Thread: HELP!! I need performance and music advice

I just started performing and I've been told to start a set off with a high energy song with lots of changes to show off moves. I've also been told to start off the first song covered in a veil, and eventually take it off during the dance. I usually start of a set with a fast pace classical Egyptian song, with a lot of musical changes. I want to start off covered in my veil. Do I start off with slow or fast song covered in a veil and then do my usual fast pace song or a very brief slow-med song with the veil on and then take the veil off and do my fast pace song. What's a good song to start a set, covered with my veil.

Help, I'm confused!!

Veil taking off and Egyptian music may be less than kosher...
Traditional AmCab music may be a better choice for veil removal as part of the routine. Fast intro followed by a slow song for veil work is the norm - the way I understand it.

what you're describing is the American Cabaret style 5 part show, which has roots in Turkish dance.

Usually you would use a fast entrance and come in wrapped in the veil with zills a-blazing. The veil would be removed in the second, slower number.

There are dancers on this board who specialize in this style, so I'll let them go into more detail.

Egyptian style dancers usually enter holding the veil, swish it around a few times, and then ditch it.

Modern-American dancers usually enter holding the veil, do lots of lovely 'tricks' with it (tosses, turns, etc) then get rid of it.

Doing a Vintage American style routine to Egyptian music isn't a big no-no or anything. (although if you're dancing for Egyptians, they're not used to it and may think it looks like stripping).

Other dancers usually enjoy seeing people dance within a particular style and may be confused by your choice, but unless they're just being snotty I don't know why they'd hate on you for it.

Where are you dancing? Is it a restaurant? If so, go to as many of the other dancer's shows there as possible before your performance, you'll get a good idea of what a typical show consists of in that venue and who the audience is.

Thanks for the advice...Much clearer now!!

There are some music 'entrance pieces' that start off with a short bit of slower music, then move into the faster maksoum - your queue to whiz around the dance space and introduce yourself. You can either wait off-stage during the slower intro, and burst in (holding veil) with the maksoum. Or you could enter wrapped in the veil in the slower section and perform some lovely taxim moves, before unwrapping the veil at the start of the faster section. (I do this unwrapping myself whilst spinning, which looks nice and dramatic. I don't think the concern about 'taking off veil = stripping' is so prevalent here in Australia)

Two pieces of music that do this are as follows. They both include the types of tempo and mood changes you're after, so great for opening numbers. Both include a nice bit of Saidi.

- Saher Al Sharq Etneen from the CD 'Layali Al Sharq'. Also has a khaleegy section to it.
- Rannet Khlkhala (track 4) on 'Champagne Belly Dance' by Setrak Sarkission. Together with the rest of the CD it forms a full 20 min set.

"I just started performing and I've been told to start a set off with a high energy song with lots of changes to show off moves."

Do start off with energy, something to show your audience "Hey, this is gonna be fun! This fun, you toootally want a part of it."

Your first song isn't just the time for them to get a first taste, it's also your time to get a sense of who you are dancing for. So when you come in, don't rush to those moves...travel around the space, see what you've got to work with and the physical layout. This is your first chance to see who you might be getting up to dance with later and what areas might be your biggest fans.

If you've got your zills a blazing, you don't need to be throwing out a bunch of tricks at first. The GP? They'll be so glued to the "OMG zills! She is playing MUSIC AND DANCING" factor that your traveling moves won't need to be complex.

Then, when you're ready, plant yourself dramaticly and then bring out a few moves that help them understand the rhythm.

NOT TOO MANY.

In your opening song, with some rhythm/mood variety, you are presenting the appitizer platter. You're showing them a little bit of this and that and what's to come..a liiitle bit of your range. Save some for later when they will be more able to process it...and so you won't be worn out for the bag-o-tricks moments like you drum solo.

Read up on veil drapes and practice what works for you. Remember that having some of your body coverted will obscure some of the intricacy of certain moves...which is another reason to keep the opening upbeat, varied, zill-tastic but not packed full of the show stopping moves.

Look for opening peices that are somewhat structured to take the audience on a journey. Often you'll want soemthing with a slow but dramatic build-up (which you will enter AFTER) to announce "hey, something reaaaaly magic is about to happen" THEN the fun-time music kicks in, and which point it's your time to come in, travel, travel, travel, until a point (and often the music will get a little more earthy here) you plant yourself to do some moves. From there often the dance music will go into quieter, more languid moments, more quivering moment and such...untill it picks up and takes the audience back to that fun-time again.

Does that help a bit?

Depending on tbe length of your set, most of the vintage AmCab albums (see another thread) have these routines built right in!

Sure does, Thanks!!

I like Saher Al Sharq Eteen. I have to check out Rannet Khlkhala. Cool, Thanks for the info!!

Great advice everyone!

Does anyone have any videos of themselves doing an intro performance they would be willing to post for us to study the finer points?

Also, did you know that people learn better from the study of "what went wrong here and how can it be fixed", versus from study of excellent examples alone?

So, give us the good the bad and the ugly!

-Fionna

Few that I really enjoy for Am Cab style with Arabic essences...from Adam Basma CDs like Set El Hosen...etc
They are remixed so you can play zills, I also like to start with Aziza, nice upbeat version, short or Faddah from Hossam Ramzy, or Suhaila Salimpour Arabian Musicals are awesome, I use all the time.

Great Idea!!

Sounds like folks pretty much have you covered here. I do a standard AmCab set up when I dance and it usually goes, upbeat intro, slow veil, taxim, drum solo, tips/participation (depending on venue)/exit. Obviously can be longer if participation is part of it cause that can involve a song or two extra before the exit. I don't take my veil off until the veil song is started. I have also done the Egyptian thing and entered with it and ditched it as well.