The Magic & Mystery of the Dress

The first piece of bellydance costuming I ever lusted over (aside from the black Egyptian chiffon triangular hipscarf with silver coins that I stalked on ebay circa 2000 and still have today) was a "ghawazee coat." The unique sleeves, the underbust cut, the frock-coat like fitting. I was (and still am) in love with the design, as well as the whole look presented in the engravings and lithographs depicting the dancers.  And while I was able to capture some of those elements early on, the one that really eluded me was the coat.

In 2001, a group of friends chipped in and bought me a gift certificate for Artemis Imports.  I spent hours pouring over that crazy, wonderful catalog.  If you never have had the pleasure of getting the mailorder catalog from Artemis Import (and back then it was either shop from her in person at events or send in a few dollars to get the catalog), it was a HUGE plastic-tooth bound cut-and-paste bonanza. And she had ghawazee coats for sale - so with my gift certificate, I bought one!

I'm not sure why I thought it was going to be wine-colored (wasn't the catalog in black and white? Maybe there was a one-off color sheet in there...), but I was very surprised that when it arrive it was 1/4" wide red and black stripes. And  unfortunately was WAY too big for me, especially in the chest. I sadly returned it (but I did get the FCBD "Tattooed One" and the rest of the Solace albums I didn't have yet in exchange).  This pattern would repeat again and again over the years - every coat I came across didn't fit me (and/or came close to fitting in my meager budget).

Despite that continuing disappointment, I never stopped being inspired by those early images, hints of them repeatedly showing up in my costuming throughout the years.  Why? What is about these women, dancing in their many layers of fabric, that drew my eye and inspired by my heart?

This image shows a small sampling of my "covered" costuming - over a decade of dresses.  Where it seems that many of my fellow dancers work to show more and more skin, I keep coming back to these looks.  Why?

Some women prefer to wear dresses to cover weight/body size, stretch marks, or for modesty (when they're not specifically being used to represent a folkloric dance). Being comfortable and confident in your own skin via your costuming is a HUGE factor and if a dress does that for you, that's fantastic. Me? I'm happy with the shape of my body - whether you can see the skin/shape or not, nor do I have marks to hide (at least not yet!), and I don't think I qualify for any modest awards.  Basically, I'm not hiding anything.

Or am I?

Over the last year, I transitioned from dancing with The Nathaniel Johnstone Band to also being an active musician as well.  This means during an entire show, part of the time I'm dancing and the rest of the time, I'm playing keyboards/percussion. The far right image of me, I'm wearing the costume I pulled together for "Stone Woman" (our Medusa song), which is mainly a re-purposed thrift-store find.  While on tour, I found that there wasn't time/space for costume changes, so I stuck to one costume to make the most impact - and it was this costume.  It has a huge bling factor, really shows off isolations, while letting me move big when I need to.  I also realized that I felt more confident not being the "half-nekkid" band member, especially at steampunk events, where nearly everybody has MANY layers of clothing on.  I hadn't realized this was even a thing, until we were doing a show last month where I grabbed my "Amulet" costume to wear instead of digging out the Medusa one - and I felt really exposed. I'd already worn "Amulet" at several bellydance events and for the Stoneburner shows, and felt fine and fabulous every time.  But with my own band? Nope.

So I decided to order a style of Egyptian dress I've been oogling for over a year, to get another blingy dress for bandwear. I didn't have any plans specifically for it, so I was pleasantly surprised when it matched the Amulet costume perfectly. And it was stretching enough that I could move the neckline to scoop the bra instead of covering it.  Without trying to, I managed to get the perfect "ghawazee coat" inspired piece I have been lusting after all these years - the scooped bustline, the stripes, the sleeves! And it fits perfectly!

I think I have figured out why those layers have fascinated me all these years.  There is truly something sensual, magical, empowering about revealing less of your outside while showing more of your inner awesome.

Then again, I could just be a Victorian re-incarnated.  Which would probably surprise no one.

HRM Steampunk Steamposium on the Queen Mary, photo by Wade Watkins

The Business of Being An Artist

(This particular post can be applied to any kind of art, it's getting placed in the dance blog for convenience.)

2015, for me, has the subtitle of "the year of getting down to business proper."  (I have no doubt that it will acquire many more as it ages.) So it's probably no surprise that articles and discussions about the difficulty of being an artist and trying to do business at the same time are catching my eye. There's a particular line of "oh, but I just really want to focus on MY ART, I'm not any good at the other stuff."

This is nothing new.  I've been hearing it for years in the dance community. "I am/so-and-so is/such a lovely dancer/teacher, but no one has heard of me/them - and it's because I/they focus on my/their art, and it's not fair. Marketing/business takes precious hours away from my true love and vocation."  Which is then paired with the implication that anyone else who is making it, isn't as TRUE an artist, they're just better business people (sometimes this is unspoken, sometimes not).  (Because of course blaming/disparaging someone else for their apparent success makes your own lack-there-of easier to justify, right?)

And you know, I understand, really I do.  I'd love to just work in my studio all day long, while having my art completely support me without having to do anything besides make it.  Such a lovely fantasy.

So keep that in mind when I say: SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP.

Seriously.

You spent a long time mastering your art/craft, yes? And probably (aka should) still put more time now into expanding it via workshops/classes/etc. There were certainly times where you lacked the proper skill/knowledge to accomplish certain movements perfectly, work with a particular media, write the perfect prose. Yes, you may have possessed inherent talent (aka, doodling on the living room walls when you were 3), but it had to be honed and developed.  Countless hours were spent investing in your craft, and not all of them were enjoyable. And you're lying if you say they were.  (If I have to make one more graduated black to white chart in charcoal again with 12 variations in between...)  Face it, at some point in your journey, probably dozens of points, you sucked and you were frustrated, but you kept going.

The hard truth is that business skills fall into the same category.  And they are not separate from your art, they're integral to it.  Marketing and networking doesn't come easy to introverts, but you can learn to do it well, or at least well enough.  (Fake it until you make it.) Like everything else, it just takes practice, and you're going to suck at it for a while.

And while having someone who solely does all of those business aspects for you would be fantastic  - no one is going to sell your work (and essentially YOU) for you, unless you believe in yourself and your work first.  Meaning you have to get it out there in the first place - which takes working on some of those biz skills. It's not going to happen overnight.  There are very few (if any) true "overnight successes."  All of the artists/performers/musicians I know who you hear about, they've been at it for a while.  There is rarely ever one "big break" that makes it all happen. It's more of a juggernaut effect - but you have to get the ball rolling first.

There is also a lot that can learned in acquiring those business skills that can advance your art in other ways.  When you start to consider your audience (or potential audience), how it's being received/perceived, and what is working - that information can all be used to help you pinpoint your own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore you can become even better at your art than you can producing in a vacuum.

Now, if the opportunity comes to me to have a go-getting agent and/or numerous financially supportive patrons, I'm not going to balk at having to handle less of the load (Hi! Write me!).  But I will recognize that it happened because I busted my ass in the first place and muddled through the sucking stages.

Yearly Solstice Musings

Rather than posting them here on this blog, I have posted my Winter Solstice musings on my Witch Blog - check it out here:

http://moderntraditonalwitch.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-light-of-humanity-in-dark.html

The Right Dance for the Right Place

Dragon*Con 2014, acoustic set with The Nathaniel Johnstone Band, photo by ?

There is a time to dance...and the right place to do it in.

When I cover professionalism and elements for performance in my classes and workshop, I always talk about considering venue appropriateness when crafting a show.

What is venue appropriateness?  It is taking into consideration 3 key bits of information regarding the venue you are to be performing in/at.

1) The type of place (restaurant, bar, farmer's market, club, church, festival, hafla, etc)

2) The audience (for other dancers, for a general public, children, teens, college kids, the elderly, etc)

3) Your performance: how well the costume/music/style works when you have considered #1 and #2.

This may seem fairly elementary, but a lot of dancers get so hung up on the excitement of performing that they rarely take into consideration what they're presenting and how appropriate it may be.  And it's very unfortunate when that lack of planning leads to the dancer (or the dance in general) not being received in a positive light.  Or if a dancer has only ever performed for the dance community, he or she may not realize that the general public is not the same audience they have encountered before.

I have come up with some sample situations to consider:

-The Ethnic Restaurant: when performing at an Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern, or other ethnic restaurant where dance performances are standard (I know several Indian and Ethiopian restaurants that feature dancing), it's important to check with the owner/manager/house dancer to see what type of music and costuming is preferred. Do NOT be afraid to ask! There seems to be an attitude of "if I have to ask, then I will look unprofessional" - and frankly, I believe you look MORE professional asking the client what THEY want. Some places only want a traditional cabaret look, others want what is hottest "over there" right now, and others don't care, as long as the customers are happy. But you won't know unless you ask.

And unless the restaurant is more set-up like the golden days of "dinner and a show" with proper stage, sound, lights, and being announced - you're expected to essentially be a novelty, an element of atmosphere, a nice perk for the diners, but they're probably not really there to see you.  The show should be family-friendly/all ages.  So it's a safe bet to leave the nearly-nude designer costume at home, as well as the goat sacrifices choreographed to whalesong.

-Clubs & Bars: As goes with the territory, this tends to be an adult crowd, but how they behave and what may be expected of you depends on the area and kind of bar/club.  In a college-heavy area especially, they tend to expect to see more skin - but it's important to keep in mind, as the booze (and hookah) flows, your own personal safety. If the club/bar has a particular focus or theme, then your performance should be aligned with that theme. For example, at a Goth night, dancing in a baby pink costume to George Abdo may not go over quite as well as a more darkly-inspired costume to Dead Can Dance. Also, unless it's a hookah bar where the dancer is often eye-candy/background, performances are best kept short and sweet.  People come out to club nights to see some cool stuff, but also to get on the dancefloor themselves.  Keep it short and sweet.

-Festivals& Conventions: these tend to be all-ages, all crossroads of humanity kinds of events, but often have a theme - and to really fit in, again you need to know and understand that theme.  The set you use for the restaurant, the farmer's market, and retirement community may work perfect for all of those events, but if you're using that same music and costuming for a Steampunk or Pagan event, it's going to feel weird, in an otherwise appropriately-themed line-up. In the way that throwing tassels on a costume doesn't make a dance tribal, adding a bustle or goggles won't make it steampunk either.  If you're performing at a spiritual event, what will you do to make that connection?  If it's a festival for Egyptian Style Bellydance - then breaking out Tribal Fusion isn't the thing to do. And vice versa. Unless there's a context for it.

Really, I could go on and on about many different kinds of situations - but just from these three, you should get the idea. (I could also get into making sure you are compensated effectively for all of these, but that's a post for another day - I'm going to assume for now that you've already negotiated a fair wage/deal for the job, in agreement with community standards.) 

It's wonderful to perform (and especially to be asked to), but it's even better to make sure you're properly prepared and indeed are the right dancer for the job. Consider where and when you are performing, who you are performing to, and how you're going to cater your performance to satisfy the situation professionally.

If your style, your ability, or your presentation doesn't fit, then don't force it.  Part of being professional is knowing when to perform and when NOT to perform.

Spiral Up: Empower Your Students!

The more resources we provide for our students, the stronger they will become.

Photo by Geisha Moth

This concept is something I firmly believe in and practice regularly.  I feel that my students excel not only because of what I offer them through my instruction, but also by making them aware of other opportunities outside of what I know or do. Multiple influences make for stronger, more unique dancers.

So it confounds me when I encounter teachers who won't tell their students about upcoming workshops, shows, festivals, and other events. It makes me sad for not only the students, but for the teachers, as most of their possible reasons are rooted in fear.  And fear doesn't belong in the classroom.

Here are few of the reasons I've heard along the way:

-"I want to check out this workshop teacher first, then I will know if it's OK for my students."So when's the next time that teacher may be in town again? Bringing in visiting instructors is not an easy or inexpensive task, and for it to happen regularly requires the support of a community - teachers AND students.  If the topic is something I am interested in, I'm pretty sure my students are going to be interested as well. Likewise, my students may be interested in things I don't teach.  It's not my job to pass approval on who they can or can't study with.  Of course you definitely want your students to learn from your idols and influences - all the while you don't want them to waste money on a class that's poorly taught or may injure them.  But you don't have to vet every workshop and instructor for them.

-"I prefer to keep ahead of my students." Or "I don't want to look dumb in front of them." 
If you're only a couple steps ahead of your students and are relying just on the odd workshop to keep that distance, you probably shouldn't be teaching.  It may sound harsh, but if that's your main fear, it's not a healthy one.  Understand that everyone learns differently, and what you pick up on depends on what you are open to in that moment, and the same is true for your students.  So don't be afraid to have your students in the same workshop you are in.  They will absorb what they can or are most interested in, and you can always go over that material together in class and talk about it further.  And it's also important to recognize that EVERYONE feels like a student when learning new things - no one is born a perfect dancer.  It shows compassion that you understand the process and wisdom that you don't claim to know everything.

-"They're not ready."

Workshops can be a geared to a wide range of levels.  Unless a workshop is specifically marketed for intermediate/advanced dancers or is a master class, most students will benefit from trying a workshop. Just as long as they understand they're not going to get everything, and THAT IS OK.  In fact, it's unrealistic to retain absolutely everything you learned in a 2 hour workshop! Heck, even in an hour class, there's a reason why we go over previous material.  So don't hold them back - challenges make for growth.

-"I don't want to lose my students."This is just the wrong attitude to have and it WILL make you lose them. You don't own your students, they pay you to teach them.  If they are inspired by someone else, and want to try their classes, there's nothing wrong with that.  If they truly enjoy working with you and learning from you, they will be there for as long as they can.  But realize, everything is temporary, everything changes.

So if you want to be a good teacher, keep an eye on your local community and what's happening.  If there's bigger events in or out of your area you enjoy, pass along the word. Share the love, spread the knowledge, and you'll see the growth!  Everyone spirals up together!

A Different Kind of Dance Event

WP 2013 - photo by Carrie Meyer

I've been producing events now for over 15 years.  From organizing the very first Pagan Pride Day in Rhode Island and other spiritually-minded events through The Cauldron of Annwyn (the open-path group I founded), and my first bellydance-themed event "Between the Veils" (2001 in Massachusetts), to "The Temple Gathering" and "Gothla US" in California, "Tapestry Dance Retreat" in Rhode Island, and "Waking Persephone" (RI and now WA).

While many of these events involved different people in various aspects, myriad locations, and a multitude of perspectives over the years, I feel that my purpose in producing them has remained consistent: to bring people together to celebrate culture, raise awareness, and promote education.

Waking Persephone has been the most special to me of all of the events I have produced, perhaps because it became my clearest vision for dance. I stopped being involved with Gothla US primarily because almost none of my students could attend it, since it was 3000+ miles away from them. I couldn't justify putting that much effort into an event (running the website, doing all of the graphic design, vendor and workshop registration, program design, Gala show line-up, etc) and not having my own students benefit from it, simply because they couldn't afford to make the trek. I was also disheartened by the disproportionate number of performers participating in the daytime festival shows compared to actual workshop attendees. It only emphasized the trend I was seeing in the community where the stage was being deemed more important than the classroom. Which leads unfortunately to meaning there's a lot less quality on stage.

So what could I do?  I wanted an event my students could attend and actively participate in.  I wanted to promote a mixture of well-known and up-and-coming dancers for the teaching staff. I wanted to provide an excellent stage show without compromising or competing with the classroom time. I wanted there to be fantastic shopping, opportunities for networking, and a focus on featuring live music.  I wanted to give teachers a chance to teach new/unusual offerings that don't fit in at other events.  I wanted to provide a selection of classes that truly spoke to every aspect of a dancer - on stage and off.  I wanted to promote quality fusion while emphasizing a strong foundation in bellydance.

That is how Waking Persephone was born. The name was sprung from the Greek goddess whose mythical descent down and ascent back from the Underworld gave us our seasons.  "Waking" is a play on the question of whether she is coming back to life, or if we are marking her departure (as in a wake.)

I was not prepared for how powerfully it would come together. I not only have been able to feature some of the most completely awesome people I know (as in they're not only terrific dancers/teachers, but fantastic human beings) but also meet new ones.  WP has become a home for all the dancers who didn't quite fit in anywhere else, and gave them a chance to meet like-minded kin.  It is a safe place for dancers who thought they could only do one style or felt limited to their niche/reputation to try out something new and different. I was amazed by how profoundly it affected the attendees: emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.  And to discover the second year that the first year just wasn't a fluke - that it happened all over again, even more strongly, rooting deeper, branching farther.  It is truly a blessing that I had no idea was possible, and so humbling.

It pained me to move it from Providence to Seattle, because it felt so good in that location and I could see the beautiful changes in the community.  But it's hard to run an event from across the country, and now I have students based here.  As Fate would have it, our home-base, Roots Cultural Center, was sold - and it had taken me years to find a venue in Providence that suited our needs.  Finding one in Seattle wasn't easy either, but we've finally found a very warm welcome with the Lake City Community Center.  Many familiar faces are traveling this way to experience the event again, bringing their great energy to it, as well as new ones.

It's not just a bunch of workshops. It's not just a bellydance show.  It's not just about one style of dance. It's not just some live bands playing or an opportunity to show. It's also not something that will always be there. It's the people who come to it, what they bring to the table and take home with them.  It truly is a different kind of dance event, and I invite you to experience it for yourself.

A Durga Approach to Dance

Durga is a Hindu goddess, a calmly fierce, protective mother/creatrix figure wielding 10 arms. That's a lot of arms! But she keeps it all together.

 I have quite the affinity for Durga (having named 2 nationwide tours after her), and feel as a dance teacher, each "arm" can be something to remind us of what we need to do - as we break down past barriers and help our students find themselves through dance.

Here are my 10 arms of dance:

1) Teaching is about the students, not about the teacher.
Teaching is not about ego, it's about the information, and transmitting that information in the best way possible to the students.


2) Not everyone learns the same way - no one system works for all. 
Some folks learn better by numbers and counting, others need to copy and follow, others need imagery, others want to know the specific muscles, some need mirrors and some do better without, some need a choreography to follow and others work better via improv, etc. A specific method may attract/appeal to certain groups, but it doesn't mean it works for all, or that other systems and methods are wrong.

3) It's not how much material you cover, it's how well they get what you do cover. 
What's better? "I taught my beginners 60 new moves in 6 weeks!" or knowing that your students got a dozen movements down solid and feel confident about what they learned?

4) A syllabus is a good thing.  Flexibility to cover what's needed is even better.
It's good to have a plan for what you want to cover.  But it's not a failure if your students want to go over material from last week, and if that wanders into a different plan, that's fine.

5) Understand that every person takes class for different reasons. 
Some folks take dance class for pure fun, others want to learn about culture, some want to perform, some want exercise, others are looking for something mental or spiritual. Sometimes it's all of the above.

6) Every BODY is different. 
Being a dance teacher means being a student of the body. Movements will vary depending on weight, shape, muscle structure, frame, health, etc. Be respectful of their bodies.

7) It is never too early to teach musicality and culture. 
From the very beginning, I talk about rhythm, history, etc. It may not soak in immediately, but it does bring familiarity.  Don't short-change your students by thinking that it's "not interesting" or "relevant" to mention rhythms, artists, etc.

8) It's OK to not have all the answers. 
You don't know everything, and there is nothing wrong with that - unless you're claiming that you DO. If someone asks me a question I am not sure about - I either reference someone who may help, or look it up to find it out.  We can learn together!

9) Create a positive environment. 
Respect your students, respect your community. Don't mention names in negative situations. If there's an issue to correct/address, be general, and offer solutions. Catty time is not for class time.

10) Teach them to DANCE. Ask yourself what does it mean to dance, and are you helping your students truly do that?