Who do you channel when performing?

lilith71

lilith71

New member
I just had a lengthy conversation with a good friend and fellow bellydancer about performance. It started with me bringing up how comfortable and happy she looked on stage. I myself am always frowning, concentrating too hard, or looking down. She suggested taking on a personna of someone you admire. She likes to pretend she's Elizabeth Taylor. She learned this over the years in acting classes. A big light bulb went off for me when she explained this! I could be anybody I want up there! Do any of you out there practice this? What or who do you take over? Are there any exercises you do to channel your alter stage ego?
 
Yame

Yame

New member
I don't channel anybody when I'm performing. I am just myself, trying to evoke the essence and feeling of the music, using my body and my personality and no one else's.
 
B

Belly Love

New member
Not a specific person, but I try to evoke the person I want to see on stage- someone who I think would be fun & appealing to watch.

It's not my personality to walk down the street and be smiley, playful, coy, sultry, etc. towards complete strangers, so I need to play those things up when I'm dancing (and when I will be dancing for an audience). Those things are a part of my personality, so it's not a matter of me trying to be someone else, but they are not who I am 24/7.

But I do make sure that I am always "in character" when I practice- that way it's habit, it's not something I have to think about when dancing.
 
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Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
Nope, never channeled anyone but myself, though when I was beginning to perform I called on "Shanazel." She was my deeply buried confident self, very different from my every day self. At some point, Shanazel and India merged into just me. ;)
 
Shems

Shems

New member
oh, I totally try to channel, a lot, but it depends on the song and the character I want to give the piece and what I'm feeling. But people I've worked at emulating in some fashion in my dancing include, Fifi Abdo, Souhair Zaki, Nadia Gamal, Naima Akef, Nejla Ates, Mona Said, Randa Kamel, Tito, Dina, Reyhan Tuzsuz, Suha Deeb, Samia Gamal, Aziz, Aziza of Montreal/Portland. Those are the most common ones for me to turn to, then I'm myself a lot too. And occasionally Marinda Luker, Jamileh of SLC Utah, Sumra of Logan, UT, Lucy of DC and my other troupemates and friends in Utah and here in Baltimore and DC. Really I try to adopt a piece of every dancer that inspires me on some level, so I channel a lot of people.

I'll be dancing along and I'll imagine I'm one of these people and I'll mimic the character and quality of their movement, pick a step they might do to that music. It is really quite fun for me.
 
seona

seona

New member
Interesting question. Personally I don't imagine myself to be anyone other than me. If I have to perform I tend to visualise in my mind my dance being performed well. I find it really helps me with nerves and makes me feel more confident. When I'm dancing I'm just myself, into the music and doing my thing. I don't know why but I'd feel daft thinking I was someone else! I do know a dancer who channels someone else when she performs, it helps with her nerves. I guess whatever works for the individual.

sorry but whenever I read 'channeling' I can't help but think of a ghostly possesion :lol: I've now some funny images in my mind!
 
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S

Shara

New member
Yeah, the "channelling" brings up some negative connotations for me! I don't channel anything. I do visualize though. Gardens, water, etc.
 
F

Falah Bellydance Costumes

New member
Yes, just be yourself !

Yame said:
I don't channel anybody when I'm performing. I am just myself, trying to evoke the essence and feeling of the music, using my body and my personality and no one else's.
Click to expand...

I seriously agree with you, just try to find the real soul in your body when dancing. And enjoy the excited feeling and be proud of yourself. ;)
 
lilith71

lilith71

New member
Interesting responses, I think for myself, I'm going to investigate this further. I went to class last night and pretended I was a 1920's hollywood starlet. A Theda Bara type. It actually felt good! Normally, I am horribly insecure in my own skin. It's hard for me to feel joyous on stage, when I'm too worried I'm going to make a mistake. I am going to play around with taking on different "roles" in class and see what clicks. We have a competition coming up in a few weeks and I am going to try to imagine what my character would be for the dances we will be performing. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, I don't think it will hurt to try though.
 
Greek Bonfire

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
Very interesting question. At first, I thought I should focus on my stage name but too much of my real self kept coming out. So I'm a blend of at least two people.
 
F

Falah Bellydance Costumes

New member
Don't feel nervous, just dancing like Angle~*~

lilith71 said:
Interesting responses, I think for myself, I'm going to investigate this further. I went to class last night and pretended I was a 1920's hollywood starlet. A Theda Bara type. It actually felt good! Normally, I am horribly insecure in my own skin. It's hard for me to feel joyous on stage, when I'm too worried I'm going to make a mistake. I am going to play around with taking on different "roles" in class and see what clicks. We have a competition coming up in a few weeks and I am going to try to imagine what my character would be for the dances we will be performing. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, I don't think it will hurt to try though.
Click to expand...


Hehe, it's really happy to share your feeling on stage. Although I have never performed on the stage before, I completely can imagine your feeling at that time. Just like when I was facing the interniew, I felt so worried at the beginning, well, later, I told myself what if I were that interviewer... Thinking like that, I soon felt peaceful and normal. So, I think you could just tell yourself like "what if I were one of the audiences down the stage...", I believe you must be very proud of yourself. Ahah ...:D
 
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