What "catchs" your eye in a performer?

Maria_Aya

New member
Hi mates?
Was wondering, we all have different styles, come from different places worldwide, with different personalities.
So what "catch" are eye in a performance? and are there some common things in all of us?

For me
a) If the dancer carry soul in her dance.
b) her style (adore arabic style) admiting that prefer a medium arabic dancer than a fab of other style.
c) technics
d) a desent nice fiting and flatering costume for the certain dancer
e) the music selection !!!!

maria aya:)
 

Zahiraah

New member
I believe you got the most of my "criterion", but there are four things missing:

1. They way she works with hands and arms, I have seen too many dancers who "whip" with their hands very eagerly.(this could probably be in the technique section)

2. Her contact with the audience(not so important if doing a beledi, heh)

3. How soft her moves are, I have also seen to many stiff and eager dancers, hard to explain what I mean, example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhaL475Mj98&mode=related&search=

4. How she uses her moves(how fluent the dance is or if it fits to the music and variety)

Wow..I'm harsh..
 

Michelle

New member
Zahiraah, wow...that clip, goodness..... she seems very, er, hyper..... like maybe too much caffeine?

I got to agree with the criteria both of you have said. But I must admit that I put a whole lot of importance on Maria's #1. Even if a dancer is maybe not as skilled (or even a student dancer), I give her a lot of credit if she has passion, if she dances with feeling, and if her performance makes me feel something....
 

Helena

New member
I agree with all those criteria as well, but most of the time it's just how the performance 'touches' me. Sometimes I can like it so much, but can not explain why exactly I liked it. :confused:
 

Zahiraah

New member
But I must admit that I put a whole lot of importance on Maria's #1. Even if a dancer is maybe not as skilled (or even a student dancer), I give her a lot of credit if she has passion, if she dances with feeling, and if her performance makes me feel something....

You are absolutely right, there are too many dancers that are just dancing and not feeling. I believe that this should be repeated over and over by the teachers because without the feeling the dancer isn't an artist anymore, only a commercial for herself in some way.
 

Aaeesha

New member
There are a lot of reasons I will like or dislike a performance, but what I enjoy the most (if I had to choose one thing) it's the dancer's connection with her audience and music.
 

Amulya

Moderator
I admire very crips executed movements (because I am not that good at it;) ) and beautiful costumes. The dancer also has to have something extra, hard to explain in Duch they call it the x-factor. I like when a dancer is having fun.
 

Moon

New member
Lol, in that clip it looks like she's trying to abuse the veil.

Maybe this is a little bit off-topic question, but the "feeling the music" thing reminded me of it: Did you ever had the experience that you almost had to cry during bellydance, just because you like the music and the dance so much? It almost happened to me once in class. Fortunately no-one noticed it ;) I wander if a crying dancer would look very strange during a performance :D
 

Michelle

New member
Actually a crying dancer might not look as strange as you think. As any one of our experts might tell you, a lot of the older or 'classical' bellydance music had very sad, very emotional subject matter and it was not uncommon to see a dancer interpreting the music with her facial expressions as well as her movements (I think we had a thread pertaining to this before, didn't we?). If you go back to clips of Mona el Said, you'll see her sometimes dance with a sorrowful expression.... maybe even close to tears...
 

Moon

New member
I remember that thread, but I thought it was only about sad facial expressions (maybe on perpose) and not because you suddenly feel like crying?

Do they only use these facial expressions together with music with lyrics, or also with only instrumental music?
 

Michelle

New member
:eek: well, to be honest, I haven't the slightest idea if it's only with music with lyrics or not.... I can't seem to remember a specific example right now....
I do know that the facial expressions, in some cases, are on purpose and it looks a bit exaggerated... I think we mentioned someone specifically.... but as a musician before a dancer, it is my personal experience that a person could actually be brought to tears in the middle of performance just from the sheer emotion of it... when the connection between sound and soul (and in the case of dance, movement also) is so great that it overwhelms.... does that make any sense?
 

Shanazel

Moderator
re: the clip. I didn't notice the see-through skirt. I was too busy noticing that you didn't see her face except in brief flashes during a turn for the first minute and forty seconds... and then there was the making a bed style of veil work and the endless repetition and the heaving on the floor... I realize I am being very negative, and I am sorry being such a BOB, but really, one should have a little more grace and style before performing in public. I saw a number on her costume, so maybe it was student night?

(Oh, dear, someone get me a dish for my milk)

re: what catches my eye: skill, elan, and passion (and by passion, I do not mean anything that looks like it ought to be done in the privacy of one's own bedroom). I also like a nice costume that suits the dancer and doesn't overwhelm her (the old problem of the costume wearing the dancer instead of the other way around- some of us were simply not made for shoulder to knee beaded fringe.)
 
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Viv

New member
(Oh, dear, someone get me a dish for my milk)
Shanazel, a favorite line of ours out here when we're being, less than kind shall we say ;), is "Would you like that milk in a bowl or from the source?" LOL

So what "catch" are eye in a performance?
Let's see, for me what catches my eye above and beyond anything else is probably if the dancer is enjoying themselves. I've seen beautiful dancers, with perfect costumes, incredible tecnique and boring as all get out to watch because they just aren't having fun and enjoying themselves. On the other hand I've seen dancers with half as much skill, not so perfect costume, but completely thrilled to be doing what their doing and they are totally engrossing to watch. I do agree, good tecnique, costumeing, and polish create a beautiful performance but if the joy in what they are doing isn't there it just doesn't have the "it" factor for me.
 

Moon

New member
I think it catches my eye when the dancer has good technique, but is also graceful and has passion for the dance.

Another question: what catches your eye as "irritation factor"?
For me it is that "look how sexy I am and don't mind if I'm a good dancer or not"-attitude (like the video-clips of that turkish dancer Zumre), and high heels (It might be normal for Lebanese dancers but I still think it looks sooo weird)
 

Michelle

New member
and then there was the making a bed style of veil work and the endless repetition and the heaving on the floor...


LOL!!!! Making the bed style veil work! I have never heard that so accurately described! That phrase should be institutionalized as the official description of the overzealous, attack-veil that many people so fondly adopt. As for the heaving, she looked vaguely like she might be going into convulsions....
 
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