Comedy performances

Dev

New member
What is your opinion on it? Do you like it, or do you think dancers should stay away from it?

I think a little bit of comedy, or a full comedy Belly dance sequence would be rather nice to see, only if the Dancer gives a good performance, or it can go horribly wrong, actually i remember one video clip where the dancer was making mistakes deliberately to make things interesting, And i thought that was great,
 

Michelle

New member
You know, I don't know where I stand on this one.... I guess it could be alright, as long as it is made explicitly clear that it is a comedic performance. However, I gotta say that I don't think I've ever seen a comedic ballet performance.... (maybe people have done it; I just am not aware of any). In a professional show, it might make the dancers look, um, unprofessional or even portray the dance as something not to be taken to seriously. However, a comedic performance might be great at a student hafla, where a little lightheartedness can be interjected without negative consequences....
 

Alaya

New member
I agree with Michelle, It should be said at the baginig that it is comedian performance. It is good to laught at yourself but it is a briliantnes to show how good dancer you are at the sametime. It remaided me of Dondi performance from on of the Bellydance superstars dvd's. That was funy. Love,Alaya
 

Leyla

New member
I agree with Alaya and Michelle...if it's said clearly that it is a comedian performance...why not? It could be nice and funny.
Howewer I think that it shoud be done by real bellydancers...so it's clear it's only for fun!

But in My country...I don't know... it could be a bit damaging the work that many teachers and dancers are doing to let know real bellydance by general audience! I don't clearly know how is bellydance seen in other countries but in Italy still lacks a real "bellydance culture" and many people still :mad: think bellydance is not a dance to be taken seriously... so a comedian performance could be misunderstood! But if it's done by and for dancers...I think it could be nice and entertaining!
 

Demelza

New member
straight to the point......Didn't like the first one, I liked the second one !! It put a smile on my face after a long hard day :) :) :) :)
 

Aniseteph

New member
However, I gotta say that I don't think I've ever seen a comedic ballet performance.... (maybe people have done it; I just am not aware of any).

There is comedy in ballet! La Fille Mal Gardee (including the clog dance. And chickens), Cinderella has comedy ugly sisters... I'm sure there are loads more.

As for comedy bellydance... I can see why beginners might not like the first clip but I'm one, more or less, and I can see myself in it and laugh (and learn... get your head UP girl!). Presumably it was for a mainly dancer/student/friends audience because it's only funny if you know what it is on about. For a general public audience its just 3 obviously not very good dancers... not funny, where's the joke?

For a non-BD audience I think the "rules" for comedy belly dance should be the same as for straight belly dance - do it well. And a comedy performance shouldn't stand alone as the sole representation of what belly dance is, because that might give the audience the wrong impression. But what's not to smile at with Dondi's Marilyn? Introducing humour is not going to make anyone take the dance form any less seriously - in fact it might make it more accessible (back to the ballet... La Fille Mal Gardee is really accessible ballet). As long as it isn't unskilled performers going ooh look at us wobbling around aren't bellydancers funny. :mad: :mad: :mad:

What I definitely don't agree with is being told beforehand that it's a comedy number! Aaaargh!!! If you can't make it clear to the audience that it is meant to be funny or a bit tongue-in-cheek I don't think you should be doing it. Like all those awful impressionists on telly who have to go "Hi, _______ here" (insert name of well known celebrity)... you shouldn't have to tell me!

That's my 10 cents worth for tonight - goodnight ladies (and gents!)
 

gypsyroze

New member
I think just about all dance forms can have some sort of comedic element.

The ballet Coppelia can be very funny, and there is a bellydancer named Laylia in Ohio that is known for her brilliant comedy during her performances at the Ohio Rennaissance Faire.

I think there is a time and place for it, but most importantly comedy is difficult to pull off, even for actors. So I would think that the dancer would have to be talented and know exactly what he/she is doing. Other than that, I this comedy in bellydance can be very fun, and I even think that some people may appreciate even more, since most people think this dance is for seduction purposes. I think people would appreciate the dance also, because they'll know that the dancers can laugh at themselves, this can make people feel comfortable with the dance itself.
 

Amulya

Moderator
But what's not to smile at with Dondi's Marilyn?

Indeed I thought it was great, but a friend of mine took offence. So it is impossible to please all audiences.

I just wanted to add: comedy belly dance for belly dance audience, not for general audience of course, they won't get it.
 

Yshka

New member
Gypsyroze said:
think there is a time and place for it, but most importantly comedy is difficult to pull off, even for actors. So I would think that the dancer would have to be talented and know exactly what he/she is doing.

Very true. I also think general audience wouldn't get it, so performing for people who actually KNOW the dance and know what is going on is best IMO. As is stating that it is comedy from the start.

I liked the second clip best by the way.
 

Zumarrad

Active member
I prefer comedy in little snips rather than an all-out "comedy" routine, in belly dance. Some of the funniest things I've ever seen have been dancers' lightning quick reactions to something gone wrong during their performance. Kashmir, a pal of mine in this town, once did a rather energetic cane (possibly a bit too energetic, if I'm honest), and caught her hook in the back slit of her dress, pulling her skirt up (she was facing front). She just did this hilarious double take of shock and mock embarrassment, unhooked and carried on. Another time - the best ever! - I saw Cassandra Shore dancing close to a light bulb, where there was a fluttering moth. The moth kept fluttering and fluttering in front of her so she grabbed it mid routine and tossed it away. God it was funny. Cassandra is actually very funny, in a highly subtle, arch sort of way.

The times I have laughed most at BD though have tended to be when watching friends poking fun at themselves. They'll be dancing perfectly straight, but they have this *expression*.

I don't think comedy dance is well done as a rule. I was really disappointed when I saw some comedians whose act revolved around themselves as flamenco dancers. Thing is, I don't think they actually knew any flamenco at all. They just stomped about and fluttered fans. To me, even with my minimal knowledge of flamenco, there were things they could have done that would have been clever and, you know, related to flamenco in some real way.
 

Amulya

Moderator
Slightly off topic, but I think many belly dancers take themselves and the dance too serious. That's why I like comedy, it makes things a bit lighter.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
It's hard to take yourself too seriously and survive the inevitable mishaps of performing.

Once upon a time in a performance long long ago, I managed to slip on my veil and come crashing down onto my dear little bottom. I smiled naughtily (once I got my teeth out of my tongue), spun around on said bottom while wafting my recalcitrant veil overhead, and undulated my way back to my feet. The world did not end, I did not die of embarrassment, and the audience laughed and applauded like I'd done something clever.

I love the story of the lifted skirt! It's not the mistake that's important- it's the recovery.
 

Marisha25

New member
I remember reading in the memoirs of a very famous Russian clown and actor Yuri Nikulin that when he was about 7 he saw a clown in a circus stumble and fall down several times in the ring. Everyone found it hilarious. So Yuri decided to repeat the same trick at his friend's Birthday party. Suddenly he began stumbling and falling. His friends and their parents were very concerned and felt sorry for him but no one found it funny. So where, how and who is performing makes all the difference!
 

TribalDancer

New member
Marisha,
That is a great story, and is very very apt! Context is important!

I think what helps is when a dancer shows that they *know* how to dance, but *choose* to do something funny. Most comedy, sadly, is done to mask bad dancing, or to replace good dancing. To be really funny, you have to show that skill, and the conscious choice at humor. Otherwise, like in Yuri's story, it makes everyone shake their heads...
 

da Sage

New member
It's really a bad sign if you *think* something's a comedy routine, and it turns out to just be bad dancing (or bad presentation).:(
 

Amulya

Moderator
It's really a bad sign if you *think* something's a comedy routine, and it turns out to just be bad dancing (or bad presentation).:(

OMG, I had that once with a famous German dancer, till today I still do not know if it was comedy or serious. Back then, me and my friends were trying very hard not to laugh our heads off during the show, and we were extremely surprised we were the only ones who thought it was so funny. Must be the BOB in us:confused:
What he was doing? He was doing everything in extremes, doing a stick dance just way too fast, belly dancing in a jumpy clowny way. It was all very exaggerated so it seemed logical that it was comedy.
 

Laylia

New member
Thanks for the compliment! I try to make sure that my technique can back it up, so no one can say it is just a gimmick.....
 

Lydia

New member
comedy performances

yes i agree Amulya for a bellydancers audiance it,s great i think ,to have fun about things that can go wrong enz...i think its nice why not? but not for your normal audiance i think aswell it will not be understood...about .Dondy ,she told me some years ago when she visited me that she did not realy wanted to be a bellydancer at first ,but she wanted to be an actress..specialy in comedy .so i geuss her wish came treu ! that is what i was thinking when i saw this part of marilyn...and to make your audiance smile yes i am aaaaal for it ....lydia
 
Top