Sadie... hmmmm...

Ahava_Melantha

New member
ah okay, I understand now

a dancer with a more "understated" beauty

I guess sort of like Warda to me will always have a true beauty whether she was young or old but Haifa Wehbe, imho, is mostly popular not because shes insanely talented, but because she's "eye candy" anyways
 

seona

New member
Aziyade;220840 3.[B said:
Saltana.[/B] We sometimes think of this as Tarab, but it's really Saltana -- it's the dancer herself getting in that quasi-trance-esque state where they and the music are one, that allows US the audience to achieve Tarab. Now this is where I don't think Sadie is very successful -- she hasn't yet had a performance that made me think "Oh she's there. She's in that place! Now I can go too!

On the subject of tarab, I thought tarab was the deep connection that one has with music, I thought it was the music that was the high, I have buzzed before from a dancers performance, but for me personally nothing has ever come close to the feelings that the music gives me (especially live music), as oppose to the dancer. I say this as I read often about performing tarab. I understand that, the conncetion the dancer has with the music, which is then expressed, but I still feel it's a deep, personal connection with the listener and the music. Hope that makes sense, and sorry off topic a bit there!
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
On the subject of tarab, I thought tarab was the deep connection that one has with music, I thought it was the music that was the high, I have buzzed before from a dancers performance, but for me personally nothing has ever come close to the feelings that the music gives me (especially live music), as oppose to the dancer. I say this as I read often about performing tarab. I understand that, the conncetion the dancer has with the music, which is then expressed, but I still feel it's a deep, personal connection with the listener and the music. Hope that makes sense, and sorry off topic a bit there!

Tarab is, if I understand this correctly, a state that a viewer/listener can get into, sometimes just momentarily, from being moved by what he or she is witnessing/hearing.

Saltana is that state the performer himself/herself achieves.

So a dancer achieves saltana, and that evokes tarab in the audience.

Just two different words that address the same basic concept, but one is something the performer feels and the other is something the performer makes OTHER people feel. At least, that's how I understand it.
 

seona

New member
oh no lost my post! I can't go through all that again, will come back to this at another time, too much deep thinking haha :lol:


Added: I will leave this topic alone now, as I find it hard to articulate what I mean over the net, this would be better if I could chat face to face! :lol:
 
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Selene

New member
I dont know how I got on this thread, but after reading all of it I just want to share my point of view:

Even before I started taking belly dance classes, when I just dreamed of having the chance to do so someday, I watched many belly dance videos, and I saw Sadie in some of them. I liked her. I thought she was highly skilled and a great dancer. But then again, I did t really know that many dancers.

Years later, being already a belly dance student, and aware of the love and hate towards Sadie, and the extremely opposite opinions about herm I saw a promo for a workshop. It was going to be her first time here in Puerto Rico. It was a two day workshop that obviously included pops,locks and shimmies, but also layers, drills and choreography. Also, the second day there was going to be a belly dance festival in which she was going to perform and also several local dancers. It was tempting for me as a young student, I had never been to a workshop or a belly dance festival but I was unsure because of all the negative thungs Ive heard about her.

I decided to go, my teacher said Sadie was a good teacher, and she is! The workshops had so much great material and techniques that looked very complex but she broke them down so simply that even I could follow them(I still consider myself fairly new in belly dance, with only 2 years of real experience). We did strech enough and she was careful to explain posture more than once, so I felt safe in the workshop. At then end of each section I was soooooooo tired, and made it obvious that to adquire her skills, a lor of practice is necessary, and it is obvious that she works very hard to be were she is, in terms of skill level. Also she has incredible control of her body, which I admire in dancers(and most dancers I have seen dont have as much control really, but they can still be good). So for me, SHE IS A VERY GOOD TEACHER. Also she was nice.

Now to her as a performer. For the festival she prepared 2 choreographies, one to a more melodical song and a second was a drum solo. The choreography she taught us in the workshop was an "extract" of her drum solo. So I experience her choreography from 3 points of views: the way she teaches it and shows it in class, learning it and seing It live in a theater. Oh, wait, I watched also some performances of that choreography from festivals she did that same year. And I can see it was a different feeling every time. Learning it I could see why she made certains decisions relating the steps to the music, maybe because I actually danced it and felt the connection instead of just watching. IM not saying I agree with egery decision. Watching the video wasnt that intesresting and live, it was different, definetely. When she performed her drum solo, it was obvious that it was her thing. Of course she has great skills and she seemed very confident and actually liek she was enjoying the dance. The other choreo was really bleh, it didnt seem like Sadie to me, nor that she was enjoying it as much. She wasnt doing her usual drum solo, so was stepping out of her comfort zone, and it wasnt really that great. BUT what I did notice in both performances, despite the fact that she was enjoying one and not the other, is that I didnt feel a connection to the music. I didnt feel the emotion. In this I agree with most of you, yes the skills were there, and as a young dancer of course i am fascinated withthat level of skills, but the emotion is soooo important and essential in belky dance and I just couldnt see it. Her performances didnt really inspired me or made me get lost in the emotions, they barely made me admire all the technical things. Even my boyfriend, who doesnt really know much about belly dance found Sadie's performance not very enjoyable, he said "yes she is a good dancer, but I just dont like her, her performances werent interesting like A or B.."

The night of the festival there were also many many many performances, solos, groups, fusions, even bollywood. There were also amazing dancers, some of them with skill levels as high as Sadie's, some others less technicall but oh much more enjoyable to see and much more connected to the music. And that night I also discovered amazing underated dancers that made me really get lost with the magic they produced on stage. (Also saw for the first time a dancer who is now in my top favorites!)

Anyway, to sum this up:

I think Sadie is a great teacher. I would attend another of her workshops if possible.
I think Sadie is very skilled, has great body control and knowledge and her technique is great.
I think she works hard to be were she is today, and it shows how much practice it takes to become that good.
BUT
I think Sadie lacks emotion while dancing, which is why she is NOT one of my favorite dancers (although I admire her skills and technique)
I think she is not the most interesting dancer to watch and after a while it all feels like the same.
I agree that she packs too much moves in her choreos and that she does not interpret music to my liking, although I can underztand some of her decisions.


Oh, I have 2 of her dvds, the Complete belly dance guide, which I find ok (also, it is obvious she was younger, as I saw a very different, less sexualized Sadie in real life, definetely seems more mature now) there are some things Iin the dvd that even make me laugh and im not professional, but not in a bad way. The other one is a veil dvd, was a gift, havent watched it yet.

Woooooo too long xd bye!
 

Salome

Administrator
i got cyber stabbed once cuz I posted a comment on a youtube video that daria mistkevitch was better than sadie (inho she has a lot more passion) and doesn't pack to much in. et etc.

I think it has been established as fact that if you don't adore someone popular then you are just jealous. As was probably pointed out to you already in the experience you are referencing. We all have opinions about dancers putting themselves out there. And it is kind of ridiculous that people can't post reasonable opinions about professional level dancers and their own personal likes/dislikes without it being a thing. She has a lot going on that I commend but no not a die hard fan. I do really like Daria too.
 

Ahava_Melantha

New member
I don't deny that Sadie has incredible skill. she does. And shes a great teacher. I think shes VERY thorough. I do think that there are SEVERAL dancers, who are also technical, who are also awesome at drum. Alex De Lora of Ukraine, and one in particular that I super love is Shahrazad. shes got AMAZING control of her body and very passionate.

I admittedly suck at drums, but would love to get better at them. Theres a couple of Dina's that I love, but my favorites are Cassandra Fox, Yame, Shahrazad, Alex deLora and some others. they might not be as super technical but to me they're super joyful.

but, i'm recovering from knee surgery (its been 3 months since my last one but it still takes a whole year) so I'm just going back to basics. Drums are a bit off for me right now
 

Selene

New member
A little bit out of topic but omg Cassandra Fox is great!

Even more out of topic, while watching her videos I stumbled on one of those videos that say "amazing bellydancer xmillion views" and I am truly confused, everyone in the comments praising the dancer(she was very beautiful and graceful, but that wasnt bellydance :/ ) is there a threat about this already?
 

Ahava_Melantha

New member
it has been discussed elsewhere on here. Some of her videos are strictly raks sharqi, some of her other dances are belly dance and carribean fusion. she always titles them as fusion.
 
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