Thread: Live music

What is everyone's opinions on dancing to live music? If you had a choice would you rather dance to a band or a CD?

i was lucky.i came up through l.a. when there was only live music.you practiced to a "record", many had the latest song, like "sunglasses".
i have no fear of it, i love a goos q and a drum solo.
i love it when the soloist gets up during your floor and plays to you !

You know my answer, Sean!

Welcome to Bhuz!

The best part of performing this dance=
The living musicians that play live music for me and the audience!

*Never* fails to get me in the mood to dance:)

live music of course - to me a cd could never replace the sound, the feeling, the mood, the whole atmosphere live musicians create.

Let me say from the other side of the stage that there is nothing better for a musician than to play live for a dancer. Whether it's a practiced piece or a total improv, the interplay is pure magic!

Larry

Live Music...I miss Seattle ..cr.:

Originally Posted by zamora

i was lucky.i came up through l.a.

me too. remember when every club had a house band?

there's no substitute for a great live music. pure magic

Good band = good time

Not-so-good band = not-so-good time

But when things are really clickin', live is the best thing in the world . . .

<sigh>

Deborah

Live music. I can't stand dancing to a CD. Nothing is better than that moment when you and the band are in scync. It's magic.

Live! Live! Live!

Someday, when I am filthy rich, I am going to hire a middle eastern band to follow me around and play a soundtrack to my life.

Live...but I have to pre-qualify that after being asked to dance to a hurdy-gurdy earlier this week.

Good, live, Arabic music raqs my world!!

Live live live. The joy of dancing with a great band is simply magical.
But with a knowledgeable and skilled band.
If my choice is CD or band whose leader is drunk, rude and won't play anything I ask for- I'll choose CD.

Coming from ballroom and jazz where dance is highly choreographed, I was afraid of live music when I first started performing belly dance. However, now that I have danced with live music several times (Scott Wilson and Effendi) and am becoming more comfortable with the whole idea of improvisation, I really do prefer the live music. Scott and his band members really watch the dancer and are very responsive to the dancer's moves. Also, I agree that hearing those instruments played all about you and the live vocals really is very inspirational in a way that a cd could never be. When that music hits your body you "feel" it in a much more intimate and intense way. So for solo performances, I vote for live music.

For choreographed group performances though, especially for a student beginner/intermediate group, I do think cd's are better. I saw a group performance this week where one of the students was so thrown by the live music (not sounding exactly like the cd they had practiced to), that she literally stook stock still in the middle of the performance and wailed, "I don't know what to do", which then threw off her group mates for a good 30 seconds of the song! I felt badly for that group because I know they worked very hard on that piece.....

I like live music whenever it's a choice.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

You know my answer, Sean!

Welcome to Bhuz!

So it seems you and I live in some twisted bellydance world. I am really surprised that are area seems to be filled with people who prefer CD to live.

Or one other answer is no one in my arealikes the band, its a possibility I suppose.

I have to admit that I am always getting cranky and impatient when I hear the comment by musicians that they feel as if in their corner of the world, they are no appreciated. While I can understand the sentiment, it's a misinterpretation.

There are many good reasons why dancers who immensely enjoy dancing to live music may make a choice to go with a recording - from logistics over money to simply not wanting to add the additional layer of coordinating with yet another group of people. Or, maybe the style of dancing and the band's style may not be the perfect match - I have a collection of several thousand songs I can dance to; it would be ignorant to expect a band to play "everything". And, from experience - it takes a while for a dancer to become relaxed and confident enough to talk to musicians. And, who knows, maybe there are also personal reasons that may come into play - we are all humans, and being inclined towards the arts, tend to be a bit more on theh passionate side, which is fun, but doesn't always make getting along easier.

So, there are many very sound reasons that impact what music dancers dance to - and from my view of the world, the "nobody likes live music" is often an oversimplification.

One thing to do - hang out with the dancers, get up and dance at a hafla (they'll love it). I find that getting to know musicians as people has made a big difference in how I feel about dancing with live music.

Keep up the good music ;-)

Originally Posted by sblanck

Or one other answer is no one in my arealikes the band, its a possibility I suppose.

I don't think that people in Dallas have as much exposure to dancing to live music as people from other parts of the country. Your band has a wonderful, old-school sound, like the Sultans who were a big influence to you. In our area, it may be just as much that dancers a) just don't know how to dance to live music at all, or it's very new to them and they are not ready to dance outside of their comfort zone, or b) that they are not used to the more classic American Cabaret style of music and dance anymore, and don't yet know how to adapt their style to fit the music.

Also, you guys are sorta just getting started in the area. Give it time, I think it will take off. If you notice, Wind & Fingers, It Is What It Is, and Cybele are all starting to do more. I feel like once the dancers in the area get more used to having the opportunity to dance with live music, they'll be more likely to choose live over CD.

I have another point I'd like to make, but I'll do it in a pm.

Here's a point I made in my pm to Sean that I'd like to say in the forum:

Sean, I want to point out that I think you guys are developing a wonderful sound, and I know that you'll continue to do so and I think the dancers will come along - I have a feeling the biggest obstacle is that you're dealing with some dancers who've NEVER danced improv, and can't let go of that control.

Originally Posted by sblanck

So it seems you and I live in some twisted bellydance world. I am really surprised that are area seems to be filled with people who prefer CD to live.

My background:
My dads part of the family is Albanians and always hung out with Greek,Armenian,Kurdish,Turkish and arabic speaking immigrants.

On most partys there´s live music,even if there´s no dancers-
people just hang out and dance for each other.

I started to bellydance in -98 and have been dancing to live music since the first time my teachers put me up on stage.
Most other students seemed to fear live music,
but I weren´t intimidated since *I didn´t knew* I should be

I´m not a great or wonderful dancer by any means,
but the live music gives me a flow experience.
Only the present matters,I´m in the moment.

When the dance school where I work were to write a little presentation in the "About the teachers"pages,
they wrote something like "Emma performs in weddings,partys blah blah-
she prefers to dance to live music".

I´ve got dance gigs thanks to that line,
even when potential clients originally wanted someone thinner/younger/more accomplished than me!:)

Here is a little clip that illustrates the flow I feel whenever there´s a celebration with live music:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwwmgtntSjs&feature=PlayList&p=B4B44FDAAC1 E016E&index=19]YouTube - الØ*اجه بترقص[/ame]

The next Secrets of the Stage DVD has a whole section about dancing to live music. Here is a clip
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0_uaqkJuo]YouTube - Secrets of the Stage 3 - DVD Trailer[/ame]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE dancing to live music! However, if the band is playing a style that I would not normally dance to, it makes it hard to connect with them. In those cases I prefer a CD. For whatever reason I just don't like the old school american cabaret sound. I think it definitely affects my dancing if I am forced to work with that style of music when i just have a hard time "feeling" it. Also, the opportunities to dance with live music in my area are few and far between. I think this makes it very intimidating for newer dancers so they tend to just default to CD because the live music is out of their comfort zone.

All good points

I am not sure if we really sound like The Sultans, we do play two of their songs. We had rehearsal today and worked on Enta Omri, Zeina and Muhabbet. We have a few others we are working on, but to get sheet music for other Sultans tunes is near impossible. I have contact with Mr. Tekbilek and Turmen at least once or twice a month and they say all of their songs are just "traditional tunes everyone knows"
I agree that many of the things I gre up with are fading away. What happened to zils? Why are dancers so quiet now? No anklet bells or bells in general. Maybe the this wonderful bailout will help everyone ( ha ha ) and I can get a regular gig at a restaurant.

Thanks

Sean

Originally Posted by sblanck

All good points

I am not sure if we really sound like The Sultans, we do play two of their songs. We had rehearsal today and worked on Enta Omri, Zeina and Muhabbet. We have a few others we are working on, but to get sheet music for other Sultans tunes is near impossible. I have contact with Mr. Tekbilek and Turmen at least once or twice a month and they say all of their songs are just "traditional tunes everyone knows"
I agree that many of the things I gre up with are fading away. What happened to zils? Why are dancers so quiet now? No anklet bells or bells in general. Maybe the this wonderful bailout will help everyone ( ha ha ) and I can get a regular gig at a restaurant.

Thanks

Sean

There was another thread where dancers were talking about the perils of zilling to live music, as sometimes the musicians egos come into play (i.e. they don't like the competition to be heard) and sometimes the skill level isn't there. Personally, I LOVE TO PLAY ZILLS. I try not to be annoying or repetitive, and try to do interesting things. I was trained on zills by Z-Helene in Austin, she just took it to a whole 'nother dimension I never would have imagined. And she almost always plays to live music-if you are in Dallas you should check her out in Austin sometime if you never have-she's great and unique. I do wish more dancers would spend the time drilling with zills as they do with other fundamental techniques-maybe its a dying art? I'm not a long-time performer but it always seems to be the same 123 123. Back to topic......sorry for the threadjack!

I prefer live music but I like the ease of being able to pop in a cd of something that is familiar and I enjoy.

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

Here's a point I made in my pm to Sean that I'd like to say in the forum:

Sean, I want to point out that I think you guys are developing a wonderful sound, and I know that you'll continue to do so and I think the dancers will come along - I have a feeling the biggest obstacle is that you're dealing with some dancers who've NEVER danced improv, and can't let go of that control.

Yes, I feel that is pretty much the biggest issue with some students/dancers, they are so accustomed to combos/choreography that the thought of doing something they've never heard before pushes them too far out of the comfort zone.

LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!

Unfortunately, there isn't much live music to be had in my area... but when I can grab it, I most certainly will!

Come and play for us here in Vancouver!!! It is a sad and sorry place for live ME music since Adel Awad's passing last spring. He is SORELY missed.

Originally Posted by sblanck

So it seems you and I live in some twisted bellydance world. I am really surprised that are area seems to be filled with people who prefer CD to live.

I LOVE <3 <3 <3 dancing to live music and would trade it in a heartbeat. Connecting to the musicians is super amazing, although, sometimes that drum solo doesn't end and you feel like you're going to die and want to to smack the drummer a little afterwards. lol. But seriously, there is nothing like dancing with real live musicians. It's that kinda ethereal feeling when it's really really good :)

I love Live Music!!! To me, it's really the best way for the audience to see the dance performed. If you have a good rapport with the band it can be truly magical. Unfortunately like some people have stated, sometimes you don't have the luxury of knowing the musicians ahead of time and that's when problems in style and execution can happen. If given a choice , I always choose live. There is a phenomenon here in town where a lot of dancers actually prefer a cd - even at shows where they are given the choice to dance with well known local musicians. The musicians wonder why, I wonder why too. From talking with some of these dancers I gather that they don't want to look bad in front of the audience, which I can understand, but I feel that they are missing out on a whole world of joy and expression by not wanting to step out of their comfort zones. I think more teachers should also instill the love of live music and how to dance to it in their students.

Originally Posted by sblanck

All good points

I am not sure if we really sound like The Sultans, we do play two of their songs. We had rehearsal today and worked on Enta Omri, Zeina and Muhabbet. We have a few others we are working on, but to get sheet music for other Sultans tunes is near impossible. I have contact with Mr. Tekbilek and Turmen at least once or twice a month and they say all of their songs are just "traditional tunes everyone knows"

Hehe, shimu is the ME musicians' holy grail - I am not surprised that these guys are not forthcoming in sharing ;-) AFAIK, many musicians also reverse-engineer tunes, without always scoring them, so may just have to go for it. If that's not your cuppa, there is always Dorku.com - Learn Middle Eastern Music - run by great folks, too!