Over breakfast the other day, a friend was telling me how every few years, the theme of her life changes… that is to say, a word pops into her head that seems like the appropriate focus of her life at that moment. For example, in 1998 it may have been “openness”, then in 2000 it changed to “focus” and a few years later it might have changed to “foundation”. The meaning would invariably be different for every person.
When she said this I realized that this is something I’ve also been doing (albeit unconsciously) for years! When I moved back to the States in 2005 after my 1 year stint in Indonesia, my mantra for the year was “Accept any opportunity (as long as it’s not life-threatening!)”. In doing so, I found myself doing solo gigs as a bellydancer, jumping in last minute to performances, accepting private students to teach, etc, etc. And it was truly a memorable year that propelled me forward in many ways.
For 2010, I’ve been gearing myself to take a break from teaching bellydance so that I can focus exclusively on the dancing aspect of bellydance. I’ve felt my dancing going stale lately, since for the last two years I’ve created choreographies almost entirely for my students and not for myself. I can’t count how many times I’ve explained how to do a shoulder thrust or rib circle. It’s not that I mind these things; I will happily explain the mechanics of a move to anyone… but I don’t necessarily want to direct all my energy there anymore.
As a dancer, there is so much learning I still have to do. I would like to become a student again so I can have a better understanding of rhythms, a wider movement vocabulary, and gain more athletecism (e.g. to be able to add a shimmy layer to my moves cleanly and effectively or have better muscle control).
Another huge reason for this is the fact that I want to be better at the “fusion” part of tribal fusion bellydance. When I took Rose Harden’s “Finessing Your Fusion” workshop this weekend, she talked about the importance of fusing bellydance with other styles while keeping 4 major things in mind: intent, aesthetic, movement, and music. I agree with Rose that “tribal fusion” has become a catch-all term; unfortunately sometimes for dancing that’s not very bellydance-ish at all. So with my dance background in ballet, modern, lyrical, jazz, etc. I should really be able to pull off a style that isn’t just “somewhere in-between” or blurring the lines. Patricia Paso, The Indigo, and The Nautch Project’s recent set at TFF are all examples of bellydance fusion that is tasteful, deliberate, and equally rich in technique AND aesthetic.
I’m so ready to make this change and I can’t wait to *just be* a performer or student. I know my existing students will be in good hands with other teachers and hopefully this will make me a better teacher for them in the long-term. My theme for the year is looking like a 4 letter word, G-R-O-W!
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