too fast, too rushed, more laguidity, less technical.

[ababalond]

"Too fast..." Fi Balady take 2 the Taqsim and Baladi Persona

08/04/10 I dug my heels in and stood my ground when critique told me to move slower with less technicality to be more authentic with Baladi, but it would ignorant of me to ignore many over the few, the few being me! lol!



edit: this video been removed from youtube in place of an other baladi to the same song on page 3 on this thread

 

[Marya]

abablond,

I am working with this music too, performing on Saturday, here is a tip. imagine you are immersed up to your neck in firm jello and you must push against it for every move.

Marya

 

[ababalond]

abablond,

I am working with this music too, performing on Saturday, here is a tip. imagine you are immersed up to your neck in firm jello and you must push against it for every move.

Marya

its getting that intent in the moves and projecting, my upper body, chest, neck, chin, areas, need working on!

 

[Pleasant dancer]

I really, really enjoyed it. Nice stroll around the "stage" area, ("relax and you make the audience relax" - quote from Asmahan) nice use of pelvic locks, just in the right place and not too many. You've done very well to make those improvements in such a short time. Any good on you for taking advice and having a rethink.

If you find it hard to keep looking up (because the camera in down a little) try imagining you are looking over an imaginary audience's shoulders, even when you are in piece of the music that makes you feel more introverted - it's like looking out into space and thinking. This might help you avoid the "looking at the floor" tendency and keep your aspect up. It's very hard to dance to a camera, much easier to relate to real people (unless you are shy!).

There was a bit at 3.33 when your back was to the audience where you could have made the choice to keep your hands framing your hips whilst you shimmied, this often keeps a viewer eyes on the shimmy more than leaving the hips wide open to the gaze - it's something you could experiment with.


:clap::clap::clap:

 

[MissVega]

While self review, analysis, and critique are essential for improvement you have to be careful not to get all tangled up in it, which seems like what is happening with you. You're energy while you're dancing is all in your brain and it should be flowing through your body and out into your audience. Sometimes its really beneficial to practice without thinking at all. DOon't think about how you would dance the song, what move would be perfect here etc etc. Play the song, lay down and listen to it. Take the whole song in and then get up and dance it, just feel it. Don't worry about making sure you only do baladi appropriate moves to Baladi song etc etc, just move how the music moves you to without analyzing it. Film it, watch it and THEN think about it/analyze it. See what comes naturally You're a lovely mover but I think you're getting too critical, just set the movement free

It's really easy to want instant results and want perfection, but it's not realistic and I also see it as a road block of sorts to learning. Patience and persistence are key, constantly striving for perfection while knowing it will never actually be attained in art as a result of the subjective nature of art. In essence just relax and enjoy being a lifetime student lol.

There is no reason you can't have fun while working on technique and if you find you're not smiling to yourself while you practice then I think you need to just take a deep breath, put on a fav song and rock out. Just my two cents, take it or leave it

 

[gisela]

While self review, analysis, and critique is essential for improvement you have to be careful not to get all tangled up in it, which seems like what is happening with you. You're energy while you're dancing is all in your brain and it should be flowing through your body and out into your audience. Sometimes its really beneficial to practice without thinking at all. DOn't think about how you would dance the song, what move would be perfect here etc etc. PLay the song, lay down and listen to it, take the whole song in and then get up and dance it, just feel it. Don't worry about making sure you only do baladi appropriate moves to Baladi song etc etc, just move how the music moves you to without analyzing it. Film it, watch it and then think about it/analyze it. See what comes naturally You're a lovely mover, but I think you're getting too critical. You're a lovely mover, so set that movement free

There is no reason you can't have fun while working on technique and if you find you're not smiling to yourself while you practice then I think you need to just take a deep breath, put on a fav song and rock out. JUst my two cents, take it or leave it

Good advice

 

[Pleasant dancer]

While self review, analysis, and critique is essential for improvement you have to be careful not to get all tangled up in it, which seems like what is happening with you. You're energy while you're dancing is all in your brain and it should be flowing through your body and out into your audience. Sometimes its really beneficial to practice without thinking at all. DOn't think about how you would dance the song, what move would be perfect here etc etc. PLay the song, lay down and listen to it, take the whole song in and then get up and dance it, just feel it. Don't worry about making sure you only do baladi appropriate moves to Baladi song etc etc, just move how the music moves you to without analyzing it. Film it, watch it and then think about it/analyze it. See what comes naturally You're a lovely mover, but I think you're getting too critical. You're a lovely mover, so set that movement free

There is no reason you can't have fun while working on technique and if you find you're not smiling to yourself while you practice then I think you need to just take a deep breath, put on a fav song and rock out. JUst my two cents, take it or leave it

Excellent two cents advice! Learn to enjoy every single aspect of learning to dance and sometimes just dance for dancing's sake. It's fun!!

 

[Marya]

its getting that intent in the moves and projecting, my upper body, chest, neck, chin, areas, need working on!

always and forever A good dancer will have intent with every move, a goal I suspect is never fully achieved by most of us.

Marya

 

[ababalond]

hey all,

pleasant dancer yes the camera is down a little, as well as looking down, when i do "lift" my gaze its "down" to the camera. this may be sinking my posture, i never thought of that, i practice hatha and have an extensive routine and have naturally developed i've an upright posture which comes for that. it tends to happen when i'm dancing only. i'm not a shy person, at all! lol!

miss vega i certainly pick up the two cents. i wouldn't go far as to say caught up, but if everyone is saying something...! take it on and work on it, even if you protest at first! when it comes to moves to a particular place in a song, the vocabulary is there in the memory, so when music happens i just feel the right move. its improvisational, thats what i enjoy.

 

[Lydia]

i realy think you move nicely,but i agree with miss vega her post...if you want to i wil help you to make this look 100 procent better just by changing some things and replacing with the other moves and also what is happening i feel it looks to,, robot like,, try not to catch all the beats try to skip sometimes a beat when staying in the same step or movement if you skip a beat your step is the same ,but you will slow it down...if the music changes speed you then can pick it up again...you see your speed is the same treu all the music that supose not to be so ,not in this kind of music...it wil apear that you are exercising and not realy dancing ,so the feeling will come and show if you try to remember to skip beats....that is why people can say it is to fast you dontslow down when you have to ...but .i do think you dance nicely...also try to remember not to keep your legs so far apart....o gosh i feel this is no good to tell you all this negative stuff because i think you are good...you just must have somebody that will teach you how it realy will look much better if you think i can be of any help send me a private mesage i am sure you will benefit from that..i wish .happy dancing

 

[ababalond]

i realy think you move nicely,but i agree with miss vega her post...if you want to i wil help you to make this look 100 procent better just by changing some things and replacing with the other moves and also what is happening i feel it looks to,, robot like,, try not to catch all the beats try to skip sometimes a beat when staying in the same step or movement if you skip a beat your step is the same ,but you will slow it down...if the music changes speed you then can pick it up again...you see your speed is the same treu all the music that supose not to be so ,not in this kind of music...it wil apear that you are exercising and not realy dancing ,so the feeling will come and show if you try to remember to skip beats....that is why people can say it is to fast you dontslow down when you have to ...but .i do think you dance nicely...also try to remember not to keep your legs so far apart....o gosh i feel this is no good to tell you all this negative stuff because i think you are good...you just must have somebody that will teach you how it realy will look much better if you think i can be of any help send me a private mesage i am sure you will benefit from that..i wish .happy dancing

you agree with miss vega, but your post reads as a bit of oxymoron however???

this title of this post is actually refering to a prior post, and the critique i got on that. this post was the adjustment.

if u agree with miss vega, not to get too self critical and caught up with critique, and enjoy the dance, your message is otherwise rather contraindicative of this. since what your is giving me your critique for me to get caught up in, so to speak.

or am i missing the point entirely, is there some specific aspect of miss vega's post your refering to. enlighten me!?

your more than welcome to lend your critique ofcourse! pvt me or post it here! that way everyone else can read it, and if they so desire, respond to it with own experience, and feelings. and that way i would get a more general idea too!

 

[Aniseteph]

2 cents time: I took Miss Vega's post to allude to the fact that you are being so analytical in your whole approach - post clips on more than one board, get critique/comments, defend yourself, come back with another where you've addressed the critique... it's all hyper analytical. (and if I was brave enough and didn't have a local teacher I could see myself getting the same way BTW - I can totally relate).

Lydia said herself she doesn't like to say negative things because you have some good stuff going on there, but nobody is perfect and if you put posts up in a spirit of "OK I fixed XYZ now" what do you want? Everyone to say "oh yeah that's great now you nailed it?". Or the experienced dancers out there WHO CAN SEE POTENTIAL (because they can - if you were useless no one would be bothering) to pick up on where you can improve further and tell you about it?

I don't see it as an oxymoron at all BTW - the bits about missing the odd beat are all about playing with the music, and to do that you have to be really relaxed and comfortable and feeling that music, not thinking about technique. Say there's a faster beat going on at a particular point, the audience hears it, but you don't go with it... it creates a tension... and a lovely little aah of resolution when you catch it back in the right place again, and a shared sense of understanding and feeling the music together. It's like you are taking the audience on a little rollercoaster, and to enjoy it they need to be confident that you are in control - for that IMO you have to be really in to the music and be so comfortable in your technique that none of it shows. And that takes time (or being brought up with it. ). You can dazzle people with cool moves, clever combos, tricks and proptasticality in other styles, but to me with baladi there's no hiding. It's beyond technique - I think maybe that's what people are getting at.

(see? over analytical, told ya . Now if only I could put theory into practice. )

 

[ababalond]

2 cents time: I took Miss Vega's post to allude to the fact that you are being so analytical in your whole approach - post clips on more than one board, get critique/comments, defend yourself, come back with another where you've addressed the critique... it's all hyper analytical. (and if I was brave enough and didn't have a local teacher I could see myself getting the same way BTW - I can totally relate).

Lydia said herself she doesn't like to say negative things because you have some good stuff going on there, but nobody is perfect and if you put posts up in a spirit of "OK I fixed XYZ now" what do you want? Everyone to say "oh yeah that's great now you nailed it?". Or the experienced dancers out there WHO CAN SEE POTENTIAL (because they can - if you were useless no one would be bothering) to pick up on where you can improve further and tell you about it?

I don't see it as an oxymoron at all BTW - the bits about missing the odd beat are all about playing with the music, and to do that you have to be really relaxed and comfortable and feeling that music, not thinking about technique. Say there's a faster beat going on at a particular point, the audience hears it, but you don't go with it... it creates a tension... and a lovely little aah of resolution when you catch it back in the right place again, and a shared sense of understanding and feeling the music together. It's like you are taking the audience on a little rollercoaster, and to enjoy it they need to be confident that you are in control - for that IMO you have to be really in to the music and be so comfortable in your technique that none of it shows. And that takes time (or being brought up with it. ). You can dazzle people with cool moves, clever combos, tricks and proptasticality in other styles, but to me with baladi there's no hiding. It's beyond technique - I think maybe that's what people are getting at.

(see? over analytical, told ya . Now if only I could put theory into practice. )

personally i don't see it as such, its entirely your and whoever elses interpretation of my actions. other expressed themselves, and i responded to it. i'm taking lessons with local teacher and i still practice as before, in the interim.

nor was my post saying "OK I fixed XYZ now" i'm trying to learn and achieve a style of dance. please do not tell me what are my motives are.

at this point i shall stop as i do not feel it would benefit the thread and the actual spirit of why i posted, responding any further and get myself entangled in discourse.

 

[Aniseteph]

Whatever. People were only giving you the benefit of their experience and trying to help.

 

[nightdancer]

Lydia is one of the most active dancers in Dubai right now, and one of the few that works steadily in the 4 star hotels. If she were going to give me advice, I'd zip it and listen.

But thats me.

 

[gisela]

Oh yeah, Lydia knows what she is talking about, for sure She is one of our superstars here and a very generous soul.
I am not sure if I am misinterpreting but you seem to be a bit defensive while still asking for advice? People have been quite generous with feedback so I think it is really a shame if you are feeling a bit anti towards them. Or maybe I am totally off here. Also one can't expect to fix things from one video to the next, it will take years and years to get the right flow, feeling the music etc. I know you know this too. Good luck with the dancing

 

[Lydia]

ababalond......Gosh i am realy sorry ...i geuss you perhaps understoud me wrong..i know i am not very good in writing...i just wanted to help you to understand why people react to your dancing the way you said in your first post...i can realy see why they do so...i was thinking you can mail me private so i can explain to you how and what even perhaps tell you the things that are not so good yet in your dancing and if it was a private mail then it would be a bit discreet and nobody would read the perhaps things i would tell you that are not so good yet in your dancing....was thinking that it wil be nice for you..i never ment to make you upset or offend you ...very sorry if i did.just forget that i wrote that post ,perhaps the moderater can delete it???..have a very nice day and happy dancing!!!!

then to the all the lovely dancer friends above ....thank you for the nice words...you are the best!!!!!love you!!!!! have a great day......

 

[ababalond]

i realy think you move nicely,but i agree with miss vega her post...if you want to i wil help you to make this look 100 procent better just by changing some things and replacing with the other moves and also what is happening i feel it looks to,, robot like,, try not to catch all the beats try to skip sometimes a beat when staying in the same step or movement if you skip a beat your step is the same ,but you will slow it down...if the music changes speed you then can pick it up again...you see your speed is the same treu all the music that supose not to be so ,not in this kind of music...it wil apear that you are exercising and not realy dancing ,so the feeling will come and show if you try to remember to skip beats....that is why people can say it is to fast you dontslow down when you have to ...but .i do think you dance nicely...also try to remember not to keep your legs so far apart....o gosh i feel this is no good to tell you all this negative stuff because i think you are good...you just must have somebody that will teach you how it realy will look much better if you think i can be of any help send me a private mesage i am sure you will benefit from that..i wish .happy dancing

ok no worries, i shall pm you!

 

[ababalond]

Lydia is one of the most active dancers in Dubai right now, and one of the few that works steadily in the 4 star hotels. If she were going to give me advice, I'd zip it and listen.

But thats me.

of the entire quote, a specific attention to "zip it and listen!" i did say to lydia she was more than welcome to do so in my response to her first post!

 

[ababalond]

Oh yeah, Lydia knows what she is talking about, for sure She is one of our superstars here and a very generous soul.
I am not sure if I am misinterpreting but you seem to be a bit defensive while still asking for advice? People have been quite generous with feedback so I think it is really a shame if you are feeling a bit anti towards them. Or maybe I am totally off here. Also one can't expect to fix things from one video to the next, it will take years and years to get the right flow, feeling the music etc. I know you know this too. Good luck with the dancing

just responded to nightdancer on this one.

defensive!?

if i inquire and question, this is defensive, right i see, next time i shall wrap my words up in pink fluffiness and fairy dust.

perhaps then is shall not seem so defensive.