A Bellydancer’s Sad Story (edited)

Well i just got time to blog about this performance. Cos i fell pretty sick after this performnce. Its now being a norm for me to fall sick right after a performance. Mom claims its evil eyes. Lol. N josh will probably laugh over the chillies again. Cos my mom believes chillies ward off evil eyes!

Well back to the topic. I am a very honest person. And i will admit that…

This wasnt my best performance. N i know it. But mistakes lead to perfection and i am not ashamed to admit.

Well that day was a bad day. Cos i had a severe fight with my sister a day before. N it was all on my mind. She was supposed to help me out for this day. Well she did in the end. But it affected me cos i was trying to get someone there with me to get my clothes on right cos ive a phobia of clothes dropping off in a performance. So my mother’s friend was nice enough to pop by. Unfortunately…no one could come over and lend a little hand. So the day of my performance was spent searching. I couldnt relax at all.

Well family is family. They all came down and supported me. Usually i dont bring my family along cos my mother doesnt understand the art of bellydance. But she did come down and lend her support. N so did this guy called Chin Eng. Thank you very much! He took time to come all the way to jiayou (cheer) me!

So my day was rotten. To add more onto the rottenness….my sister forgot my coin belt. So 5 mins before the performance.. i was freaking out. I felt miserable!

Also honestly i dont work well with choreographies. I am rather used to do doing solos and freestyle. Cos choreographies make me think and doesnt put me in the “feeling”. N if you are doing a group performance…if you do smtg wrong…it will be VERY OBVIOUS!

This choreo was actually taught by my teacher Ms.Yuki. She is a amazing lady with lots of charisma. I love her lessons. She is full of energy and she perfected us and prepared us. But she couldnt be there for the show! Cos she had to go China to judge a bellydance contest.

Dramapro & Dance

Well My lecturer Mr, Millians taught us smtg which i think is really true. He teaches me about drama at my school. This applies for acting and dancing as well. Cos dancing is another form of acting according to me He said…we should be in the MOMENT. When actors are given too many instructions…they think too much when they are acting and cant be the character. You cant pretend…you have to be it.

Well my face is a fine example of bad technique. I was thinking of… “Shit…do i do it left or right”. So i looked lost according to my sister.   N i know i did. I am usually happy when i see my audience. I become a character  in the stage. I smile…i interact with them. But that day…i couldnt. We are all actors…we act everyday of our lives. What i am on stage is totally different from what i am in real life.

Also i am doing a choreographed dance aftter a long time. So i couldnt be in the moment.

Shame on me! Cos audience are important. They spend time transport to come n see you. N you dont even smile? That really sucks! So i felt terrible after everything. My 100% wasnt there!!

What did i learn?

Yame is a fellow dancer…i know her from youtbe. She said to me not to worry and dont think of aytg when you r on stage. Even if you screw up…they would not know. Just dont show it. I think its true. We all screw up. Its human nature. I rather learn now that this could happen…Then never.

I also have decided to get things ready before a performance. N get reliable people to be there and help me work this through. Or learn how to adjust costume cockups.

Professionalism

Well i am learning…and i will never end learning. I am planing to go and do bellydance courses after i graduate from my current school. Cos you will definitely pick up more. Especially from different teachers,

I watched my teacher perform and i really could feel i have to learn more. I take dance very seriously. I look at her and see how she transitions from oe step to another. Its a part i am trying to work my way through. I am not an expert nor am i perfect. I will have to work my way to perfectionism. Cos dance is serious business. She flows and be someone on stage. I have to be that character on stage too.

I am glad that many people are nice enough to leave comments and make me feel better. My main objective is to make sure i never disappoint anyone with my dance. There were two nice gals who came up to me ad said i did a good job. But i had this inner guilt that i know i didnt reach my own expectations, In fact i failed miserably.

Oh yes.. Did i tell you i lost my earrings as well :’(

Costume & Makeup

Many people liked my costume. My costume was bought online. N it was tailored for me cos i cant buy regular bellydance costumes cos i like certain designs and i usually dont dance in a bellydance bra. Cos i prefer people ogling my dance rather than my body. Bellydance is ART not sex. Also i like certain colors and certain designs especially coins. So i get it tailored for myself. It also helps me stand out from regular bellydance costumes. So i kind of prefer it this way Well this costume is technichally a bra. But i got the gaunlets really long to make like a sleeves. My long hair covers the fact that its actually a bra. It makes me feel less naked and helps me concetrate on my dance rather than… “Oh … is my boobs gona pop out?”

Anyways…I tried new makeup. My friend taught me blending. This is one thing i should thank her for. N i am atleast happy that came out well Well scroll down for pics. I used Black track MAC…Mac Kohl…and Red Earth brown eyeshadow with loreal mascara Also the foundation is Bobbi Brown.  The lip stick is a mixure of NYC & ZA. I also put foundation on my lips as a base to give that nude look to bring out my eyes. N i covered with the above two lipsticks. If you guys wanna breakdown of how i did it. Read the makeup section of this blog.

Requests and unfulfilled requests!

I recieve many requests everyday. And i would say yes to them if they are decent and good teaching material. But sometimes i am overwhelmed with it.  And it could also happen that i am unable to do yours anymore. So please dont feel upset about it. I am schooling as well so i can only do ones that i have time for. Or it could be that your requests may be done even a couple of months later. So i hope you can understand my situation.

Also i cant teach you choreographies that dont belong to me. Cos its a bit unfair to the actual choreographer. So i am extremely sorry about that.

Do send in your requests still. If i am able to do it… it will certainly be up. But you have to be patient. Sometimes it can take even months. i usually take all my requests seriously except for ones that try to defame bellydance.

Bellyrolling tips (edited)

How i overcame Bellyrolling problems…

Well this is my story. Bellyrolling doesnt come easy for everyone. Atleast not for me. Its just ot natural for my body. And i struggled alot for it. All we bellydancers have a problem. We practise what we are good at and leave out what we hate. And thats what i did with bellyrolling.

Everytime i squeese out my constipated bellyrolls…i watch the little humps rolling down my stomach and i tell myself… “Shanu…you r never gonna get good as Rachel Brice”

So how do we overcome this…

Simple..Make your practise interesting…

Daniel i owe you THANKS

Daniel is a male bellydancer who gives alot of thought in bellydance practise. He told me he practising 60 bellyrolls one shot. And then an idea pop into myhead. Why dont i belly roll to an entire song?

The problem with bellyrolls…

Many of us get discouraged in seeing our pathetic camel humps taking a lazy walk down the arabian desert of your tummy. (Nice way to put it eh?) We get discouraged demoralised and terribly upset. Bellyrolls are about relaxing your muscles. When you see yourself…you feel tensed and you cant roll well. Soo dont look at yourself.

Lying down and belly rolling is alot tougher than standing. Lie down face the ceiling get your mp3 and roll. Dont look at a mirror. Think about daily events…think about friend…dog ..or me

The main idea is to not focus and make belly rolling a part of  natural movement. So you dont have to push yourself but it flows.

Ab building helps..

People told me this be4. I said its bullshit. But i say now…its some shit really. It helps. It makes your abs strong! Go do crunches…familiarise with your darling abbies. Sucking in your diaphram helps too. Do it nonstop for 2 songs. You would be great. Do it for a week you would be super great.

The key to bellyrolling is practise. Make your practise fun…and you will enjoy that movement. I enjoy it much more now. I even feel its relaxing! I hope this helps…

 

Asena

Well i have been observing didem for some time. Everyone keeps arguing on youtube that Didem is alot better than Asena. I was curious and went to find out about this dancer. Initially when i saw her i thought she was bad. Really. Recently i kept watching her vids and i realise that Asena is just not any dancer but a true artist. Asena’s style of dancing CANNOT be compared to Didem. After watching and analysing her dance moves…i can safely say that Didem is shallow compared to Asena’s technique. I am a fan of Didem’s flamboyant moves and floorwork. She entertains and amuses her audience with her cute smile and attitude, But observe Asena. Watch the drum solo ive embedded. You will realise anger .. a sort of i dunno how to say in the english language…determination….power? Asena has alot of feeling in her bellydance. Her moves are alot more simple and basic compared to Didem’s…But she “talks’ through her dance.

When i sit thrugh didem’s performances…i get a feeling of happines…amusement…shock at her gorgeous dance moves. And thats it. Its like watching a hollywood film packed with action…you come home and describe the story to your friend as… “There was alot of Dooom Boom n Gooon in the move…wah!”

But Asena’s…i was glued. When she started trembling i was literally glued feeling her “power’ take over my lap top screen. Even though i am not a fan of Asena. I have began to appreciate her. I still like Didem more. Cos Didem owns what i believe…i believe in flamboyant movements. Thats just my style. But Asena’s style cant be ignored. Asena does a mixture of dances. But i dont quite like her style. But its her style and i think people shouldnt compare one artist to another. Its best when artists are different so we can appreciate them for who there are.