Limited Time Only. Me!

[LunaXJJ]

First a few disclaimers I didn't include in the video:
1 - I know a lot more moves than that, but usually get going and forget a lot.
2 - I appreciate constructive critique, but not harsh criticism, like I said, amateur. If I did anything even semi-well, the self-esteem boost would mean a lot.
3 - This video will only be up shortly, as I already feel ridiculous enough even making it in the first place.
4 - I have anxiety so the reason my speech is so screwed up in the beginning, is because I'm awkward, and nervous. Hell, this video wouldn't exist if I weren't manic, and on anxiety meds.


Unlisted for privacy reasons, so link only: link.

 

[Mosaic]

Congrats on being brave enough to post a video :clap: As for costume you don't need to be wearing a professional costume for something filmed at home, what you were wearing was perfectly OK and looked quite nice.

I understand you were nervous about this whole thing - it showed in your face, practice smiling even when you are nervous. Dis you warm up before doing the video? I think warming up & maybe some yoga exercises & deep breathing might help you relax a little even when you are nervous.

Do work on your arms ( arms were my biggest bugbear) I practiced different arm movements & shapes, when I watched TV, when I was looking in a mirror especially hands so they looked fluid. Work on your posture as well. Your hip & chest circles were nice just remember to keep lifted through the rib cage.

Keep at it - practice, practice, practice I am sure as your confidence grows and nervousness decreases you will relax into the music more - overall I think you should be proud of yourself for having the courage to ask us for feedback when you are dealing with anxiety. Remember baby steps, you'll get there. Your dancing wasn't awful my dear not at all, you are still in the early stages of learning (every dancer is at that stage at sometime) you did OK.
~Mosaic

 

[Yame]

For future reference, if you record with the light source behind the camera as opposed to in front of it, the image quality will be better.
Now, to address the dancing:

First a few disclaimers I didn't include in the video:
1 - I know a lot more moves than that, but usually get going and forget a lot.

It doesn't matter how many moves you know. What matters is how well you can execute the moves that are in your repertoire and how you use them in relation to the music. Nothing else matters.

You are using an accordion beledi here with a repetitive, steady rhythm that is not overpowering the accordion in the song. This gives you the opportunity to work on the melody most of the time and use some of the accent beats for accents. Beledi is simple and relaxed, which gives you the opportunity to relax and just dance.

Don't think about what move you are doing now and what move you'll be doing after that and after the next one and how many moves you "forgot" to do. If you're having trouble not thinking, then just pick 2 or 3 moves and just use them throughout the entire song. It's amazing just how much we can change the same move to fit a different tempo, a different instrument, a different feeling, etc. If you don't have to worry about what you're doing you can focus on the dance and relax into it.

This isn't a dance about how many moves you can do, it's about feeling and musical interpretation. One can do this while displaying and extended, varied repertoire but it's also refreshing to see it done with just a few moves. See Fifi Abdu, Soheir Zaki, Mona Said, Tahia Carioca. Less is more. Of course the more modern styles have a lot of complexity to them, more moves and crazy weight shifts but that can all be mastered later on. A part of learning how to do the complex stuff is also being able to do all the basic stuff in different ways, which is something you master by using less moves, as well.

 

[Darshiva]

Good isolations, fabulous undulations.

I agree with Mosaic about the arms. Are you nervous about accidentally hitting something in your room while you're dancing?

You seem to be gaining confidence with improv and it appears that circles & chest lifts are your stand-by improv moves. (it's a good thing to know what your comfort moves are because they give you confidence in an improv situation)

If you can, spend some time listening to the music and picking out one instrument only to dance to so that you're not as overwhelmed by the music. Dance through several times picking a different instrument each time. After a while you will start to feel more confident in dissecting the music as you dance to it. It's a skill that takes practice.

Lastly, you definitely don't need to throw every move you know into a performance or practice. Heck, if I did that I'd spend 40 minutes on stage, and I'm nowhere near as learned in this dance as I would like to be!

 

[Farasha Hanem]

Everyone who has replied are far more knowledgable than I, so I won't add anything as far as constructive critiquing. I do want to say that it's nice to now put a face to your name, and that you are absolutely lovely! Many hugs and kudos for posting and sharing!

 

[chirel]

I'm a beginner myself and have been thinking about doing the same you did, namely posting a vid and asking for criticism. That's so very brave of you I liked your dancing and one thing I especially noticed is that you didn't need any thinking breaks at all When I try to improvise, I seem to freeze regularly without knowing what to do next and my brain is complitely blank, or if not, I feel like doing two moves in row that just make me trip on myself. I didn't see any of this on your video

And I liked many ideas mentioned here about how to practise improv, thank you all

 

[LunaXJJ]

Thank you everyone.I was so nervous seeing five replies, then when I saw how sweet everyone was about it it just made me calm down and smile.

To answer Darshiva's question, no I wasn't worried about hitting anything, except maybe the ceiling. Arm movements are just something I know I need to improve on.

I wanted to put the light source in the back, but what I had my laptop on is heavy, and a pain to move to the other side of the room, and then you'd all see the side that's more of a mess. :lol: Oh hey, just thought of something else I could move there! It'll still require some rearrangement, but it'll be worth it for my next video.

Thanks for all the kind comments, and helpful criticism. I'll keep practicing more, and definitely warm up beforehand next time, as this time I just sort of went for it. <3

ETA: Chirel, you should definitely post a video yourself. As you can see you'll get nothing but kind commentary, and constructive critique.

 

[chirel]

ETA: Chirel, you should definitely post a video yourself. As you can see you'll get nothing but kind commentary, and constructive critique.

Yes, I can see that now, but I was worried

I think I'll try some of those improv hints so that I won't have too many brain freezes on the video when I do post something.

 

[LunaXJJ]

Ok, so the video is gone now, but the feedback I got was certainly helpful. I just got done practicing, I noticed recording helps a ton because I can see everything while sitting back and really watching, as opposed to using a mirror while moving.
I noticed a huge increase in arm movement, and having such low arm strength I can really feel it. :lol: Plus I remembered to smile a lot! I picked something more familiar to me, and made sure to smile through the second half the most because that's the happy, uplifting part. Just wanted to let you guys know how much you helped me improve just from one video. Thanks again.