"Novelty" bellydance?
- Thread starter Brea
- Start date
Nat242
New member
In all honesty, I've never seen a really good novelty act. I think there is a tendency to lose technique to the gimmick.
That's not to say that it CAN'T be done well, but I just haven't seen one that I enjoyed, and I've seen several that I found embarrassingly bad.
Sorry not to be more positive!
That's not to say that it CAN'T be done well, but I just haven't seen one that I enjoyed, and I've seen several that I found embarrassingly bad.
Sorry not to be more positive!
I do agree that the novelty act can look silly...I am not sure how silly the one I did was, but I was proud of it at the time as I recall. Still didn't win the contest. The side photo is of me in the costume I wore (hence the cowboy hat) but I would never do that for a real show.
-Brea
-Brea
Shanazel
Moderator
A couple of my students are after me to let them do a cowboy belly dance (occupational hazard of living in Wyoming). I won't go for it. These students can't do a real good belly dance yet, let alone a decent satire. I saw someone do a belly dance with an iron and ironing board that was funny, and Maria Aya's kitchen belly dance was cute.
belly_dancer
New member
hehehehehehe... one Halloween a BBF (best belly friend!) & I did a TOTALLY spur of the moment duo to "the devil went down to Georgia"..... we were in our regular costumes... plus I had devil horns (borrowed) & she had a cowboy hat (back seat of her car!)... so obviously I was the devil.... & she was Johnny..... anyhow it was SMASHING!.... (we even talked of working up a choreo..... but since neither of us has bothered choreographing our own regluar belly dance shows..... it seemed way too bothersome!
)...
but, looking back, i think there wer several reasons it worked.....
we are both pretty good dancers
we are both pretty good "performers"
we had been dancing together for at least 10 years... (& messing up troupe choreography together for that long:lol... so we were good at "faking" it together!
I agree.. if you are a newish dancer... it is pretty risky to try & do a theme....
might just look plain silly if not worse!!!!
)...but, looking back, i think there wer several reasons it worked.....
we are both pretty good dancers
we are both pretty good "performers"
we had been dancing together for at least 10 years... (& messing up troupe choreography together for that long:lol
... so we were good at "faking" it together!I agree.. if you are a newish dancer... it is pretty risky to try & do a theme....
might just look plain silly if not worse!!!!
Aisha Azar
New member
Dance etc.
Dear Brea,
I w2ould ask myself some questions and try to answer them as honestly as possible..... What is my purpose in presenting a novelty dance? How will I explain it to the audience in such a way as to let them know that I am not presenting an ethnic dance when I perform such a dance? Does it in any way demean or reflect awkwardly on Middle Eastern dance? In presenting such a dance, am I giving my audience a false impression? In making an attempt at fusion, does it make sense or mesh in any way? Is there a reason to create such a dance that makes sense outside my own desire to create it?
Regards,
A'isha
Dear Brea,
I w2ould ask myself some questions and try to answer them as honestly as possible..... What is my purpose in presenting a novelty dance? How will I explain it to the audience in such a way as to let them know that I am not presenting an ethnic dance when I perform such a dance? Does it in any way demean or reflect awkwardly on Middle Eastern dance? In presenting such a dance, am I giving my audience a false impression? In making an attempt at fusion, does it make sense or mesh in any way? Is there a reason to create such a dance that makes sense outside my own desire to create it?
Regards,
A'isha
belly_dancer
New member
yes, I totally agree.... on Halloween I do not feel "obligated" to explain myself.... but for the REST of time.... we MUST SAY.... this is a fusion/novelty/mutation (sorry.... my new favorite word!!!!!)...
BTW>>>& the venue where my friend & I spontaneously "belly-ed" up for the devil dance.... was at a "prominent" local BD venue..... where we were known for being fantastic (or at least decent
) "real" belly dancers... & everyone KNEW it was a Halloween performance... there were many that night!!!!!!!).... it was SOOOOO much fun!!!A'isha:
Oh, I make very certain that people know they aren't watching traditional dance. As someone taught by a purist that kind of thing sticks in my craw.
What's the strangest about that is...the reason I didn't win that contest was because so many of the cowboys said 'What does bellydancing have to do with saloons?' They were almost offended because they viewed what I had done as worse because I combined it with country music, which is *their* holy ground.
-Brea
Oh, I make very certain that people know they aren't watching traditional dance. As someone taught by a purist that kind of thing sticks in my craw.
What's the strangest about that is...the reason I didn't win that contest was because so many of the cowboys said 'What does bellydancing have to do with saloons?' They were almost offended because they viewed what I had done as worse because I combined it with country music, which is *their* holy ground.
-Brea