djwaglmuffin

Ok, so I've practiced all of the basic moves, I know them by heart and they all look pretty good, but when I goto just dance to music, I'm having trouble moving away from one spot. While it looks kinda cool for a few seconds, it can get pretty boring. I don't know if it's because I lack confidence or what.
I have watched others perform to see what I can do, and it's still difficult, even trying to mimic someone else, but I think once I get this down I could probably start really performing.
Anyone have any tips?

teela

Honestly, I think we all go through that. I know i did. At one workshop, the instructor gave a piece of advice for improving to a drum solo and I think it would work in any situation. If you want to change moves, throw in a turn and start something new. Maybe you could do that and it might help. Also try the hip, step forward or at a diagonal to get you moving.
Otherwise, just experiment at home to music. Don't worry if you mess up, it will come.
Have fun.

gisela

Well, It IS difficult and I doubt that it is something you suddenly "get". It takes many years of escalating improvement. Watching others is a good way of getting ideas, but remember also to listen to the music you want to dance to, listen, listen, listen without dancing, feel if it makes you want to go up on you toes, or if it tells you to move fast or slow or snakey or with accents.
I have the problem that I want it to be sooo good, like perfect at once, and it's not going to happen, and I get angry. It doesn't have to be perfect and you could maybe start performing even though it's not perfect. Probably best at student haflas and stuff for the first few years to get some practice and to get comfortable with the situation.
Good luck

__________________
You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche

Aziyade

First of all, what kind of music are you practicing to? If you're practicing to techno or something very repetitive, it can be really tough to figure out how to make it look interesting.

But beyond that -- don't worry about how it looks. Worry instead about how it feels! Forget for a moment that you're dancing in front of a mirror, or for an audience. What does the music say to you? What does the music DEMAND that you do?

Create an imaginary setting. Pretend you're dancing under blossoming cherry trees and really SMELL those blooms. Pretend you're dancing in the street in those moments just before it starts to rain and really FEEL the temperature change and smell the rain in the air. Put yourself completely in this imaginary place, close your eyes, and start the music. FEEL the music and don't worry about what movement you're doing.

Actually, try dancing with just ONE movement the entire time. Put on your music and start doing a hip circle. Do big ones, little ones, fast ones, slow ones. Half circles, 1 and a half circles, 3/4 circles. One circle one way and three the other way, etc.

If you do this exercise for every move you know -- put on that music and dance just that one move to the entire song -- you'll soon start to see what fits what in the music, and you'll figure out what looks good together and you can work on transitioning between the 2.

But don't worry about how it looks. Anybody can string 10 movements together. Not everybody can actually DANCE them. That's what FEELING the movement will help you do.

Mosaic

I like this idea, This would really help work out what feels right for you. Thanks for the suggestion.
~Mosaic

Aniseteph

Daft question, might be a language thing, but do you mean moving away from physically one place, or moving away from just doing one move, or moving away from the concept of just doing moves to improvised dancing?

If it's the first one and you haven't actually been taught any of those basics in their travelling versions then it IS going to be difficult to move because you haven't learnt how! Travelling is different because you have to get the hang of how the move works with the weight shifts you need to get your feet free to walk. If you can travel with your moves and are comfortable doing that you can keep the flow going.

(Sorry if I've misunderstood and I'm stating the obvious! But personally I often wonder why I can't do something and it's only later I realise it was because no one had shown me how yet )

PS. "one move" improvising is a great idea!

Aziyade

one move to rule them all
one move to find them
one move to bring them all
and in the choreography bind them...

Sorry I'm goofy. It's an hour before I start my week's vacation. Can you tell?

adiemus

now that is a good quote (may I use it?!!)!

I am enjoying improv now, after Kashmir showed us to find two movements - a 'sharp' one and a 'squishy' one. Then when the music does a sharp accent, use the sharp movement (and all the variations like level change, diagonals, circles, shimmies, hip twists etcetc), and on the squishy music - use the squishy movements and all the variations! Works really really well!! and stops you trying to remember a bunch of movements in a row.
I think the next step for me is to find a series of movements that seem to fit well, and use them (a bit like enchainements in ballet), again with sharp and squishy elements! and in the privacy of my own home no-one need know that I'm just playing around!

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He wahine, he taonga- Every woman is a treasure(Maori proverb)

Aniseteph

squishy moves to squishy music?! (OK band, play me something..... SQUISHY!)

(adds to mental notebook of top bellydance descriptions, next to blurbly shimmies)

Seriously though, I see what you are saying. Great idea.