Thread: Would you dance if....?

This has been on my mind for a while.
Do I want to dance at the next show?

After reading this and seeing the instructors point of view, I'm not sure:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...erforming.html


I don't feel it's going to look professional. I think it could be better!
I WON'T make suggestions (this time), it only p*sses off the instructor.
Her bat, her rules, her rep.

Her choreo is basically;
She will be in the center of the stage, and improvise her dancing...we will be dancing in circles around her...trying to follow her lead.

Would you dance around in a circle, not knowing the next step, bopping into each other, for a show?

What sort of show is it? Who will be in the audience?

ETA: If you're really uncomfortable with it, I'd talk about it with your instructor. Ask if it's okay for you to pull out, or will it mess things up too much? If you've committed, and it would cause big problems for you to pull out, I think you should go through with it.

It's a benefit show for diabetes. The audience will be private club patrons.

You're probably right, should just do it.

I'm not sure what my thread has to do with your question.

My shows always have weeks of rehearsals with tight line ups that depend on participation. Nothing like what you describe.

If it's her show, she need to be the boss. But if you don't like her rules, then don't be part of her troupe. Being a troupe director is hard work, but maybe your troupe director isn't working hard enough.

To answer your question, if my present would enhance the show, or if I had commited to it, I would do it. If I were just another be-bopper, probably not.

Originally Posted by SandraDances

I'm not sure what my thread has to do with your question.

My shows always have weeks of rehearsals with tight line ups that depend on participation. Nothing like what you describe.

If it's her show, she need to be the boss. But if you don't like her rules, then don't be part of her troupe. Being a troupe director is hard work, but maybe your troupe director isn't working hard enough.

To answer your question, if my present would enhance the show, or if I had commited to it, I would do it. If I were just another be-bopper, probably not.

I didn't mean to offend you, with the link...it's just that it's been on my mind a lot.

I guess I never thought the director would care that much, but then again, it's not a structured routine.
If some bow out, nothing changes, except more room on the dance floor.

Yes, she is the boss. It SHOULD be done her way.

I just think it would look more professional with a set choreo (like you have), instead of literally dancing counter-clockwise, constantly looking over your shoulder at the teacher in the center, trying to follow her next step.

Too me that SAYS we didn't put ANYTHING into this show.

The class is trying hard to keep up, I just think it would be EASIER to have a choreography to follow.
I feel it wouldn't be as embarassing if I made a mistake in a set choreo, instead of running into the dancer in front of me, because I'm watching teachers next move.

I'm not going to offer my opinion. Like I said, it's HER show.
I hope it goes well, and everyone has fun.
But I think I'd rather tape it, than dance it.
Show support in some other way.

Last time I tried to talk to her, it upset her. She's the pro.
Everything (but one), I tried to bring to her attention, the audience complained about.
I wasn't there, and had no part in it.
It must have been a coincident that the audience complained about the stuff I brought up.

NO, I'm not a pro, no will I ever be. That's why I'm keeping my mouth shut. Just considering not dancing...that's all.

Originally Posted by gothique

<snip>
But I think I'd rather tape it, than dance it.
Show support in some other way.
<snip>

Have you made that offer? Why not explain to the director that you prefer to perform choreographies when dancing in a troupe, and can you help out in some other capacity? Let her know that if that's a problem you're happy to dance anyway.

Thanks, after I thought about it I realized that was probably what you meant.

It's hard when you have higher ideals than the person in charge.

At a later time, maybe you could ask her for choreographies and say that it would make you feel more confident.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Unless your troupe has a lot of experience with this lead/follow way of working, it can be very difficult. ATS dancers have a limited set vocabulary with cues for changes and spend a lot of time dancing together to get that seamless improv look.

Originally Posted by SandraDances

and say that it would make you feel more confident

Thank you, that's exactly it!!!
:-)

Maybe if we told it too her that way, she'd understand.

Is it possible to tape this as when you are in rehearsal, and then have the class watch it together? Or just say you would like like to tape "yourself" doing this in class and watch it with her. This could just be something really rough using the video options on someone's digital camera-but maybe showing it to her would sort cause a lightbulb to go off for her. We tried this circle/follow style once in my very first class-fortunately after a time or two, our teacher realized how terrible this looked!

Otherwise I would suggest definitely not dancing- there are so many other ways to be supportive. Backstage help, calling everyone the night before, bringing water and cups for everyone, the options are endless! But definitely don't put yourself in a place where you already know you will end of feeling embarrassed.
Good luck!
Nikki

Just so you don't feel alone in your worries, I know I would never agree to take part in a group number under those circumstances, especially one that sounds somewhat high-profile and is maybe even a paid gig for your teacher. I'm pretty tightly wound for a belly dancer, I guess, but I'd never do a group performance without choreo where everyone is actually expected to be doing the same thing at the same time (ATS, of course, is the notable exception to this).

If you are not comfortable doing this improv, then you shouldn't. But I've known students who do fine with it. If I was first starting out, I would be terrified myself but now I would be more open to it. The idea is to be comfortable with it or it's going to show during the performance.

Originally Posted by gothique

This has been on my mind for a while.
Would you dance around in a circle, not knowing the next step, bopping into each other, for a show?

Uh, no.

As Laura 2 posted, "especially one that sounds somewhat high-profile and is maybe even a paid gig for your teacher."

Deborah

No, as a student I would not dance.....unless I was extremely confident. And I mean extremely confident and knew every move that she did.

As an instructor, I would not put my students through that....especially on stage!.... and run the risk of having them look silly if they miss anything that I've done or misinterpret a move or 20.

I also would not put them in a situation where they could miss timing in the music or simply go into "what was that move' mode. There is a chance of that happening since movements tend to look different from every angle and the students are going to be in a circle around her, so every angle will look different.

Now if it works and all the students follow along very nicely, it can be pulled off as a fabulous performance piece...providing the other dancers are quick of wit, fast at execution (which is fully dependent on the music) and know all her improvisational movements to be able to follow. AND know what every move looks like from every angle.

If it doesn't work, the students are going to look like a bunch of, well, students trying to keep up with Ms Pro Teacher.....And that kind of stuff needs to be saved for exercises in class, not somewhere where the students could end up with feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment. (Comment is not taking into consideration here that this may have been practiced in class already)

As far as pulling out goes, you should be able to pull out without any penalty against you as a student performer. If more than one student pulls out, then the instructor seriously needs to rethink her plan without getting pizzed off and maybe put it aside for another performance later on where she can plan to give them a set range of movements that she will use so they at least know what moves will be used. She can then use those movements as an improvisation tool in no particular order.

A 'Pro' really shouldn't get pizzed off at students legitimate concerns in situations like this.

To be honest with you, as a person who watches dance recitals and performances sometimes....what you're describing, if I were watching, would probably make me think, "oh, the instructor wants to show off her skills and she's just having the students dance around to make it LOOK like she's not trying to do a solo performance." Or possibly, "oh, the students aren't very good so they're not the focus of the show and the instructor has to pick up the slack." It's the same way I felt in choir when our "choir" performance was a song that heavily featured a soloist and the choir were just like the backup singers and it looked more like the director wanted to really just have the soloist sing but as it was supposed to be a "choir" performance he threw us in to be the background--either make it a group thing, or don't, but a thinly-veiled solo performance isn't going to fool many people, IMO. Maybe I've got the wrong idea of what BD and its performances are all about, but as you're playing to a non-BD audience, that's likely how it's going to look.

No advice on how you might bring this up to the instructor, mind you! But I'm just saying.

It does sound awkward. If you have a bad feeling about it, don't do it. If the "choreography" is that free form, the removal of one person shouldn't disrupt it.

Nope, I wouldn't. Find someone (if you can) who is on the same page as you are with 'what a show should look like'. If you can't, continue to enjoy learning in class, but make it clear you're not comfortable with performing improvisationally or that you don't wish to perform, (if you need to be more subtle.)

Good for you for wanting something more!

KS

I've done a lot of choreographies I didn't like because it wasn't my studio, but I can't think of anything that I'd beembarrassed about. What you're describing doesn't sound like dancing at all. It sounds like your teacher drilling while the rest of you play ring around the belly dance rosie. You'll just be disgusted with yourself if you do it, so I'd find some way to avoid the performance. You don't have to tell her the real reason why you want to bow out unless you're ready for a scene. If you want to stay with her but not do this gig just keep it vague.

I could never preform that way. I would feel like all I was doing was prancing around my teacher while she did a solo. She isn't a maypole and I am not holding a ribbon. Of course, my teacher would never try this.

That said, could it just be that she thinks that this is a good looking format or that learning a choreo would be too difficult or stressful for the class?

I'm sure she feels it will look great, but I've sat through class and watched it.
I didn't like it, it could be better. Not sure how though.
Maybe if the ENTIRE song wasn't danced like this?

I wonder if she does think it'll be too stressful.
Some 'newbies' or 'babybellys' just started last week.

I noticed that the ladies still don't seem to know the songs yet.
They don't stop right when the teacher does.


Kat144 - I hope it doesn't come across that way to the audience!

There are students who just started belly dance class last week, and she's planning to put them in a show?

Whoa, this sounds like an embarrassment waiting to happen. I wouldn't do a show without choreography. There's just way too much room for error, and if something goes wrong, of course it won't be the teachers fault because she was the leader. I'd bow out of this one, for dignity sake.

i'm having a big students show in january, and i really dont mind when students tell me they dont want to be in it... so, just talk to her!

i have done a student show where the last song of the show (40 min in all at a community event), was a solo by me, folowed by me getting the students up, and improvising together... and it worked... but than again, we do that kind of thing a lot in class, we did it in a "multiply" way, i got a student up, than we both got something else up, and gradually there were 20 people on the dance area (there wasnt really a stage and the audience was all around)..

anyway, just to say that improvsing with students is not bad per sé as part of a show...