I've been studying for almost a year now, and the one piece of consistent feedback/commentary that I get is that my mannerisms/style/stage presence are "cute". Sometimes this is said as a compliment ("that was adorable"); other times it's followed by "you should work on that" or "belly dance is supposed to be sensual" or "this is tribal; we're supposed to look a bit more imposing", things like that.
*shrug* my personality does tend toward cute, silly, lighthearted, etc. and I don't want to change that or try to prevent it from coming through when I dance. Trying to 'make it more sensual' feels really fake and stupid. (Of course it looks awesome when coming from other dancers who naturally have that vibe. but I don't, and so it feels and looks like I'm trying really hard to be something I'm not.)
Is it really a problem? Should I try harder to change, or just embrace it? Are there any dancers you know of (on YouTube, perhaps?) whose style also tends more toward cute than anything else? (Some inspiration in the form of seeing other dancers with a similar style to mine would be awesome...)
*shrug* my personality does tend toward cute, silly, lighthearted, etc. and I don't want to change that or try to prevent it from coming through when I dance. Trying to 'make it more sensual' feels really fake and stupid. (Of course it looks awesome when coming from other dancers who naturally have that vibe. but I don't, and so it feels and looks like I'm trying really hard to be something I'm not.)
Is it really a problem? Should I try harder to change, or just embrace it? Are there any dancers you know of (on YouTube, perhaps?) whose style also tends more toward cute than anything else? (Some inspiration in the form of seeing other dancers with a similar style to mine would be awesome...)