By Joharah of BellyUp
I hear from students who tell me that they hesitate to learn choreography because they have difficulty remembering what is taught. This often hinders their willingness to perform because they feel they just can't recall what's next in a dance routine. I find it challenging too especially since I will have multiple choreographies going on at any given time during a session at BellyUp. I create them, teach them and then have to remember them all and sometimes that is indeed challenging. But over the years I've had to find ways to better remember these works so I'd like to share some of these tips with you.
I typically choose music that is not repetitive. I tend not to like to repeat combinations in a choreography so working with a piece of music that is more complex in terms of rhythmic changes and musical phrasing I find easier to work with and remember. I break the song into components based on the rhythms and develop combinations and footwork patterns based on what I am hearing in each section. This also helps you develop your ear for the rhythms in Arabic music and you learn the choreography piece by piece, section by section. There might be a Malfouf entrance that segways into Masmoudi combinations which leads to Saidi combo which transitions to Fellahi and comes back to Malfouf for the finale as an example. The rhythm helps to trigger in my mind what's next. Which brings me to my next question: Do you know your Arabic rhythms?
If you are learning a specific choreography you must spend time, and a lot of time, listening to the music and getting to know it. You need to get to a point with the music that you can sing it without actually playing the music. In my classes I often ask the students to sing the song with me while they are dancing to it. Simply humming to it will do but this makes you pay attention to the accents, and where and when you are required to step or pause, transition etc. So know the song you are working with inside and out ! This will help a great deal.
Practice the Combinations
Once you've learned a combination in your class, now it's time to take it home and practice the heck out of it. Let's face it... as much as we wish there were, there are just no shortcuts to this dance form. Every aspect takes practice and discipline. But in your own space at home, take the combos you've learned in class and begin to focus one step at a time until you have it down. Whether it's 10 minutes a day or an hour, all practice is good practice. I allow students to video tape themselves dancing the choreography at the end of each class so that they can refer to it for at home practice.
Things to do when you're in class:
When learning choreography in class there are some things that will really help your learning curve. Such as:
It All Starts with the Feet
Pay a great deal of attention to your instructor's feet. Don't worry about taking in the rest of what she is doing initially. You've got to get the footwork down before the rest falls into place. You'll feel a lot less frustrated if you know the footwork believe me!
Part of working on the footwork is to also understand where the weight is to be distributed over the different steps. If you don't understand the weight changes you'll likely end up on the wrong foot more times than not. If this isn't clear to you, then just ask your teacher for clarification. Good teachers like questions! They want to see you succeed and this is an important question to ask. Don't be scared to ask otherwise it will effect your enjoyment level of what you're learning and you will fall behind.
Body Alignment and Posture
So once you've got the foot work and the weight shifts organized in your mind, you must remember to assume the posture of a dancer ALL THE TIME! Garbage in, garbage out and if you're standing their slumped with rounded shoulders what you're learning is never going to look correct even if all your footwork and weight shifts are perfect. Lift the rib cage and keep it lifted...open your chest and your heart, shoulders back, neck long, chin up. And feel the dancer inside of you emerge!
Clear Hip Work ... Those Hips Don't Lie!
Now it's time to make sure that the hip work you're being taught in the combination is visible, clear and precise. Pay attention to the intention of the movement that is required and understand the energy of the movement and where it's supposed to be. Is it hard, soft, muscular, relaxed, sharp? Work at emulating the hip work of your teacher. Always commit to the move and see it through to the end.
I have heard many of my Egyptian teachers say that the hands are life! They express the dance and help to communicate the feeling and emotion of the music in so many ways. Look at any Egyptian dancer and you will see that her arms and hands continue to flow with the music. They are never static yet they are not annoying or distracting to watch either. The technique for developing this takes a commitment to practice but also understand that while the arms may look soft (and this does not mean lazy) they are strong ... and while the hands are soft (and this does not mean limp) they also have a large degree of energy running from the wrists to the finger tips. There is a great amount of energy used to keep arms lifted and engaged and it really comes from the upper torso and upper back in particular. By maintaining the lift of your rib cage and openness of the chest and the heart your arms will look fluid and strong and not just as appendages to your upper body. Start to sit in front of the mirror every day and create arms paths to develop your upper body strength, grace and fluidity. With choreography you will want to work on the timing of the arm movements with hip and footwork. Yes now things are getting more complex but since you are working step by step you should be ready for the focus on the upper body now.
One common thing you will hear Egyptian dancers say about Western dancers is that they lack the feeling for the dance. They may be technically fantastic but Bellydance without the feeling and the energy is just plain flat and boring to watch. You have to feel the music ... strive to live it and breathe it as you dance. This can be harder if you aren't feeling the music that was chosen for the choreography. So wherever possible choose music you love! If it doesn't resonate with you it'll be harder to muster the feelings and emotions that will take you out of the robotic zone and put you into the emotional zone that will captivate your audience. Know what you are dancing to. I have all my music translated for my students so they know what they are dancing to. And I spend a lot of time when teaching choreography to explain the energy level and emotional feeling that is required for all aspects of the choreography. These are the subtle nuances that make a choreography special. These jewels are what make your dance appear less as a series of steps and moves and much more of a story to be told for your audience.
Now let's talk about emotion and how to communicate it. When you really feel a piece of music some of us are lucky to project our inner feelings for what we are hearing and feeling so that it looks natural and not put on. Some of us aren't so lucky. And that's ok but what we all need to remember is that we have to work on the face and our stage project as much as we do the dance technique. Please don't for a moment think that you can rehearse the choreo robotically in class and just expect to turn a switch before you go on stage and have instant stage projection. You must make it part of your time spent in class. If you treat every class as an opportunity to work on your stage face, I guarantee you will be more relaxed and look more beautiful and genuine when you get to the stage. I really believe that your face is a reflection of what's in your heart as you dance. Bellydance is soulful and joyful and that's what your audience wants to see. When they see you are happy and enjoying yourself, they will be happy too. Our motto at BellyUp is "Bellydance that moves you" so why not make that your goal with every choreography and every opportunity you have to share the art of bellydance with others.
Visit www.bellyup.ca for more information about BellyUp BellyDance Studios.
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