How to perform?

DancingIsis

New member
Hi!

Im new on the forum, but have been dancing for nearly three years. I love it, have never taking classes but have recieved very good response from friends and others who dance bellydance.

I really feel that I want to show my dance, I have never been on a show. How can I put my face out there? ^^

thanks!
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
What about your teacher? Has she had any student recitals? You could also check in your area for haflas which are good places to start performing.
 

da Sage

New member
Hi!

Im new on the forum, but have been dancing for nearly three years. I love it, have never taking classes but have recieved very good response from friends and others who dance bellydance.

I really feel that I want to show my dance, I have never been on a show. How can I put my face out there? ^^

thanks!

It sounds like you are saying you have never taken classes? Usually dancers' first performance opportunities are through their teachers' events.

Maybe some of your dancing friends know some haflas that you can perform at? You would have to ask the organizer whether you can perform; there is not always room for everyone who wants to perform.

Really, the easiest way to put your face out there is to start classes. Also keep in mind, your friends and professional dancers (who are not being paid to teach you) may be very careful of your feelings when you dance for them and ask "What do you think?". So you may have heard only the good things about your dancing so far. Please consider that before you dance for people you don't know, who may not be so kind.
 

DancingIsis

New member
Thanks for all the answers!

Well, I haven't been able to take classes because I don't live near a town. I live in sweden and if you want to take classes you need to travel to the bigger cities. I have a far way sadly... :/
 

Yame

New member
Thanks for all the answers!

Well, I haven't been able to take classes because I don't live near a town. I live in sweden and if you want to take classes you need to travel to the bigger cities. I have a far way sadly... :/

I feel your pain. For a while when I was starting out, I couldn't find a teacher. But keep looking anyway... maybe you will find someone closer than you think!
If not, I recommend that you travel to the nearest city as often as is feasible for private instruction or workshops. If the city is 1 hour away from you, maybe once a month would be doable? If it's more, you should try to do it at least a few times a year.

Now regarding performance, if there are no teachers in your area then I am assuming there is no belly dance community, either? Most performance opportunities for student-level dancers come from their teachers and/or dance community. If that isn't available to you in your town, then you will have to look at dance communities in other towns or cities and see what's available to you.
 

gisela

Super Moderator
Hello DancingIsis! Welcome to the forum. I am from Sweden too. There are quite a lot of workshops and festivals going on. If you can't take classes regularly it would be a good idea to go to events like the big festival in stockholm f ex.
Where in Sweden are you?
 

da Sage

New member
Thanks for all the answers!

Well, I haven't been able to take classes because I don't live near a town. I live in sweden and if you want to take classes you need to travel to the bigger cities. I have a far way sadly... :/

Hello DancingIsis,

Are you a teenager, or an adult? I ask because it will make a difference in what you are able to do for yourself right now. :)

If you are an adult, you can take trips to the bigger cities a few times a year for classes. It might be best to get recommendations from other Swedish dancers you find online, and book private classes with a teacher who has good recommendations. Only book one or two private classes to start out with...if the teacher is not a good fit, you will want to try someone else without the bother of asking for a refund for several classes you haven't taken yet.

It is also possible that some of those teachers may hold open dance nights or haflas. If there is room, you might be able to perform at one of those...but you will need to ask in advance, and make travel arrangements.

If you can't get down to a city with other dancers, you can perform for your friends and family. You could even arrange local public performances, but I strongly urge that you work with a teacher first. Honestly, there is no way for those of us on an online board to know whether you are good enough to perform in public, so you should seek a local dancer's advice. The question "Am I a good dancer" and "Am I a good enough dancer to represent belly dance at a public festival" are two very different questions - make sure you ask the second one!

If you absolutely can't get to a city, you can also get your face out there by taking video of yourself, and uploading it to YouTube. I know two WONDERFUL dancers, one self-taught and one family-taught who have become known by doing this. Please understand that most self-taught dancers are not very good, and that if you put up public videos, people may make nasty comments about your dancing or your person (publicly or privately). Those comments might not be true, but they can hurt anyway.

If you are one of the exceptional self-taught dancers, YouTube can be a way to become known. If you are a mediocre or bad dancer, YouTube can be a sure-fire way to attract abuse. Also be aware that any video you put up can be "grabbed" by enemies and voyeurs, and traded behind your back or put back online without your consent. So always dress appropriately, and never put up anything but your best current dancing.

Here is a wonderful video stolen from the AMAZING Imman, and reposted by a stranger from the internet. It's the only online video left of her:

YouTube - YouTube Imman dancing to Instrumental by HMH2810CEO

Here is a great video put up by board member Cassandra:

YouTube - sweetberry07's Channel

I'm not putting up any bad dancers, because that would be mean. But they are out there!
 

Yame

New member
Here is a wonderful video stolen from the AMAZING Imman, and reposted by a stranger from the internet. It's the only online video left of her:

YouTube - YouTube Imman dancing to Instrumental by HMH2810CEO

I'm not sure if you're meaning to imply that Imman is self-taught, but as far as I know she is far from it. She has trained extensively in belly dance with some big names out there, as well as in ballet and other dance forms, from what I remember.
I wish this page on her website was working right now. I'm pretty sure that's where I got this information.
 

da Sage

New member
I'm not sure if you're meaning to imply that Imman is self-taught, but as far as I know she is far from it. She has trained extensively in belly dance with some big names out there, as well as in ballet and other dance forms, from what I remember.
I wish this page on her website was working right now. I'm pretty sure that's where I got this information.

I thought I read that she had learned to dance from friends and family, and only recently started taking formal classes. Perhaps I am wrong - if so I apologize. Regardless, she is an AMAZING dancer, and I very much wish I could see more of her work.
 

lizaj

New member
I thought I read that she had learned to dance from friends and family, and only recently started taking formal classes. Perhaps I am wrong - if so I apologize. Regardless, she is an AMAZING dancer, and I very much wish I could see more of her work.

Are we talking of Imman of Glasgow?
 

DancingIsis

New member
Hello DancingIsis! Welcome to the forum. I am from Sweden too. There are quite a lot of workshops and festivals going on. If you can't take classes regularly it would be a good idea to go to events like the big festival in stockholm f ex.
Where in Sweden are you?


I'm glad that so many has answered! :)

I just found out that a very good bellydancer lives in Malmö here in sweden, and she gives private classes. I just send her an email, so we'll see how this turns out! :)

Gisela(I've recently moved here were I live now, so I didn't really know how far it was to the biggest city, but it's just one hour away with train. I live near Växsjö, in Markaryd)

I know as a former contemporary and balett dancer that you never can get enough classes and tips. So, is there anyone who have some tips, about anything? :)

thanks
 

da Sage

New member
Are we talking of Imman of Glasgow?

I'm talking of Imman from somewhere in the UK (sorry for the vagueness), who used to have tons of YouTube videos up, and called her channel Imman Bellystylin'. The point of bringing her up was primarily to show how effectively her internet videos worked to bring her international attention. I thought she had less formal training; however if I'm wrong about that, she's still a great example of someone who became widely known through YouTube.:)
 

Daimona

Moderator
Gisela(I've recently moved here were I live now, so I didn't really know how far it was to the biggest city, but it's just one hour away with train. I live near Växsjö, in Markaryd)

Hej och välkomna, DancingIsis!
If I'm correct, Markaryd is approximately half way between Ljungby and Helsingborg, and you don't necessarily have to go as far as Växjö or Malmö to get in touch with other dancers. I know there are a bd community in Helsingborg (such as the wonderful Suzan Ayvaz) and from what I can see online, there are also a bd community in Ljungby. Maybe you can get in contact with them and perhaps perform in some hafla and later volunteer as a step-in-dancer at various gigs?
 

lizaj

New member
I'm talking of Imman from somewhere in the UK (sorry for the vagueness), who used to have tons of YouTube videos up, and called her channel Imman Bellystylin'. The point of bringing her up was primarily to show how effectively her internet videos worked to bring her international attention. I thought she had less formal training; however if I'm wrong about that, she's still a great example of someone who became widely known through YouTube.:)

She's still there on hafla videos..a lovely dancer..I am not sure of her training or lack of but she grew up with the music I assume and she is involved very much in the standard of dance from what I gather.
YouTube - Imman Mussa at the Hafla for Haiti, February 2010
 

DancingIsis

New member
Hej och välkomna, DancingIsis!
If I'm correct, Markaryd is approximately half way between Ljungby and Helsingborg, and you don't necessarily have to go as far as Växjö or Malmö to get in touch with other dancers. I know there are a bd community in Helsingborg (such as the wonderful Suzan Ayvaz) and from what I can see online, there are also a bd community in Ljungby. Maybe you can get in contact with them and perhaps perform in some hafla and later volunteer as a step-in-dancer at various gigs?

Tack! =D

Yes, that's pretty much it! :) Im having a private class tomorrow with Selina Sevil in Malmö, and I have asked that group in Ljungby. They only had groups between 13-18 years, and for 30 and over in bellydance. But I thought I still ask them! (And I must ask; what's hafla? ^^)

And while I'm writning - I've put up one vid of me improvising with my Isis wings today. The quality of the video is bad, I don't have a camera yet. And the text on the clip in the beginning will go away after about 30 sec. At the end I was starting to loose inspiration ^^ Sömnad, pyssel, skönhet, hälsa, tankar - is the adress!
 
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Daimona

Moderator
You are welcome!

(And I must ask; what's hafla? ^^)
Basically a bd party or festival, perhaps with performances, music and food.

And while I'm writning - I've put up one vid of me improvising with my Isis wings today. The quality of the video is bad, I don't have a camera yet. And the text on the clip in the beginning will go away after about 30 sec. At the end I was starting to loose inspiration ^^ Sömnad, pyssel, skönhet, hälsa, tankar - is the adress!

I tried to watch it, but I can't without being registered as your friend on youtube....
 
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