Do you practice everyday?

Sasa

New member
Am I being ridiculously shy?

I want to practice everyday. Especially because I am not so called naturally gifted dancer. To dance well, it seems like I need more training than average people... :(

And I do train "most" day. But to be honest, I cannot "every" day. It is because I don't want my family to see me practising... I do only when I am alone at home. However, just before a show, I REALLY need to practice, then I do. But I push my husband away from the room!!

Are you comfortable training in front of your family? Let me know how you think... any solution?
 

jjj

New member
Ok, I'm not a belly dancer yet. But when I exercise I want my house clear too. But I'm very shy when it comes to my body.
 

SeeJaneDance

New member
Hi, there! I'm just a student, but when I'm at my best, I train every day (lately I've been sick and injured, so it hasn't happened)...it definitely affects both the quality of my dancing and my comfort level with executing a dance. As for doing it in front of my husband or anyone else...yeah, I'm not so comfortable with that, either. What I WILL do in front of him, though, are simple stretches and isolations that I know he won't pay any attention to. We pop in a movie and I get my shimmy on. It's a way that I can spend at least a little amount of time on it no matter what. Real dance practice, though, or any work I do with dvds, happens pretty much in private. Not because I'm shy, but because he and I are both easily distracted. Either he'll start making comments, or he'll ask questions, and that doesn't work for my focus.
 

Lydia

New member
Yes ! practise lets say 6 out of 7 day,s of the week ...that is beside my ,,dance work,, practise just for me
 

Sasa

New member
Thanks for your answer, jjj, SeeJaneDance and Lydia!

jjj, yes, I also try to tidy my room up before I start. Otherwise I cannot concentrate!

SeeJaneDane, that's good to know it's not only me who wants to be by myself for training. But in your case, I think it's great that your husband is interested and makes comments. It's like having others' eye all the time to be pointed out when we do some non-beautiful movements. My husband imitates me and makes fun!! :shok:
Do you take private/group lessons as well or are you self-taught using DVDs?
 

Sasa

New member
Lydia, so, professional dancer like you also practise every day in addition to your work! Thank you for letting me know since it's good example for me to make myself more disciplined!
 

Lydia

New member
Hi Sasa....wel there is always new things that i want to do new choreo,i find new music and want to teach new combo,s in class so i have to practise...and beside that i feel so good....i try to do it every day at 11.am and try to stick to that time ,if i leave it for later usely i get busy and then nothing comes from it....but if you get used to it its like i did not eat or something ...it keeps on nagging on me ,so better get it over with in the morning...its not realy hours sometimes i only do 45 minutes ....but need to do it....lol addict!!!!!!
 

Sasa

New member
Lydia, thank you very very much for the useful advice.
For me, setting time is really good idea. I agree morning is better. I feel I can do it this year!!
What I need to improve now is drum solo improvisation. For other type of music, I started be able to comfortably improvise, but when it comes to drum solo, my body just doesn't move. In front of mirror I look nothing like a skilled belly dancer, and I quit. When I think "oh, I need to practise drum solo", it's sooo difficult to start... I just avoid drum solo... would you kindly give me any suggestion how I can change my attitude towards drum solo?
 

Darshiva

Moderator
Am I being ridiculously shy?

I want to practice everyday. Especially because I am not so called naturally gifted dancer. To dance well, it seems like I need more training than average people... :(

And I do train "most" day. But to be honest, I cannot "every" day. It is because I don't want my family to see me practising... I do only when I am alone at home. However, just before a show, I REALLY need to practice, then I do. But I push my husband away from the room!!

Are you comfortable training in front of your family? Let me know how you think... any solution?

I also do not like to train in front of my husband. He now offers to leave if I look like I want to dance (isn't he wonderful?!) I think that it's human nature to not want to look foolish (and let's face it, we all look foolish while we're learning how to do something) in front of someone who is WATCHING! Of course it's different in a classroom setting because everyone is doing the same thing.

Also, I think you'll find that the schedule of 'most days' is a good sane one to have. You do need rest days from formal training to give your body & brain time to recover. If you feel you are running low on time, you can always incorporate your training into housework & hygiene routines - that's actually how I encourage my full-time working students to find the time to do their dance practice (there are no excuses for not practicing in my classroom!)

Something I would recommend is to video yourself dancing every once in a while (ever few months) because that way you'll be able to see the progress you're making.

Also, it is my experience that those who take the longest to learn something do so because they learn it deeply. Once they have it, it is in their bones. So be kind about yourself when describing the progress you are making with your dance. I have had more than one lovely dancer who was still using negative language to describe her dancing!
 

Sasa

New member
Darshiva, wow... you have an amazingly kind husband!!! (In my case, I needed to kick out my husband from the room, Oops! .....but he always sits in the very front row when I perform, which is sweet of him :)

Thank you for your advice. Yes, I will follow your "most days"-basis recommendation when I feel too guilty when I really cannot have time to practice...

I used to feel really embarrassed to watch my video taped dance. Now it must be the time to compare my old performance (I have never watched since I know I will want to scream!!) and my current dance... Actually, after I uploaded my performance on Youtube, I started to get used to watching myself, and I can see myself clearly more, what I have to fix, etc.
 

Darshiva

Moderator
This thread has actually given me the motivation to write up a list of daily routines & where to fit your drills into them.

I just realised that I always drill moves in the shower, even when I'm on holidays, because it's just habit now.
 

Henna

New member
Don't worry about "ridiculous shyness". There are much worse cases than you. I avoid practicing in front of my cat. :) He always comes over to me and lies down on my feet, when I try to dance. In his language it means, "Please stop this nonsense and behave like a normal person. Why don't you do something useful, such as scratching me behind my ears."
 

Farasha Hanem

New member
Thanks for your answer, jjj, SeeJaneDance and Lydia!

jjj, yes, I also try to tidy my room up before I start. Otherwise I cannot concentrate!

SeeJaneDane, that's good to know it's not only me who wants to be by myself for training. But in your case, I think it's great that your husband is interested and makes comments. It's like having others' eye all the time to be pointed out when we do some non-beautiful movements. My husband imitates me and makes fun!! :shok:
Do you take private/group lessons as well or are you self-taught using DVDs?

My husband giggles and makes fun of me. -_-;;; The son acts traumatized and threatens to go into therapy, and goes crazy if I start zilling. -_- The daughter is the only one who supports me, and will even do Rachel Brice DVD drills with me, and will critique me on choreo practice, but she won't come with me to classes because she thinks she's too fat. -_- She's ONLY 129 pounds, for crying out loud!!! -_-

My family makes me make this face a LOT: -_-
 
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Darshiva

Moderator
My husband giggles and makes fun of me. -_-;;; The son acts traumatized and threatens to go into therapy, and goes crazy if I start zilling. -_- The daughter is the only one who supports me, and will even do Rachel Brice DVD drills with me, and will critique me on choreo practice, but she won't come with me to classes because she thinks she's too fat. -_- She's ONLY 129 pounds, for crying out loud!!! -_-

My family makes me make this face a LOT: -_-

Drag her along anyway. Tell her an outright fib if you need to to get her there. She will end up being addicted & thanking you for it!
 

SeeJaneDance

New member
Thanks for your answer, jjj, SeeJaneDance and Lydia!

jjj, yes, I also try to tidy my room up before I start. Otherwise I cannot concentrate!

SeeJaneDane, that's good to know it's not only me who wants to be by myself for training. But in your case, I think it's great that your husband is interested and makes comments. It's like having others' eye all the time to be pointed out when we do some non-beautiful movements. My husband imitates me and makes fun!! :shok:
Do you take private/group lessons as well or are you self-taught using DVDs?


Sasa, it would be helpful if the comments were about the dancing, but they're usually about dinner, something that happened during the day, or Rachel Brice's superiority in dance...rarely something useful! :lol:

I primarily take group lessons, I just use the dvds to help guide home practice. I find it helps give me some direction, and learn different/new ways of doing things.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
My winter classes start the 18th and I'd better start practicing "most days" or I'm going to be behind my students. ;) I took the last half of December off and this thread is good incentive to return to practice. Thanks, ladies.

I tend to just dance wherever whenever in my house, often to music inside my head. My daughter usually rolls her eyes and heads for her room; my husband usually has his own projects going . After thirty years of marriage, dance practice is something I don't even think he notices.

Farasha, you are a brave woman to continue in the face of giggles and traumatized children. It was amazing what I could get my children to do when they were young simply by threatening to dance if they did not comply with instructions. Instead of trying to physically force them to leave the park or the mall, I'd just murmur, "I feel a dance coming on" and BOOM! they were out the door and in the car.
 
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Lydia

New member
Lydia, thank you very very much for the useful advice.
For me, setting time is really good idea. I agree morning is better. I feel I can do it this year!!
What I need to improve now is drum solo improvisation. For other type of music, I started be able to comfortably improvise, but when it comes to drum solo, my body just doesn't move. In front of mirror I look nothing like a skilled belly dancer, and I quit. When I think "oh, I need to practise drum solo", it's sooo difficult to start... I just avoid drum solo... would you kindly give me any suggestion how I can change my attitude towards drum solo?

Hi Sasa,i just gonna give you my 2 cents on this ....how it always has worked for me....i wil try to post a solo tabla video here from me so you can get some idea,s perhaps.....
i work mostly with musicians ,not with recorded music,so i know my drummer very wel and he know,s me and we know what we want to do....do you work with recorded music or musicians?
try as much as you can to listen what you work with,like at least 50 times so the pattern of the drums get under your skin.....you dont realy have to count ,you wil feel when you have to,, cut,,....try what fits in at home what you have time for when the next pattern will start....and try what movement will fit what you have time for.....you can work in solo tabla with the tabla ,or to make variation can go with the,,pocket,, what is the background drum and use the ,,dom,, from that...make sure your legs are a bit flexed so you dont lock up your hips allow your body to bounce and do shymmy,s so keep it relaxed,......when you are like that you can do shymmy,s on the tabla and use the dom from the background drum to ,,layer,, like barrels and bodywaves ....dont make the layeribg fast make it slow...try not to cut your shymmy,s keep them going....so you have 2 things or even 4 things done at the same time....so you wil get shymmy,s nicely and study ...and when the dom is there from the ,,pocket,, you put accent like with chest drops.... keep it simple in the beginning....it wil come with practise....but listen and listen,so the pattern will go realy under your skin...you can always go online in my chatbox and we practise together!!!! i will make you the best solotabla dancer promise!!!!!!
 

Lydia

New member
sorry dear i try,d but the video is not ,,sitting,, lol will try in other way lol
 
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Lydia

New member
pfffffffff sorry dear no luck the youtube adres is like 3 lines long ! it use to be 6 letters orso lol...i can not paste in here i geuss i do something wrong...but try to go to my video,s it has 2 solo tabla,s if you watch the one that i am wearing a pink 2 piece ,badla,, you can see how i start with only accent on the ,,pocket,, after that i go only with the tabla,then i put pocket and shymmys together...hope i explain it ok and you can understand it....just go to youtbe ,,lydia tzigane,, and peek when you have time....my channel name is ,,bleu amber....goodluck dear with practising,solo tabla is realy cool so catch it!!!! dont leave it:dance:
 
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