Dance musings - dance geometry and fluidity in dance

At the beginning of the month, I was lucky enough to attend another fabulous pair of workshops taught by Hilde Cannoodt. Hilde is fast becoming one of my favourite teachers of tribal fusion and I'm grateful that she's willing to make the trek from Brighton to London to teach workshops regularly.

The first workshop "Dance Geometry" was a complete geekfest! It's a unique dance workshop where the teacher is talking about concepts like the golden section in the first 1o minutes, but then it's a unique teacher who has a degree in maths. Hilde's idea is to take the mathematical patterns found in nature and use them in our dance - so curves, parallel lines, interesting angles etc. We spent the rest of the workshop working on a fun choreography using these concepts. One strong message I got from the workshop was that every element of the body should be considered when trying to make a performance that is pleasing to the eye. Even something as subtle as where your gaze is can make a big difference.

The second workshop "Fluidity in Dance" began with an epic electro-swing warm-up. Once the sweat was dripping off us, it was time to get work on some concepts to get our movements more fluid. We started by practising walking in a fluid manner - an absolute fundamental of dance! It was quite amazing how slight changes in technique made layering much easier too. Next was slowing moves down - all the way to an epic 32 counts. I wasn't convinced I was still moving anything by that stage! I actually found this part of the workshop pretty difficult and I think I need to play with this a little at home. Next up was a choreography using all sorts of little tricks like using moves that overlap, layering fluid movements over sharp ones and the use of negative space. I definitely feel that even if I wasn't a more fluid dancer at the end of the workshop, then I now know what to work on to improve that aspect of my dance. Job done, really!

So, two excellent workshops on the whole. Lots of food for thought and inspiration to integrate into my practice. I really would urge anyone with an interest in tribal fusion to take a workshop with Hilde if they get the chance. For a start, she does the best warm-ups you will ever get at a dance class!

Dance musings: No longer a Gothla virgin...

This weekend was my first trip to Gothla, the UK’s largest gothic bellydance festival. The deciding factor for me was the opportunity to take some workshops with Sera Solstice, a truly excellent dancer and the founder of East Coast Tribal in New York. The workshops certainly didn’t disappoint.

Sera has divided her dance into two distinctive styles – Solar and Lunar - and she taught a workshop on each. Solar is energetic, powerful and reaches outward, whereas Lunar is more fluid and isolated, focusing on internal energies. The first workshop “Solar” was challenging to say the least – lots of strong combos involving lunges, travelling moves and strong arm movements. I think everyone must have had a fantastic workout, aided by the heat in the studio! Sera also guided us through a meditation, which I had never really connected with on her DVDs, but it made much more sense in a group. It was a nice way to share space with fellow dancers and build energy for the class ahead. One of my favourite parts of the workshop focused on travelling moves and how changes in speed can really alter the feel of really quite simple movements.

Yesterday’s “Lunar” workshop focused much more on isolations, undulations and fluid arm movements. For the most part, I found this much more manageable than the solar moves, although it was still a challenge. There was a whole section where I felt a bit lost as I couldn’t see much of what was going on at the front of the class, but I did manage to pick up some bits up from watching people in front of me. I also realised that I need to work on my sidewinder/torso figures of eights as they aren’t strong at all. They’re movements I don’t really use in ATS and I never seem to practise them. However, I love the way they look, especially with nice arm undulations.

As well as the two workshops, I also attended the Friday night showcase, which included performances by the invited teachers as well as some guest performers. The wonderful Jesse (my ATS teacher) and equally lovely Marisa (from our student troupe, Apsara) were dancing the only pure ATS piece, which I was really pleased to see. Personal highlights from the rest of the show were finally seeing the UK’s Bex Priest dance (she’s a truly excellent Gothic fusion dancer), discovering the bellydance version of Bjork (Elin Kaavin – the arctic fairy), as well as getting to see performances by Sera Solstice and Sashi (another excellent US teacher). It didn’t end there though, the last piece was a fantastic performance by Morgana and the Excalibur Dance Company, which was inspired by The Matrix. This had to be seen to be believed as words can’t do it justice! I’m praying for the video to appear on YouTube soon!

Dance musings: Helm workshop

On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with the wonderful Helm. Helm are a US based group who perform middle eastern/folkloric music tailored for belly dancers (especially ATS). The workshop was split into two groups -dancers and drummers - who worked seperately for a few hours before coming together during the last hour to work together.

In the dancers group, we worked with Ling Shien to learn different zil patterns and put them together with foot patterns to dance to their song "Hosanni Oo". At first, it was really difficult to remember the zil and foot patterns together but as the workshop progressed I really began to see how everything fitted together. The zil patterns complemented the footwork which also complemented the music. By the end of it all, things had finally managed to make sense! It was a thoroughly challenging but enjoyable workshop, and Ling Shien is a wonderfully patient and supportive teacher.

After some lovely thai food with Tracy and Andrew, we headed off to the Firewater show with Helm and Dajjah. It was amazing to be able to hear Helm live, as we dance to their music all the time in class. I was blown away by how beautiful Ling Shien's voice is - so haunting! Moirai Tribal were dancing too and at one point, Tracy and I were coaxed up to dance. It was really nerve-wracking but good fun - we even managed some level three moves!

We didn't know what to expect from Dajjah but they were really good as well. It was middle eastern music but with a truly modern slant. Hannah (whose classes I go to on a Wednesday) was dancing to their set and she was amazing. She has such a fluid style and an otherworldly look when she dances. Let's hope some of that rubs off on me!

Suddenly I have a social life ;o)

It's been such a busy week here. Even last weekend was busy! I'm looking forward to things being a bit more restful this weekend and next week.

The weekend turned out to be themed around Oscar Wilde. It was totally by luck, not intended at all. On Saturday, G and I met up with my wonderful colleagues, Anna and Philippa, and their wonderful partners to go to see "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre. We were so lucky with the weather. After it being rubbish all week, Saturday afternoon was lovely. The performance was great - very well acted and wonderfully funny. We had a lovely picnic afterwards, which involved loads of Bubbly, canapes, cupcakes and so many different salads that I lost count. It was wonderful day and we were all well fed and watered.

On Sunday, I inflicted Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray on G. I say inflicted, as it's not really his kind of thing (he prefers plays to dance performances). I certainly think he was still impressed. I really do love Matthew Bourne - he has a way of making things his own without losing the message. Dorian Gray was no exception - it was funky and modern, while retaining the disturbing elements of the novel. The skull mirrorball was an excellent touch!

The rest of the week has been completely mental. G's family seem to have descended on from all over the world. On Monday, we met up with his aunt and cousin from the US for yummy tapas. Wednesday was meze with his cousin from Australia (who's currently living in Mexico). Combined with Tuesday's ATS class and yesterday's trip to the hairdresser, I feel like I have never stopped!

Tribal Fusion workshop tomorrow with the wonderful Darkstar. We're focusing on arms and upper body technique. I'm really excited about it, as my arms need a lot of work.