My first performance!!! (video)

E

eyeleanify

New member
Hey everyone! I am new here and my dream is to become a professional belly dancer! I am so amazed with the beauty of this dance! I have been dancing jazz, ballet, tap, salsa, folklorico etc. for about 11 years now but I have fallen in love with belly dance! I taught myself through numerous youtube videos and of course my idol shakira :) I was on the dance team at my high school and for my senior solo I shocked everyone by telling them I would be doing a belly dance. Nobody believed I could do it and I was very doubtful myself but I did what I could and performed the piece at our local theatre for our recital. I was asked to perform the piece again at an event at school and thats what I will be showing you all. please give critic! let me know if I have what it takes because it is truly my dream to become a pro bellydancer! I am currently gonna start taking classes at my university and do whatever I can to get to where I want to be so please let me know! Thanks :)

disclaimer: no belly dance experience and I came up with this dance on my own. Please don't be tooooo harsh lol I know it's far from great... also I did copy some of Shakira's moves but give me a break lol

YouTube - Eileen Belly dancing
 
lizaj

lizaj

New member
You have asked for a critique so here goes.
You look great.
You have nice posture and presence.
You have got an good grasp of isolated moves..hip lifts and chest lifts


Your moves don't "flow " like a belly dancer's should. Every thing is ...yes... dynamic but this can look "jerky". But if you have learnt from Youtube, you've made a great start.
So...get hold of some proper belly dance music ie:Egyptian classical or pop ,music. Example the BDSS CDs are easy to obtain and have a mix of music on them.
So..get a good teacher who can teach you to interpret to the music and train and drill you in those moves.
and...don't use a veil out of doors;)
 
Zaghareet

Zaghareet

New member
lizaj said:
You have asked for a critique so here goes.
You look great.
You have nice posture and presence.
You have got an good grasp of isolated moves..hip lifts and chest lifts


Your moves don't "flow " like a belly dancer's should. Every thing is ...yes... dynamic but this can look "jerky". But if you have learnt from Youtube, you've made a great start.
So...get hold of some proper belly dance music ie:Egyptian classical or pop ,music. Example the BDSS CDs are easy to obtain and have a mix of music on them.
So..get a good teacher who can teach you to interpret to the music and train and drill you in those moves.
and...don't use a veil out of doors;)
Click to expand...

I agree with everything lizaj said. ;)

You have great isolations and hip movements.
But you should really take som time to learn more about the art of belly dancing. Listen to egyptian music, both classical, raks sharki and folkloric. I mean, really listen to it! Learn about the different rythms like the ayoub, masmoudi and the maksoum. Read some books about the subject, get some understanding of the history of modern bellydancing. And get a great teacher with lots of experience and knowledge, both practical and theoretic. You will have a whole new world opening up to you! I promise!

And... Dont look so much at Shakira if you want to learn to bellydance. Look at real bellydancer like Tahia Carioca, Naima Akef, Fifi Abdou, Suheir Zaki and Nagwa Fouad. If you want a more modern one i think Randa Kamel is really good. Choose your inspiration carefully.

You have potential, just keep on going! Good luck! :D
 
Nath

Nath

New member
lizaj said:
You have asked for a critique so here goes.
You look great.
You have nice posture and presence.
You have got an good grasp of isolated moves..hip lifts and chest lifts


Your moves don't "flow " like a belly dancer's should. Every thing is ...yes... dynamic but this can look "jerky". But if you have learnt from Youtube, you've made a great start.
So...get hold of some proper belly dance music ie:Egyptian classical or pop ,music. Example the BDSS CDs are easy to obtain and have a mix of music on them.
So..get a good teacher who can teach you to interpret to the music and train and drill you in those moves.
and...don't use a veil out of doors;)
Click to expand...


I have to agree with this. As a student belly dancer myself, the flow between moves is not easy and something that I continue to work on. It's what makes the difference between a competent dancer and a truly good or even great dancer. I also agree with the suggestion of getting a teacher; mine has been a savior in this area and I've learned a lot. Having someone who is objective yet knows the intricacies of the dance makes a huge difference.
 
Darshiva

Darshiva

Moderator



Because every single person in this thread, from beginning to end, has been respectful of bellydance, bellydancers, and egos. Being incredibly tactless by nature, I'll be bookmarking this for future reference.

OP, I hope your bellydance journey is a joyous one, and that you find the class that suits you.
 
E

eyeleanify

New member
thanks!

thank you everyone for your advice!!!! I was really unaware of many things but now I know, and I really appreciate it :)
 
Farasha Hanem

Farasha Hanem

New member
Well, you've come to the right place, Eileen, and as the old '80's cartoon used to say at the end of the show: "And knowing is half the battle!" :D
 
Greek Bonfire

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
Zaghareet said:
I agree with everything lizaj said. ;)

You have great isolations and hip movements.
But you should really take som time to learn more about the art of belly dancing. Listen to egyptian music, both classical, raks sharki and folkloric. I mean, really listen to it! Learn about the different rythms like the ayoub, masmoudi and the maksoum. Read some books about the subject, get some understanding of the history of modern bellydancing. And get a great teacher with lots of experience and knowledge, both practical and theoretic. You will have a whole new world opening up to you! I promise!

And... Dont look so much at Shakira if you want to learn to bellydance. Look at real bellydancer like Tahia Carioca, Naima Akef, Fifi Abdou, Suheir Zaki and Nagwa Fouad. If you want a more modern one i think Randa Kamel is really good. Choose your inspiration carefully.

You have potential, just keep on going! Good luck! :D
Click to expand...

Same goes here - you did great for learning from YouTube. But please don't look so much to Shakira as a role model. It works for Shakira but if you want to learn better bellydance, look at the classic dancers and take lessons with a really good teacher because you need to smooth out your movements more and connect them better. But wow, you sure got off to a great start, and the costume is really lovely.
 
onela

onela

New member
You're very pretty, you look great in your costume, and are a natural performer with great charisma :) Like me, you have difficulty making transitions from move to move, and would benefit from drilling to perfect movements. Like everybody else said, seek out a teacher and you'll probably get great results :)
 
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