The Beauty of Silence

Silence is a powerful tool within the dancers vocabulary. I'm not talking about pauses or rests in music, but in quietening the body, and allowing your body to be still as part of your routine - to allow your body to become... Silent.

We all know that in belly dance, our goal is to interpret the music with our hips and bodies - to embody the violin, accordion or drum that is accompanying our dance - to feel the music, and create a "visual interpretation" of the song. 

An important part of this interpretation is to allow the body to be still at certain parts of the music - whether it's in a pose, deliberate hesitation before a turn, or elongating and pausing during a move. 

But how do I know when to be "Silent?"

It's very often the case that dancers - especially in belly dance - become obsessed with movement. So much so, that a choreography can become a shimmy from the very first second to the last few bars of the track - as we are so desperate to showcase everything within our vocabulary in a short 4 minute slot! We become scared to stop - especially when we are first starting out as performers - as it feels as though, if we stop dancing, the audience will see us for who we are. Not to mention when adrenaline kicks in, and time flies at lightening speed!

Take a look at Uliana Lopatkina performing "The Dying Swan". As Belly dancers we can learn a lot from other dance forms, and Ballet is the perfect example of this. Within this piece Uliana rises and falls with the music. She creates light and shade, and contrast between movement, and stillness. Watch at 2:00 when she creates large shapes and travelling steps, before becoming quiet and soft at 2:17. And also at 2:49 when she dramatically stops, and holds her pose - creating an air of sadness, of finality, and you can almost see the swan in the sky taking it's last few breaths.

This is important to take in as dancers, as those pause make all the difference. Imagine if she hadn't paused then? Or slowed her movements at those certain times? Would the effect have been the same?

She is still moving - and still dancing, but she is incorporating stillness into her dance, allowing it to show emotions that sometimes, movement just can't!

Have a look now at Serena Ramzy performing a Baladi Piece. Watch how she uses pauses to great effect, for example at 0:39 where she drops her hip, and really let's the audience soak that in, before then interpreting the Accordian. This creates an air of calm, of confidence, of being comfortable in her own skin. Using the pauses within the music really does mean you "interpret" the music to the fullest, it also gives you as a dancer time to breathe, to think, and to relax into your performance. 

 These pauses within her piece create a completely different atmosphere to the one created by the ballet. Serena creates anticipation. With every pause, or elongated move, it creates excitement, it creates a build up, which is especially important in Baladi where the music gradually swells to a climax.

Therefore looking at both these performances we can determine the following:

   

Pauses and Silences within your dancing can create an atmosphere or emotion for your audience.

I will leave you with this quote from a fantastic book "The Intimate Act of Choreography" by Lynne Anne Blom and L.Tarin Chaplin, in which they say:

"Stillness is not an inaction. It is a waiting, with a sense of ongoingness. A hesitation, a caught breath, is a moment arrived at, held precious, and left. Stillness is gathering in the past... Holding, savouring thr present... Anticipating the future. It contains within it both past and future. There is a hint and promise of what is to come, a memory of what was - stillness, a moment tattooed."

Final Note for the Day:

Interested in how to interpret Egyptian Music? Look no further - all you need is this beauty of an article from Hossam Ramzy. Click HERE to read it!

Want to catch up on my 100 day Belly Dance Challenge? Don't forget to check out my YouTube playlist here.

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

Top 5 Tips to Create the Perfect Drill Session!

Why do we Drill movements?

Drilling techniques as a bellydancer is the key to strong, isolated, and controlled movements. By repping the moves we want to master we are making connections in our brains, utilising muscle memory, and generally making it easier for our bodies to understand what it is exactly that we want it to do.

Good Drilling is where we allot a certain amount of time for each movement, repeat it with good focus and concentration, and strive to create those connections with the movement. When you are drilling in your own personal practice, this can sometimes lead to frustration, boredom, and procrastination. Trust me, I know! There are so many things you would rather be doing - like boogying around to your next choreography piece, or sewing a fabulous new costume you want to wear. But trust me, if you want your dance to be tip-top and as slick as possible, you want to have at least 15 mins a day, just rocking out your drills!

My Top 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Drill Session...

5. Find some music you love - This has always been a crucial thing for me in my practice sessions. If you find time just flies when you drill hip drops to ABBA's Dancing Queen, use it! If you use music that gets you going, and makes you happy, this makes drilling so much more pleasureable! (And gives you an excuse to have a sing along whilst your working!)

4. Pick 5 key moves that you want to work on - Don't feel you have to drill every move. Watch videos of yourself dancing and pick out 5 moves that you feel would benefit from a good going over. Make that your practice for the week. Then, pick another 5 moves! This stops your practice from becoming stale, and keeps things fresh and moving. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, so mix it up!

3. If anything starts to feel sore, Take a break! - This is an important one as I can only too readily tell you, that if you are drilling to excess and pushing yourself too hard, you are in for an injury. If during your drills you find you come into any serious aches or pains - especially in the knees, please stop, and have a break. Drilling through injuries or pain will only lead to more serious damage.

2. Embrace the feeling of Frustration - If a move is not coming naturally, if you get to a point in your drill where you want to throw your hip scarf on the floor and have a cry, DON'T! Pick yourself up, and try again. That feeling of frustration, of almost getting it but not quite reaching it, is good. It's your body and brain showing that you are learning and making new connections. Remember, you never would have learned to walk if you'd just given up when your first fell down!

1. Slow and steady, wins the race - When it comes to drilling, be the tortoise, not the hare. In order to create a productive drill session and to really see results, it is better to do small practices but regularly, rather than once a week drill marathons. You will build up strength better, your brain will have time to digest everything you've been trying to acheive, and I guarentee, a move that you found difficult in your drills yesterday, will feel that bit easier today.


I hope this helps you create your own drill sessions within your practice. If you have any of your own tips or ideas to help create a fun and exciting practice, please do comment them below, I'd love to hear what you use at home to improve your dancing!

 

Final Note for the Day:

Remember those basic dance moves you learnt when you were just starting out? Don't forget those in your practice - they deserve just as much love and attention as the flashy moves. Figure 8's, Hip Drops, Hip Hits etc are your flour, caster sugar, butter and eggs. You can add all the chocolate sprinkles you want, but if you forget one of the key ingredients, the whole thing goes to pot!



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