Injecting some fun into Bellydance - The 100 day Challenge!

I've found recently that it's been very difficult for me to have "fun" dancing. I'm often drilling, rehearsing, and choreographing, and although that is fun... It's not silly fun, it's not just losing yourself in the moment and dancing freely to music fun. And I think this is something that we all miss a lot in our day to day practice - the chance to break free, stick on a tune, and just... dance!

Inspired by a fellow 8 Elements student Malik Turley, who is currently breaking boundries, and is a real bellydance warrior, I've decided to create my own personal challenge.

This is a challenge to inject some fun back into your dancing. This is a challenge to push your boundries, find some new tunes, and just rock out in your living room. I wanted to do a challenge that would release your inner artist, jog your creative memory, and perhaps unclog some of that dancers block we get from time to time, where choreographies and dances jut seem lacklustre and don't have that glittery shine they used to.

I've been reading a book called "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron - and in it she talks about "Filling the Well, and Stocking the Pond". In order to be creative artists we need to learn to be "self nourishing", we need to actively pursue fun, new images to replenish our resevoir of creativity. I personally find, that when I take the time out to just dance to a track, floodgates open, and all of a sudden, I am inundated with ideas of what I could do next.

Here is a breakdown of the 100 day bellydance challenge:

Every day, for 100 days I will be picking a tune at random, and just dancing to it. No choreography, just improvising, no matter how bad, no matter how truly ridiculous. I will film it (No retakes!) and upload it - to inspire you to do the same.

My uploads will be on an unlisted YouTube playlist - accessible only from this blog. I'll post a commentary every week or so letting you know how I'm getting on! (You can also see the evidence if you check back regularly!)

So, there you have it. I will be putting myself out there, making a fool of myself once a day, for 100 days, to show you that dance does not have to be perfect. Dance does not have to be precise. However, it does have to be fun.

And, to make things better, I'm taking requests! Got a track you want to see me boogie to next? Bring it on - no matter how silly, no matter how ridiculous. 

I dare you to take on this challenge too. Let me know how you get on! You don't have to film it, just take the time, once a day to dance to something and just let go, have fun, and let your inner dancer go wild!

Find my YouTube Playlist here:

You can tell my vids are one take only - sorry for the poor sound quality and abrupt ending of Day 1 - I'll make sure I have enough battery in my camera next time ;)

Final Note for the Day:

Ever wondered why Egyptian dancers like Fifi Abdou or Dina are so great at performing? It's because they really take the time to feel the music. They understand the mood, the nuance, the beauty of the track or live music they are performing to. Next time your improvise or Choreograph a piece of music - take the time to have a little look into the background of the track, or find translations of the lyrics so you can really get to grips with the music you are dancing to!


If you want to use this post in your e-zine, blog or newsletter, please go ahead! But make sure that you credit Louise Brooks - www.louisebellydancer.co.uk