Dear Caroline,
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Originally Posted by Caroline_afifi
Someone somewhere has to initiate change. Audience education is an important aspect of what we do.
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I have found this to be entirely possible, especially if we talk about what we are doing before we do it. People like to hear an explanation for what they are seeing, as long as it does npot go on too long.
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At some point we have to do what is true to the dance, it's essence, heritage and culture etc. We must resist the urge to be driven by an audience who either dont know what it is about, or are students watching to learn.
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And until we are truthful with OURSELVES about that, we can never be truthful with our audiences.
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Nobody wants to be bored watching dance but this has no relation to speed and people need to learn this. Sometimes I feel we are stuck on a wheel and cant jump off on this one.
I love high energy pieces but I have no fear of expressive pieces either.
Clarity is so important in dance. We need to see the 'full stops' when people dance, we need time to absorb what they are doing. How can we get this if everyone looks like a wasp around a honey jar?
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Nuance, subtlety and texture are three of he most important aspects of a sharghi performance. The changes in tempo, feeling, and movement are all necessary to a good performance. Slowness is not boring, but a never ending slowness against the wrong music, or a totally frantic endless set of movements without attachment to the music, or even great technique without any emotional input are all boring. I danced in a restaurant for 12 years and did not alter the dance to fit any specific criteria, and .... well... as I said, a full raqs sharghi performance was popular enough there for me to be the house dancer for 12 years in an Arab restaurant. We had mostly American customers with about a fourth to a Third ARabs except on nights when we did Arab parties.
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Feeling has to be called upon like an actress in a scene. You cannot fake emotion and 'put on a face'. When we dance for a living (or because we made a commitment to someone etc.) we dont always feel like dancing, there maybe personal problems etc. so we have to draw on an emotion we have experienced which relates to the muisc. Some people only conjour up the last image of themselves having sex and recreate it to music..Porno face. Either this or they think it is authentic and looks like Dina? the mind boggles.
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Yes, there are nights when we just don't feel like it. But often, once the music reaches in and gets to your soul, problems are forgotten and the dance is all that matters in the moment. You might get off the stage and remember every problem in your life,but for the moment, it all just goes away and I am dancing.
Regards,
A'isha