Heard the weirdest belly dance story..

[LadyLoba]

There was supposed to be a free intro to belly dance class in my hometown. I asked someone about it...and it turned out that the classes had already happened...nobody showed up to them..but the "troupe" performed anyway. I asked the person I was talking to how they performed when they'd never studied belly dance at all, and she said "we faked it" and made a few arm gestures.

I was really irritated to hear that. No wonder people in this area don't take it seriously, if that's the kind of thing the people who present themselves as "bellydancers" pull.

I don't know why I'm surprised...they treat all the performing arts like that. I once saw a so called play where a guy gestured to the prompter backstage, who you could clearly hear, and go "yeah, what he said" instead of even reciting his line...never mind acting.

But it especially irritates me with belly dance, because there are enough people who think anybody who stands on a stage and wiggles any part of their body is belly dancing, without having people get up on a stage, wiggle their arms around at random, and call it belly dancing.

I don't mean to sound like one of those wet blanket types who sucks all the fun out of belly dancing by acting like it's the same thing as learning how to do brain surgery, practice law, etc....it is dancing...it is supposed to be fun...but come on...music is also fun....and nobody would sit down, bang on a piano at random and call it a "recital." They could have at least actually learned something before performing...or if they didnt want to even try to learn, cancel the performance.

 

[gisela]

I am not sure I understand. If nobody showed up for the classes then who performed?

I do understand the rest of your post though.
That "actor" :wall: that's insane.

 

[Erik]

I'm cloudy on this as well, gisela. How can it be a performance if no one came to see it?

Fake doesn't always translate as bad. Serena was still alive when I gained access to the Internet in '04. Although I never had any contact with her, I learned a bit about her after her death in '07. I remember reading that her first performance was completely faked. She simply put on the costume and winged it, but over the years she became a respected dancer and teacher.

 

[Starmouth]

Yep, I'm confused. Who performed? And to who, if nobody was there?

 

[Mosaic]

If you are already a "troupe" then surely you must have had some classes, or how can a few people be classified as a troupe, but I am also very confused, if no one turned up.
~Mosaic

 

[Duvet]

I agree with the sentiment, but also don't understand the context.
Was the troupe doing the teaching? If they were able to teach, how come they needed to fake the performance?
If none of the troupe had ever bellydanced before, how come they got the idea to perform in the first place? And who watched them?

 

[Yame]

I'm really confused as well. I think maybe a piece of the post is missing, because right now it doesn't make sense.

 

[Amulya]

Was it a class with a public performance later elsewhere? Then it would make sense.

 

[Erik]

The word troupe is in quotes, so it is maybe a sarcastic application?

Here's a theory. A free intro class was announced and potential students came but nobody showed up to teach it, possibly because the date was printed wrong on the advertising. Instead of going home, a new leader with little or no training was appointed, and they made up their own dance for whomever happened to be there.

 

[Suzanne Azhaar]

She did say it was a 'weird belly dance story'. Looking forward to when LadyLoba fills in the details.

 

[Yame]

The word troupe is in quotes, so it is maybe a sarcastic application?

Here's a theory. A free intro class was announced and potential students came but nobody showed up to teach it, possibly because the date was printed wrong on the advertising. Instead of going home, a new leader with little or no training was appointed, and they made up their own dance for whomever happened to be there.

Didn't think about the possibility of the teacher being the one who didn't show up!
So maybe a bunch of people showed up but not the teacher, and then some just pretended they knew how to belly dance and "performed" for the rest?

Still, seems unlikely...

 

[Aniseteph]

They could have at least actually learned something before performing...or if they didnt want to even try to learn, cancel the performance.

...which sounds to me as if there was a class or classes to which no one turned up, but people did turn up to an associated performance opportunity and "belly danced" anyway.

a) that must have been a total cringe-fest all round
b) was there a teacher in charge and if so and WTH was she thinking to let them "perform"?

 

[Amulya]

I love all the theories! Now LadyLoba needs to check in soon with the story, I am curious!

 

[Erik]

a) that must have been a total cringe-fest all round

Regarding the arm gestures, I'd cringe a little less if they tried to duplicate those graceful arm motions actually used by belly dancers, instead of Walk-like-an-Egyptian or some jerkwater Mata Hari imitation.

That it's called a belly dance but it's really an arm dance is a stereotype which refuses to go away in the minds of the public.

 

[Taslin]

If a tree falls in the woods....im picturing an impromptu "performance" for NO ONE:clap:

that would be a worthy audience,lol. Unfortunately im assuming they found someone to watch:think:

 

[LadyLoba]

I didnt understand either at first. Apparently...they all signed up for the class, never went to the classes...but then they all showed up at the scheduled performance, having never taken one class, and went onstage.

Yes I was being sarcastic saying "troupe." There was no real troupe...it was a bunch of women who never went to any of the classes, but showed up at the final performance and went onstage and pretended to belly dance.

Oh sorry...forgot to explain the audience...it was at a local senior center. They were supposed to take the classes...then perform what they learned at a student performance at the senior center...only they showed up at the performance having taken no classes, and done no studying on their own, did some arm movements and told the audience that was "belly dance."

It sounds rather like me naming a food from a culture with an incorrect accent and then telling everyone I speak the official or predominant language of that culture.

Also, the woman who told me the story asked me if I was going to teach belly dance. I told her I didnt have the proper experience to teach.

PS: Sorry...Ive been away a while...actually quit belly dancing and am just about to re-start today...and Im getting caught up reading these posts..."total cringe fest" and "what in the world was the teacher thinking?" are exactly what I thought.

But the worst thing was...the person telling the story was actually proud that they all looked ridiculous. It was pretty clear belly dance was all a big joke to her.

But that's kind of a running theme with any of the arts here..there is ONE Basque folk dancing troupe...a real troupe...and they are very good...made up of Basque individuals who have had lessons plus the dance passed down for many generations. Anything else...belly dance, ballet, fabric based arts, pottery, creative writing, acting, singing, instruments....you can pretty much bet it's going to be a big goof off fest.

People tend to complain that there isnt someting or want something...then when somebody offers it, they act like theyre too good to do the work to learn it...

 

[Amulya]

So the class and the students' performance were supposed to be at the same day? Where was the teacher during the 'performance'? Did she go home because no one turned up?

You can always refer the women who told the story to a belly dance teacher. Always good to to let people know where they can get classes. But I wonder why she didn't go to the original teacher who was supposed to teach that class. Or did that teacher not turn up? I am a bit confused about this story.

 

[LadyLoba]

No, they were supposed to be going to classes for a few weeks, and then all perform at the scheduled performance. They didnt go to the classes, but they did all turn up at the performance, and went onstage anyway.

I know...this makes no sense...I had to clear it up with a few questions too...because the behavior made no sense. Why did they not show up to the classes, then bother to show up to the performance? And why did the teacher let them do that? You would think the performance would get cancelled if none of the students were coming to the classes