and more randomness...
Dancing on water goblets!
Double Scimtars!!
What is American Tirbal Style Belly Dance? by Fat Chance Belly Dance
Then somewhere between explaining the difference between American Cabaret style, Modern Egyptian, and ATS... I feel like the other person's eyes glaze over a little bit. At those moments I always yearn for a visual aid.
So here it is folks, an explanation of variation in styles presented in visual video format.
(Note: These are just a smattering of videos I managed to think to dig-up... It should not be taken as an all-encompassing history of belly dance or whathaveyou. What we call belly dance is actually a conglomeration of many hundreds of years of dance evolution and cross-pollination between cultures.)
American Tribal Style, Fat Chance Belly Dance:
Jamilla Salimpour's Belly Dance Biography (a bit of a commerical, but very informative):
An example of Modern Lebanese Belly Dance:
A Turkish style:
Tribal Fusion:
(which this is just a couple examples. There are many fusion styles.)
and another tribal fusion example..
Vintage Egyptian:
American night club style:
A lovely Drum Solo:
Indian/ Romani "Gypsy" style dance:
(which I'm throwing in to illustrate the folk roots of belly dance)
and more randomness...
Dancing on water goblets!
Double Scimtars!!
What is American Tirbal Style Belly Dance? by Fat Chance Belly Dance
Well, geez, I think I went overboard on the number of videos there... ah well! Kudos to anyone who watches them all! :)
And which one do I study?... Well, kind of a smattering of all of that.
Belly Dance and Whiskey don't mix
As illustrated by the lovely Zoe Jakes:
Tequila, however, is an entirely different story...
Tequila, however, is an entirely different story...
Friday, July 17, 2009
costume fun!
Being a costume designer and fashion lover I of course am enamoured with the costume side of Belly Dance. However, I don't yet have a costume that I would call 100% "stage ready". My goal is to slowly work on this, so that when the time comes to perform, I am ready to go and looking stellar.
Also, I have a little pet dream of having my own Etsy store with Belly Dance costumes and accessories... and maybe one day to have enough of a store to set up shop at festivals.
I just sent away for a couple patterns from this site:
http://scheherezadeimports.com/items/atira~39-s-fashions~35-/list.htm
I'm getting Nagwa’s Bra-Tops and Alviyah’s Turkish-Macedonian Vest. My intention is to use these patterns as a base for my own designs, since I feel like I need a bit of help to jump start the patterns.
Also, in thinking about the kind of look that I am striving for with my costumes I am a bit torn. I love the look of the neo-Victorian/ Steam Punk/ floofy ruffles and bloomers and bustles that every other tribal belly dancer in the universe is wearing right now... But that's just it, EVERYONE is wearing the same thing. It has gotten old.
Instinctively I am leaning towards a look that reminds me of 60s/70s hippie belly dance style. I've been combing the Internet and books to try and find a photo of what I mean exactly, and I have come up with no web photos of the look, but I did find an old picture of Bou-Saada in the Tribal Bible book that is exactly what I mean.
The look is earthy, yet traditionally Middle Eastern looking, and a bit flowy . The style is minus the overdone caberet style glitz, and instead includes earth tones, eithnic prints, and long hippie hair, of course. (I'm working on the hair)
How I'm going to execute this look, I'm not exactly sure yet! But I'll figure it out.
And speaking of Bou-Saada, how amazing would it be to live on a traveling belly dance tour bus for 10 years??
Also, I have a little pet dream of having my own Etsy store with Belly Dance costumes and accessories... and maybe one day to have enough of a store to set up shop at festivals.
I just sent away for a couple patterns from this site:
http://scheherezadeimports.com/items/atira~39-s-fashions~35-/list.htm
I'm getting Nagwa’s Bra-Tops and Alviyah’s Turkish-Macedonian Vest. My intention is to use these patterns as a base for my own designs, since I feel like I need a bit of help to jump start the patterns.
Also, in thinking about the kind of look that I am striving for with my costumes I am a bit torn. I love the look of the neo-Victorian/ Steam Punk/ floofy ruffles and bloomers and bustles that every other tribal belly dancer in the universe is wearing right now... But that's just it, EVERYONE is wearing the same thing. It has gotten old.
Instinctively I am leaning towards a look that reminds me of 60s/70s hippie belly dance style. I've been combing the Internet and books to try and find a photo of what I mean exactly, and I have come up with no web photos of the look, but I did find an old picture of Bou-Saada in the Tribal Bible book that is exactly what I mean.
The look is earthy, yet traditionally Middle Eastern looking, and a bit flowy . The style is minus the overdone caberet style glitz, and instead includes earth tones, eithnic prints, and long hippie hair, of course. (I'm working on the hair)
How I'm going to execute this look, I'm not exactly sure yet! But I'll figure it out.
And speaking of Bou-Saada, how amazing would it be to live on a traveling belly dance tour bus for 10 years??
Bou-Saada practicing outside their tour bus:
Anyone got a spare school bus? Let's run away!
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