The role of performing

[DancingArabian]

Just a thought as I was browsing on the internet for belly dancing and horse related items to spend my gift cards on.

What role, if any, do you think performing (the desire to perform, the goal of performing and actually doing it) has affected your dancing? Do you feel you strive harder to be a better dancer because of the desire to perform? Do you think performing pushes your students to work harder at learning/practicing?

Do you think you would be at the level you are now if performing was out of the equation? Do you think that by choosing not to perform, or that in not having a desire to perform, that students are passively....perhaps not discouraged, but passively not encouraged to put in more effort into learning because 'what's the point'?

 

[Aniseteph]

That's an interesting question.

As a student, I'd have got bored a long time ago without some kind of performance opportunities - very much "what's the point?". Like learning to sew and never actually making anything.

Performing makes me work harder than I might otherwise because I don't want to mess up and let the side down. Performing solos also focuses the mind :shok:, and gives me the chance to work on all sorts of things that to me are really what belly dance is all about - choosing music, doing my own choreography (or improv), exploring my own style and interpretation and expression, choosing a suitable costume, and the whole performance experience.

I find that any sort of performance experience, solos or as a group, can be very bonding for the group. I guess it's the shared nerves and the energy that comes from that. If you all go through it together it can make for a more supportive, relaxed and and positive attitude in class.

 

[Kashmir]

I don't think you need to perform in a show etc - but you do need to dance (as opposed to doing drills). This can be casual or even for yourself.

 

[AspiringDancer]

I could never dance for anyone again and still want to dance everyday and improve.

However, performing is a huge motivator. For my troupe, I try to practice as much as possible to not let anyone down and to not fall behind.

For myself, I want to feel confident dancing on my own and I know the only way to feel more comfortable is to feel more competent, so I work hard and practice often.

 

[Fefi]

I love the "togetherness" that performing brings to a troup. Folk who don't seem to put their all into practice suddenly decide to concentrate and discussion turns to "what shall we wear, what will we dance, do we have time to learn something new?" and now some of us are getting more confident in our abilities "will there be opportunity for us to solo / duet".

But mostly I just love to dance.

 

[Jaada al Johara]

I think performing is a personal choice. For me performing has pushed me to focus and practice when I might have slacked off. Being in a troupe has helped me grow in different ways than performing solo. Sharing dance with others and the jitters that come with preparing for a show makes my dance experience fuller.

That said, I have students who do not like the spotlight and dance for the joy that it brings them. The pressure of performing on a stage would make them wilt immediately. Improvising on their own when they don't feel watched gives them the chance that they are looking for to express themselves.

It's great to give people the chance to build confidence through showcasing what they have worked so hard at, but I am a big believer that the journey is where the real achievements happen...

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

What role, if any, do you think performing (the desire to perform, the goal of performing and actually doing it) has affected your dancing?

I spent the first part of my life as a dancer in a regional ballet company, so I couldn't have cared less about performing when I first started learning this dance. I was OVER it -- lol.

I'm still deep down one of those people who just loves dancing at home, or dancing with the girls in a rare night out at the hookah bar.

But when I started teaching and doing public performances, performing became something I sort of HAD to do -- I was using the money from my performing and teaching gigs to supplement my training and my music collection/addiction.

NOW, however, I'm working with a coach who is really making me work! I didn't realize I had a lot of unrealized vague dreams of stage shows and elaborate choreographies, and rather than dance around the house in a half-ass fashion, he's motivating me to really work on technique and expression, and because of that "fire under my butt" now I am starting to feel the NEED to show myself to the world as an artist.

Do you feel you strive harder to be a better dancer because of the desire to perform?

Yes. I was content (for about 7 years) to just sort of be "good enough" -- you know, for the odd job here and there, and for my own amusement. But now that I'm allowing myself to really envision the wonderful possibilities that being a REALLY GREAT DANCER can open up for me, I'm really excited about performing and working on performing skills --- which are entirely different from and independent of being a good dancer, let me tell you!

Do you think performing pushes your students to work harder at learning/practicing?

Honestly, no. I say this because too many students (even mine) believe that performing is a RIGHT and not a privilege.* Many teachers end up in the situation that we HAVE to offer performing opportunities for our students in order to keep them in class. You can only throw them the "student night" and "student hafla" bones for so long.

* I say "privilege," but what I really mean is that performing shouldn't just be something that goes along with paying for classes. It really SHOULD be a high-level subject for learning. It should be reserved for students who have mastered a certain set of skills and are now ready to work on personal musical interpretation and communication skills.

Do you think you would be at the level you are now if performing was out of the equation?

Well, where I'm at personally right now is wanting to explore being an actual ARTIST rather than just a dancer. I want to communicate to you, the audience, what I hear in the music, and I want that to affect you, emotionally. Hopefully profoundly emotionally

Since communication isn't about dancing for oneself, performing is a definite part of that. But yet even when I wasn't performing and avoided performance opportunities like the plague (!) I was still motivated to learn and better myself. I think what I like about developing a skill is the development itself -- the learning process itself. Meeting individual milestones and making little leaps each week/month in progress. It's exciting.

Do you think that by choosing not to perform, or that in not having a desire to perform, that students are passively....perhaps not discouraged, but passively not encouraged to put in more effort into learning because 'what's the point'?

No, I really don't agree with this. But I've had Muslim students, students who had NO interest in performing because class was just time for THEM, students who were physically unable to perform, and students who didn't mind performing for close friends -- as well as students you practically had to drag off the tabletops at parties!

What is the point? Of learning to dance?
To be able to express ones creative self through movement.

The greatest thing about Oriental dance is that you can TOTALLY do this at home, on your own. You don't need a partner. You don't need a stage. You don't need a costume. You don't need special shoes. All you need is YOU and the music.

What we as teachers really need to emphasize in our classes is not performing -- but DANCING. Learning to express oneself in the music. Improvisation rather than choreography. Musicality -- learning to really HEAR the music and express that music through movement. THIS is what we need to be teaching. Only then should we start thinking of throwing students on a stage.

Performing is communicating. Not all students have something to say -- for a very long time. Some may NEVER want --or have the skill-- to share with the public. Others are too eager to share, but don't have the skills to translate what they feel and hear into something that other people want to experience.

It takes a long time for a student to learn performing skills, and STILL be able to enjoy her own dance. It takes even longer for that student to become an artist and effectively communicate what she feels with her audience. I think we do a disservice to our students when we act like performing is the "end goal" of classes. Personal creative expression should be the primary goal. Then, if the dancer wants to work on the skills needed to become a real ARTIST, only then should we direct them to performing.

But like I said, this rarely works out in reality. Most of the time we teachers are so desperate to keep students in our classes (PLEASE stay -- I have so much to teach you!!!! lol) that we offer performances as a "reward" for continuing to study. There HAS to be a better way to approach this, but it's a very easy trap to fall into.

 

[shiradotnet]

Do you think performing pushes your students to work harder at learning/practicing?

Do you think you would be at the level you are now if performing was out of the equation? Do you think that by choosing not to perform, or that in not having a desire to perform, that students are passively....perhaps not discouraged, but passively not encouraged to put in more effort into learning because 'what's the point'?

Not every student wants to perform. And that's okay. That's why I offer two entirely different beginner classes. My "Level 1" class is for students who think it might be fun to perform someday, perhaps in a recital for family and friends. My "Belly Dance for Exercise" class is for people who have NO DESIRE AT ALL to EVER perform, and also for people who are taking Level 1/2/3 but also want to get MORE instruction (ie, drills, exposure to additional moves, combinations, & props) than what they would get in Level 1/2/3 alone. The two classes are in entirely different formats.

Just yesterday I got a call from a prospective student asking which class she should take. We chatted about her reasons for wanting to take a class and what she hoped to get out of it, and I ended up steering her to "Belly Dance for Exercise". She doesn't want to practice between classes, doesn't aspire to perform, wants to build up some muscle strength/tone/flexibility, and wants to burn some calories. My "Belly Dance for Exercise" class is perfect for that.

That said, I've had SOME students who started out in "Belly Dance for Exercise" due to a low self image that led them to believe they wouldn't be capable of ever performing. Once they grew comfortable with the moves, once they saw costume options that cover the midriff, and once they grew in their overall self-confidence, they decided to move to my performing-oriented Level 1/2/3 classes.

 

[Tammyraks]

I think dancing as a hobby or just for the fun of it is fine. For me, I strived in the learning part, being a performer wasn't that important to me.