Thoughts on developing your own style...

[Aniseteph]

When did you start to develop your own style?

I don't mean at the level of deciding you prefer e.g. Egyptian to Tribal, or fusions you feel drawn to doing, or inventing your own thing. I mean when you've been studying one style for a while and are trying to stay within it. (this isn't easy to explain )

I've been learning Egyptian style for about 5 years now and I'm just starting to think about this. Although I've choreographed my own solos for a few years, up till now it's been less about personal style and more about just being able to do it at all, vaguely correctly and without falling over my feet. (OK I wanted to put my personal style into those, and at some level I probably did, but it would not have shown much over the crap dancing )

So, I'm wondering if I'm actually on to something here and should be confident about taking it forward... or am I just kidding myself?

Tell me about your stylistic journeys; ray: please!

 

[Kharis]

Style's always a bit of a moot point as nearly all of us are influenced by some degree by other dancers. And often, our own style is rooted in the parameters of the 'style' of dance itself. So what is style? Putting your own mark on it, I guess. I recall Raqia Hassan telling us at a workshop that she was only there to show us the technical moves, and that we must put our own stamp on it. I wonder just how much of that stamp is open for manipulation or change? It seems that often, dancers get knocked for daring to do this or that, or stepping outside the acceptable envelope.

Then there is the 'style' that seems very samey, and the dancer just sticks to moving the way her body feels comfortable with. Which, I think is what we all do, to be honest.

I'm heavily influenced by Fifi Abdou, Lucy, Mona Said, Suhair Zaki, and Naime Akif. I've taken from all of them, and blended it into what I do. As I was ballet trained, I utilise a lot of the graceful balletic moves to my advantage. I'm very mobile in the hip, and do lots of strong shimmies. My weaknesses are fluids, like undulations, which though I can do, I don't feel are my strong point.

 

[Daimona]

On my journey I have been:

1. Copying every inch of my teacher's styles.
2. Adding personal flavor to their choreographies (to make them more interesting).
3. Started to make my own choreographies on a wider scale and improvising.
4. Stopped performing other dancers' choreographies completely. *
5. Mixing and matching elements from dancers I respect and love, copying whatever I liked and experimented a lot, thus creating a style that is different from the other dancers where I live.

My style is still evolving. Some like it (and a couple of them have been kind enough to tell me), some probably don't. It's their taste and choice.

The last two years I've been heavily influenced by Aziza and Alya (a Norwegian-Egyptian dancer heavily influenced by Dina and Randa Kamel). My previous teachers have been influenced by various Egyptian teachers, primarily Raqia Hassan and Aida Nour.

*) The only exception is when the choreography is specifically made for me or my group.

 

[Amulya]

Going to a lot of shows is very inspiring and Youtube as well. You can see all different styles and see how dancers have put their choreographies together. Take from it what suits you. I think it's really exiting to make your own unique style and even better: when that changes over time. Dancing the same style always gets boring (to me)

 

[Farasha Hanem]

Well, being an intermediate/beginner newbie (more beginner than intermediate XD ), I'm still developing my style. However, I think from even the 7 years that I was going it alone with DVD's pre-bellydance class, I started developing slow, graceful arm movements and I learned to do backbends, so that has become an ingrained part of the "bellydancer me." I want to continue to learn and grow as a dancer, so I hope to be able to attend plenty of workshops, and keep getting my performance feet wet at the Ren faires, art festivals, and fund-raisers. That seems to be where my heart is.

 

[gisela]

Looking at Daimona's list I would be at nr 4 or 4 1/2. I've been dancing for about 6 years. The only style I want to do is egyptian really, but of course i still want me in there instead of my teachers' interpretations of a yousry sharif choreography f ex. It can be great for practice and inspiration but it's beginning to feel completely pointless to perform solo with someone elses choreography.
I did pretty much what Daimona writes, after a while I began to twist the learnt choreos a bit and added a few small things. Then I forced myself to improvise a few performances or made a loose structure and improvised the rest. I've only ever done one complete choreography but I want to try and do more.

I definitely think you should work with your style and it is in no way ridiculous. I feel as I'm only just starting with it and I wish I had started sooner.
Although I am not very proficient at it ímprov helped me to kind of find myself a bit in the dance.

 

[Caroline_afifi]

Hi Steph,

Years ago I used to wonder and fret about this. I analysed my own teachers style so much that my style was heavily influnced by her. You see it alot with Hilal dancers. I think it is important to experience a range of teachers when you reach a certain point and find yourself.
However, some people move far too early because they are getting bored but dont actually have the basics and this is both a waste of time and money.

I teach one per month and the students come from many different places, sometimes I can tell by the way they dance who their teacher is, some others they have their own unique style.

Once you have the basics and a good knowledge base of the dance you can move more freely without having to fret about whether or not you are breaking rules. You have to know boundaries are there in order to be able to push them.

A creative dance knows this and can work with it, you can even begin to create your own moves and dynamics or feel at ease constructing a whole piece out of 3 or four moves.

Your style is determined by what music you like, what vibe and energy you like, what dancers you enjoy watching etc. This may even change over time..I know my tastes have changed every few years.

The only time people are in danger of becoming 'clones' is when they over study and hero worship one person.

I have taught many people and non of them really dance like each other.
I see this as a good sign personally.

 

[Daimona]

Once I was asked whose style I danced, i.e. which dancer I would emulate and be like. I couldn't answer that one, because I don't want to emulate one dancer or just one particular style. I don't want to be a copycat, even though I know I could do it, because it wouldn't be me. (Ok, this may sound a bit like those artsy bitches who claims things like “This is my art! You cannot tell me this or that is wrong, because it is my art and you don’t understand it”, but I hope it doesn’t appear like that.)

Speaking about my list, you don’t have to stop completely performing other dancers' choreographies. This is my choice, and I have my reasons (not just the one Gisela mentioned).
Choreographies are a nice tool for learning new combinations and to try various styles. My main reasons to join workshops and classes where choreographies are taught are to learn new combinations and inspire me to make my own choreographies.


Psst! Gisela, I edited the list - you might want to edit your post as well.

 

[Aniseteph]

Thank you everyone!

I definitely recognise Daimona's list.

Once I was asked whose style I danced, i.e. which dancer I would emulate and be like. I couldn't answer that one, because I don't want to emulate one dancer or just one particular style. I don't want to be a copycat...

Exactly. I don't want to be anyone's clone; it's similar to doing someone else's choreography - it somehow shifts the whole focus of the dance for me. I do the class ones of course, and enjoy it, but I see them mainly as a learning tool and a way to get more performance experience.

Ok, this may sound a bit like those artsy bitches who claims things like “This is my art! You cannot tell me this or that is wrong, because it is my art and you don’t understand it”, but I hope it doesn’t appear like that.)

No, it doesn't sound that way to me - that's exactly one of the things I was trying to avoid coming across like too. I hear myself talking about developing My Style and think "Eek, who does she think she is?".

I've only been to regular classes with the one teacher, mostly due to time constraints, and am still being technically challenged which keeps me going. But maybe this is part of why it's taken this long! I've been to lots of workshops and picked up different vibes , but it isn't the same as running up against two alternative styles every week and having it right there in your face that you can pick your path between and around them.

 

[Daimona]

I've only been to regular classes with the one teacher, mostly due to time constraints, and am still being technically challenged which keeps me going. But maybe this is part of why it's taken this long! I've been to lots of workshops and picked up different vibes , but it isn't the same as running up against two alternative styles every week and having it right there in your face that you can pick your path between and around them.

If you want the things you have learned in the workshops to have any effect on your dance and your personal style you need to work on these things; particularly if they differ greatly from your weekly class. You don't necessarily need to take two weekly classes with different teachers, but you need to review the things you want to work on once in a while. How fast you will progress is up to you, but be patient.

How long your journey of developing your personal style will take and what path you follow is very individual. Some will try to make their own choreographies and interpretations from day one, some will need years to climb each step and some are happy being copycats all their dancing careers. People mature in dance in different ways. Some will never leave the safe nest of their first teacher; other will question what they have learnt and perhaps review their opinions once in a while, etc.. etc..

 

[onela]

I'm still pretty new-again to belly dance, so I'm not worried so much about "my" style specifically. Right now, I'm focusing on nailing technique. I'm a recovering ballerina, and that will always play into my movement no matter what discipline I'm currently persuing (I'm a delicate capoeirista, a yogi who always wants to point her toes and turn out, and a belly dancer with a still somewhat limited dance vocab who is still a bit tempted to start pirouetting when stumped when trying to improv- though I do feel that I'm training belly dancing *into* my muscle memory pretty well these days!). I think that any dancer's style is something that will change and evolve as they work on their art so I try not to spend a lot of time specifically thinking about it.

 

[chilla]

Interesting thread for me!

One of the posters on here on more than one occasion used to refer to me as an emotional dancer (hopefully not because she couldn't think of anything else to say:lol. Hopefully the technique is pretty good, we all have moves that are better than others. But just recently I've had a real crisis of confidence as you wonder if what you are doing is still within the parameters of Egyptian style, but with enough of yourself in it. I liked Caroline's comment that you have to know boundaries to be able to push them.

 

[adiemus]

I'm still a newbie beginner, but after three years I think I'm veering toward a fluid, relaxed style, hopefully more simple than multiple layers and pops/locks, more beledi than raqs sharqi, but given I'm still floundering and doing other people's choreo (although I want to do more of my own & improv), I'm probably not doing more than following yet. This year's goal is to develop better awareness of beledi, so hopefully this will shape my movement repertoire a bit. I'm definitely watching dancers and I know what I don't like and what I do like, and I think this is the beginning of developing a style.

 

[Machiavellia]

I think my style started to come out in the past six months maybe, and I let myself believe I was finding my own voice for the first time when dancers who weren't intimately familiar with my dancing (former troupe mates, etc.) started occasionally making comments about choreography or dancing (mine or someone else's) like "that's very Heather" or "I did an x with a y the other day and it reminded me of you."

I don't feel finished, however, and I am definitely into expanding what I'm doing.

 

[indrayu]

Interesting thread, and important to think about if you see yourself as a "dancer", not simply someone who likes to dance. It's also an interesting contrast, as a student of dance (probably not a serious dancer) to compare it to studying art.

My experience of a Fine Art course was that it was assumed we each had our own vision and style prior to day 1. Getting advice on technical questions, which you knew someone already had an answer to, was usually impossible. Not surprising that that particular art school has produced only one graduate who has made a name for himself; his talent was obvious all along anyway. The plus side of this was developing our abilities in research and experimentation, and confidence in our own ideas and judgement.

So even as a newbie bellydancer, I naturally want to find what my body can do then choreograph or improvise to my own choice of music (and apply aforementioned judgement by only performing at student nights ). I'm finding that beledi is the style that suits me, but don't know anywhere near enough about it yet to feel stifled by the "rules".

I am always surprised by experienced dancers who would rather emulate another dancer than develop their own style. Ultimately, every body/personality is so different, everyone has their own style anyway, whether or not it it is consciously developed.

 

[Aniseteph]

The idea of feeling "stifled by the rules" is interesting. If you (generic) were learning a foreign language you wouldn't say that. Yes it's frustrating when you are trying to say something and don't have that level of skill yet, but you recognise it's a deficiency in YOU; you don't blame the language and start making up some new words and grammar or doing it "your way". You just have to resign yourself to saying something simpler, and more study/practice.

As a native English speaker I CAN make up words up to a point and mess with the grammar sometimes, but that's because I know the rules and the people I'm speaking/writing to do too, so they see it in context. Which to me is exactly like the "well I've seen Randa do XYZ so it must be belly dance" argument.

 

[GypsyStacey]

right now my focus is on expanding my dance vocab so that i can say whatever i want while dancing. i would love to get to the level where i can play a piece of music & improv to it even if it's just for me. maybe get to the level where i can possibly put together some cherography. i want to be a fluid graceful BD. as far as my own style goes i figure that will come with time.

 

[Safran]

I see "own style" as something that will constantly evolve - be it because of external influences or your own work with the dance. It is just the pace of the evolution that differs.

I guess the first time you start developing your own style is the first time you really "feel" the dance, instead of just performing a row of movements. I do agree with many posters above who say it can happen while you dance other people's choreographies.

And the next biggest step would be when you start "doing your own thing". Just dancing your heart out in the kitchen, or trying to put together a dance of your own. And the more you do that, or drill, or attend classes with different teachers of different styles, or just emote about the dance, the more bits and pieces come together, making it unique for you.

 

[shiradotnet]

Back when I was a student, an "aha" moment came for me when I showed my husband a choreography I had learned in class and he told me it looked like a re-hash of others I had previously learned from the same teacher. The choreography in question (along with all other choreography this teacher taught) was based on step combinations that she in turn had learned from her teacher and continued to use 20 years later. Around the same time, as I was creating my own choreography, I realized that my new material looked like "more of the same" because I was gluing together those same step combinations myself.

So when creating choreography of my own, I discarded almost all the step combinations I had previously learned. Instead, I approached each new choreography that I created by asking "Does this part of the music sound like staccato moves, accents, or fluid moves to me?" And then I would pick building-block moves that fit, resulting in my own original combinations. In this way, I found myself creating choreography that didn't look like a stale re-hash of something my teacher and her teacher before her had done.

 

[Aniseteph]

Aha! I knew there had to be a plus side to not being able to remember combinations!