If you´re a performer in Egyptian Dance, read this🌞🌹
💫📯What makes an exceptional Egyptian Dance Performance?
If you´re an oriental dancer, what folks erroneously call a "belly dancer", you´re surrounded by myths, tabus, and misconceptions.
It doesn´t matter if you´re a professional, an amateur, or anything in between. If you´re involved with this art form, you´re surrounded by the fog. A lack of clarity.
As a teacher in the field, I´ve coached thousands of all sorts of dancers, especially performers or dancers who dream about becoming performers.
I draw from my extensive experience and teach them what more than 25 years of work has taught me. I use, in particular, the knowledge I gathered in 15 years of daily shows in the Middle East/North Africa, most of them in Egypt. Plus, years of performances around the world.
💫📯What makes an exceptional Egyptian Dance Performance?
Performing with Egyptians and for Egyptians in Egypt, on a daily basis, having your audiences come back to your show week after week, year after year, is no small feat.
Doing all that without a "push" from a manager, a convenient husband, or an influential sugar daddy is apparently impossible and yet possible.
Bringing your dance to stages in Japan, Spain, New Zealand, USA, you name it; making it all work for audiences of different nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds is a dance university. A PHD in Egyptian Dance Performance. A life dedicated to art.
And that´s from where I draw what I teach.
Away from the popular misconceptions and deep into know-how that only comes from experience.
💫📯What makes an exceptional Egyptian Dance Performance?
1. Contrary to popular belief, a performer doesn´t have to impress her/his audience.
A performer needs to connect and impact her/his audience.
The attempt to impress comes from the ego while the attempt to connect and impact comes from the soul.
The Soul is the Magic Maker.
2. Contrary to popular belief, an exceptional Egyptian Dance performance does not deliver what the audience expects - what the market wants, I´ve heard - but what the performer´s soul wants to deliver.
There´s a sweet spot between what the creator wants to deliver and what the world wants and needs but, at the end of the day, it´s the creator who must decide what she/he want to express with her/his art.
The performer should aim at doing better than what is expected, not what is expected.
3. Contrary to popular belief, a performer doesn´t need tricks, acrobatics, and Karaté kicks to impact the audience.
Dance is dance, and acrobatics are acrobatics.
Dance is dance, and Karaté is Karaté.
Dance is dance, and tricks are tricks.
Real dance is what a dance performance needs. Each dancer must ask her/himself:
What is Egyptian Dance?
Then, pursue the dance. Not the fluff.
4. Contrary to popular belief, a great Egyptian Dance Performance is not an endless combination of empty movements, steps, and postures.
The performer should use the necessary movement to express whatever needs to be expressed - not more, or less. Like Gustave Flaubert once claimed, "let mot juste" (the exact word). Each movement must be filled with life, emotion, and meaning.
Also, the performer is allowed to slow down, pause, be, inhale, and exhale.
Music is composed of sound and silence, the same way dance is composed of physical movement and stillness.
5. Contrary to popular belief, a performer doesn´t have to please everyone.
In fact, no matter what you do and how great you may be, I assure you that you won´t please everyone. It´s a lost battle.
The sooner you´re ok with being disliked or ignored, the faster you´ll allow yourself to shine as a performer.
Dance like yourself. Some will connect and love you; others will hate you; and others will ignore you. It´s all fine. Nobody, not even the best dancer in the world, if such thing exists, is the center of the universe.
6. Contrary to popular belief, a fabulous Egyptian Dance Performance is not an exhibition of skills and sexy poses.
A fabulous Egyptian Dance Performance is self-expression, connection, and emotional vulnerability.
It´s an invitation for a communal experience where everyone is involved: the performer and the audience.
A magic carpet where performer and audience travel as One.
7. Contrary to popular belief, a performer doesn´t have to be "perfect" or look like a model.
Dancers are not models, and models are not dancers.
Performers have to be real, whole, human, talented, prepared, and ready to co-create an unforgettable experience.
Perfection is an illusion. And looks, though important, don´t make a dancer.
8. Contrary to popular belief, a successful performer doesn´t have to look like other successful performers.
Copies only work for a limited time (I´ve seen it happen many times). Originals create legacies.
💌Be yourself.
💌Take risks.
💌Reject shortcuts, take the long road instead - it´s not easy but, I promise you, it´s amazing.
💌Do things your way.
💌Explore who you are as a dancer, performer, improviser, choreographer, creator.
💌Get your hands in the mud.
💌Make mistakes and learn from them.
💌Keep studying, working, and dancing from within.
See where the road will take you. It´s your road, your dance, and your life💫
📌For more information about the art of Performance in the context of Egyptian Dance - aka "belly dance" -, do the following:
- Check episode #37 of "The Oriental Café" podcast about
"How to Create an Extraordinary Belly Dance Performance"
👉To watch or listen to this episode on YouTube, click here
(our podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple podcasts)
- Subscribe to our pioneering online course
"How to Create an Irresistible Egyptian Dance Performance"
only available at Joana Saahirah´s Online Dance School
This is an evergreen course - it´s always available for you to do and redo at your pace and as many times as you wish - aimed at performers or dancers who wish to become performers.
If you wish to be an irresistible performer who leaves her/his audience begging for more, this is the course you need.
👉For more information about this pioneering course, click here
- Discover Joana Saahirah´s pioneering Private Coaching Programs
If you wish to learn deeper, faster, and aligned with your uniqueness, check our online private coaching programs
100% personalized
- 100% focused on who you are, your talents, and challenges
- 100% aimed at accomplishing your dreams and goals
👉For more information about our Private Coaching Programs, click here
Delivering authentic Egyptian Dance, Self-Discovery & Empowerment.
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