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The flick of hips wreathed in rainbowed veils and golden coins is mesmerising. The fluid arms and sultry eyes draw you in and you are entranced and under the thrall of the dancer. How does she keep your attention? Is it simply a matter of costume and dance or is there more to it than that?
Bellydancing is a funny form of dancing. Adapted from traditional dance, today’s performers are more likely to do Hollywood renditions than authentic Middle Eastern Dance. But, for the audience, what is important depends on them themselves and also on the personality of the dancer.
There are many bellydancers who are technically perfect when it comes to performing but they are not necessarily the ones that audiences prefer. There are dancers who are physically stunning but again, they are not necessarily guaranteed to be crowd pleasers. What counts is the way the dancer individualises the performance and connects with the audience.
Audiences come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and the first thing a dancer who wants to perform in public needs to do is to cater for particular audiences. The makeup of the audience will govern the music used, the costume and even the movements chosen. Turkish, Egyptian, Lebanese, Greek and other groups usually love their own music and movements. Mastering the differences between these different forms can really give a dancer the edge.
Once the music has been chosen, it should be taped onto a high quality tape and checked before you intend to use it. You should usually carry a backup in case anything happens to the first copy. Check before the performance that the venue has a tape player or arrange to take your own. If they only have CD players, you can use a CD burner to copy the songs. Just remember that music is copyright protected so, if you are charging for the performance, you may need to check any copyright payments that need to be made.
Your costume should be appropriate to the music and audience and be checked for anything which is in danger of falling off. In particular, rehearse a couple of times in the WHOLE costume to check that none of the moves will move the bra or belt or get tangled in the veil if you are using one. NEVER perform in a costume that you haven’t practiced in. Think about the costume as being everything from hair and makeup to jewelry and clothing and make sure that everything is consistent and complimentary. If you are performing onstage as opposed to close up, your makeup needs to be much heavier to compensate for the bright lights and the distance.
Things you should carry with you when going to a performance include various sized safety pins, hairclips, spare glue and nails if you use false ones, spare makeup especially lipstick, a spare veil (you never know when it could come in handy), spare music just in case and fresh breath mints like Tic Tacs which are small.
Above all, remember to enjoy yourself. Some of the dancers who are best to watch might not be perfect but they smile and look as though they love every minute of the performance. They also have eye contact with their audience and involve them in the dance. And, if you are just starting out and thinking about performing for the first time, don’t be intimidated by the audience, dance for yourself and let them come along for the ride. You’ll soon be hooked on the dress-ups and theatre of it like so many of us already are. Just be ready for reproducing sequins! Your house will be overrun.
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