When Is It a Gimmick?

[Kharmine]

There's a song from the musical "Gypsy" when the veteran burlesque dancers are giving tips to the young Gypsy Rose Lee -- "If ya gotta bump it, bump to a trumpet...if you're gonna grind it, grind it with refinement..."

I sometimes hear those lyrics in my head when I'm watching a dancer who is doing something, well, gimmicky, is the best way I can describe it -- she's sporting a flaming hula hoop or making her tattoos writhe or bouncing a balloon off her arse or some darn thing.

I quite understand that one person's "novelty act" is another person's "it's just another version of the dance." And sometimes a dancer can pull off something that another dancer totally botches.

But for me, the point when I find myself with a nervous inclination to giggle is when I feel something is getting lost in translation.

My question for youse guys -- has there been a point when you found yourself thinkin' the same thing?

 

[Suheir]

I often want to laugh at certain costuming such as 'Tribal' outfits that look as though someone's just fallen in a rubbish tip or a combination of items that appear as though they're being worn for a bet. It reminds me of variety acts such as grown women dressed as Shirley Temple, complete with ankle socks and lollipop, which are obviously meant to be funny...

 

[Sara]

I think sometimes novelty acts are fun, if they're meant that way. If a person is taking them selves very seriously wearing a pumpkin on their head or something, it does make me cringe a bit, cause I feel sorry for em more than anything else.

I think it's nice to have a little novelty sometimes.

 

[Gia al Qamar]

And sometimes, I'll throw a little 'schtick' into an my act if I feel the moment is right...once you've proven yourself as a capable artist and/or entertainer, doing a little 'grandstanding' can be fun...if done with TASTE.
What?
Like...dropping to the floor to do floor work and having a shill in the audience come over and place coins on my belly that I roll. Makes the audience leap to their feet.
Like...rolling belly beads up and down my torso while undulating...
Like...these little gestures I make during drum solos (ever see Aziza look as though she's making her chest rise and fall because it's on a string? Like that.)
Fun...tongue in cheek...but...like 'novelty' humor numbers...it ONLY works when you know how to work it.
Gia

 

[Kharmine]

And sometimes, I'll throw a little 'schtick' into an my act if I feel the moment is right...once you've proven yourself as a capable artist and/or entertainer, doing a little 'grandstanding' can be fun...if done with TASTE.
What?
Like...dropping to the floor to do floor work and having a shill in the audience come over and place coins on my belly that I roll. Makes the audience leap to their feet.
Like...rolling belly beads up and down my torso while undulating...
Like...these little gestures I make during drum solos (ever see Aziza look as though she's making her chest rise and fall because it's on a string? Like that.)
Fun...tongue in cheek...but...like 'novelty' humor numbers...it ONLY works when you know how to work it.
Gia

I always considered that kind of floorwork with the coin on the tummy thing to be classic cabaret showmanship! Love it. I aspire to do it.

 

[Gabi]

if it's good it makes me want to laugh (for joy) or just WoW, if it's bad it makes me want to cringe .... basic "not quite working" barometer

 

[firshania]

(ever see Aziza look as though she's making her chest rise and fall because it's on a string? Like that.)
Gia

oh yeah, and that's the kind of little movements that make me love her dance so much !

 

[Salome]

When the gimmick takes priority over his/her dancing it's a turn off for me. When it's a fab dancer that is using a gimmick as an extension of his/her dancing I can generally get into it. Though within the bounds of humor or props that are natural to the dance. No flipping hamburgers on the tummy or bouncing a ballon off the arse...

 

[Gia al Qamar]

No flipping hamburgers on the tummy or bouncing a ballon off the arse...

I guess the Burger King bedleh is out then eh?
Gia

 

[Mouse]

I dunno.. I think you could make that work if you used a fry-fringe :lol:

 

[Gia al Qamar]

I dunno.. I think you could make that work if you used a fry-fringe :lol:

Niiiiiceee touch! Fries for fringe, they provide the cute little paper crown (very Egyptian), Whopper buns for the bra...what else?
Gia

 

[Shanazel]

Happy meal toy earrings.

 

[Gia al Qamar]

Happy meal toy earrings.

Sweeeeettt!
G.

 

[Nani]

Some people can sort of get away with it...

...if they're really famous. There's Dina and the infamous Droopy Drawers. Wearing whatever wild outfit for shock value, be it really tacky or really skimpy, is kind of disappointing to me. Sort of like when actors or pop stars pull some wild stunt or wear something totally ugly for attention. Nobody cares who won an Academy Award for what--they just want to see what they were wearing on the red carpet. Screw the halftime show at the Superbowl--I want to see nipple! (And you know this attitude is totally not limited to America...)

I think there's a fine line between gimmicky and entertaining--gimmicky is when it distracts you from the dancer's talent (or sometimes lack thereof). Entertaining is when you have developed a skill that's just cool to watch, or when she knows it's tacky and is doing it as a joke. Flaming hula hoop? It wouldn't even matter how accomplished she was as a dancer--I'd be waiting to see when her hair would catch fire!

Then there's the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction", when it's truly an accident. A friend of mine "busted out" during a performance once when she first broke in to performing, and that's all the dancers around here could talk about for a couple weeks (people are losers!)--some even accusing her of doing it on purpose! And of course no one remembered her performance...it took her forever to live it down, too.

 

[kalila_raks]

I recently saw a locally made performance DVD where the dancer was "dancing" (sort of just undulating in place) on top of stemmed water glasses with candles in her hands and a sword on her head and the sword was on fire. It was so unecessary and over the top I felt a little sick watching it. Handling one prop with skill is tasteful. Two is a little showy but sometimes forgiveable, but four! That's when it just becomes a circus act.

 

[Kharmine]

...
Then there's the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction", when it's truly an accident. A friend of mine "busted out" during a performance once when she first broke in to performing, and that's all the dancers around here could talk about for a couple weeks (people are losers!)--some even accusing her of doing it on purpose! And of course no one remembered her performance...it took her forever to live it down, too.

My teacher recalls her own teacher back in the day whirling out on stage -- when she stopped, her skirt kept swirling and slipped right off her hips. She was wearing bright red panties and when she simply struck a pose and kept smiling, the audience applauded, thinking it was part of the act!

 

[Chloe]

My teacher recalls her own teacher back in the day whirling out on stage -- when she stopped, her skirt kept swirling and slipped right off her hips. She was wearing bright red panties and when she simply struck a pose and kept smiling, the audience applauded, thinking it was part of the act!

Wow! I'd never be able to live that down. Yay for your teacher!:clap:

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

Swinging a chair in your teeth has got to be my favorite gimmick, and it's authentic!

We had a thread on the MED dance list, (I think -- or maybe it was here!) about the circus-like environment of modern bellydance (flaming swords, writhing tats, etc.) People were slamming the fact that our dance had "deteriorated" to something of vaudeville.

I thought it was amusing when one of our grand-dames spoke out and said, "you know, in the culture, it was very much a circus-like act."

We tend to forget, in our modern era, that our dances have "colorful" ancestors, and were practiced by women who were ENTERTAINERS, doing what it took to put food on the table.

That said, dancers themselves are the hardest to impress with "gimmicks." I can stick a sword on my head and the public thinks "wow." I don't really have to do much more than walk around or do a hip circle and they're impressed. Dancers, however, are kind of like "um, yeah. And NOW what?"

I saw a lady last fall attempt to balance 8 swords on her head. Two is cool -- a lot of tribal gals balance two. After 4 swords, I was thinking "it would be great if you could actually DANCE or something, instead of just swaying back and forth." She got down on her knees for the 7th sword, and then dropped the 8th sword during the last bit of the music, and they all came crashing down. If she had stuck to just 2 swords, and actually DANCED, the piece might have been fun.

Double veil seems a lot like a gimmick to me too. Spin spin spin, separate the veils, flip them around, spin some more, spin spin spin the other way and exit the stage. Yawn.

 

[Suheir]

Double veil seems a lot like a gimmick to me too. Spin spin spin, separate the veils, flip them around, spin some more, spin spin spin the other way and exit the stage. Yawn.

I certainly feel the same about that. Once you've seen it, you've seen it...

 

[Tarik Sultan]

I recently saw a locally made performance DVD where the dancer was "dancing" (sort of just undulating in place) on top of stemmed water glasses with candles in her hands and a sword on her head and the sword was on fire. It was so unecessary and over the top I felt a little sick watching it. Handling one prop with skill is tasteful. Two is a little showy but sometimes forgiveable, but four! That's when it just becomes a circus act.

Does that mean I can't do my flaming d*** dance of Dagistan? Just as well, I'd only be able to do it once.