The "Dear Dancer" Thread

[Rya_of_Indiana]

This is a spin-off of Samira's "Dear Customer" thread.

I thought it would be interesting to hear what other dancers have encountered while watching a performance. Whether it be overhearing audience comments or seeing some very unusual dancing.

[Rya_of_Indiana]

Dear Dancer,

Please oh please fix your bra. It is 2 sizes too big. No, the guy in the front who was staring and smiling was not impressed by your awesome dancing. We could all clearly see your ta-ta's.

Thank you

Dear Spastic,

I realize this was a convention but running around in a circle flailing your arms to the music from Sonic the Hedgehog where he is drowning is not belly dance. It's not dance. Hell, it's not even entertaining. Please don't ever do that again.

Thank You
The sad dancer who agreed to do the gig with you

[rachelw]

Dear Dancer,
Please do not hump the floor. Ever.

That is all.

[RioDancerCO]

Dear Dancer,
Your saucer-sized zils have a most piercing open ring. If you really must play throughout the ENTIRE song, would you please use some tics, toks and claps to break up the ear splitting rings?

[eden_eyes]

Dear Dancer,

You are a good tribal fusionist, but you are not Rachel Brice. Please just do your own thing. Once. At Least.

Thank you.

Dear Dancer (ironically the same as the above),

Do not call your dance a cabaret style veil dance if you are decked out in Goth gear with a sequin here and there and you are dancing to some whacked out synthesizer.

Thank you.

[Tourbeau]

Dear Dancer,
Please give your Time Turner back to Professor Dumbledore ASAP. I know for a fact that the organizers of this show told everybody but the headliner to keep their performances to five minutes or less, and the only way that song of yours could have met the requirement involves a magical warping the space-time continuum. I thought you were never going to end. Either get better or get briefer.

[shems]

Dear Dancer,
Thank you for reminding me how beautiful this art form can be when done by somebody with confidence, skill, grace, love and joy.

[shems]

Dear Dancer,
There is no nice way to say, it, but you just don't have the talent to be a professional dancer. But don't let that stop you dancing for yourself, having a great time and shaking your stuff at every hafla. Not every belly dancer needs to be a pro and that's okay.

Yours In Dance,

Shems

[Jaseena]

Dear Dancer,
Thank you for continuing to inspire me with your beautiful dancing and showing what "Professional" really means by encouraging other dancers and not berating them.

[eshtabellydance]

Yay Jasani and Shems!
There has been waaaaay too much snarking today.
But the other posts were way funny!

[ZanaRaqs]

dear dancer(s),

you rock with ur grace and elegance and originality. keep doing what you're doing, you never cease to inspire me

much love,

Zana

[laura 2]

Dear Dancer(s):

Thank you for being so talented, lovely and graceful, that it inspires me to never stop trying to improve my own dancing. If I can even be a 10th as good as you, it will be worth all the hard work!

[gretchendances]

Dear Dancer -

THANK-YOU for being over 50 and giving me a reason to see every beautiful juicy emotional part of the music come alive in your dance.

I want to be like you when I grow up!

[weese17]

Dear Dancer,
Thank you for reminding me how beautiful this art form can be when done by somebody with confidence, skill, grace, love and joy.

I was afraid this thread would be a bash-fest, so it was so nice to read this. <3, Shemsie!

[steffib]

Thanks to my life-long student friends for sharing your happiness during a performance and for bringing a smile to my face. I love watching you guys!

[bintbeled]

Dear dancer,

Thank you for always inspiring me with your performances. You're always adding in something new that you've mastered, and your excitement about it transfers to the audience. You work so hard on your technique, too. Your dancing always moves me. You're a joy to watch.

And the other side of the coin:

Dear dancer,

I have been watching you dance for over 10 years, and it's always the same dance. Don't you get bored? My hubby amuses himself by closing his eyes and predicting what you're doing. He's usually right. I feel sorry for you, because you're not experiencing the thrill of personal growth. ..c::

[andalee-oriental]

Dear Dancer,
There is no nice way to say, it, but you just don't have the talent to be a professional dancer. But don't let that stop you dancing for yourself, having a great time and shaking your stuff at every hafla. Not every belly dancer needs to be a pro and that's okay.

Yours In Dance,

Shems

THIS. This is my biggest fear.

[Rya_of_Indiana]

Now I feel like a jerk lol

I do have a few on the flip side:

Dear Dancer,

I'm amazed with each performance that you aren't the biggest name in belly dance. For once, I've seen true fusion and it inspires me everyday. I'm so happy that I will get to take workshops from you in the future and for once, I will be have my pen and pad ready. Possibly even a video camera. You are truly a goddess on the dance scene and you need to get the recognition you deserve.

Your humble belly dance fan

Dear Dancer,

Thank you for being you. With every dance you prove that a life changing disease shouldn't keep you from your dreams, that one can follow their love of dancing while working towards their PhD, and that true talent doesn't mean you have to be egotistical at the same time. You make the world a better place and always keep me laughing.


Awww...I feel all warm and fuzzy now. lol

[LeylaFahada]

THIS. This is my biggest fear.

I thought so too, but I think what's scarier is no one ever saying it.

[LotusNiraja]

A slight veer off...

Dear Dancer Mentor,
Thank you for inspiring me and keeping me grounded. You have opened my ear to music and taught me to interpret with my heart. I appreciate you having the courage to make me fly, when all I wanted to do was nest. Thank you for kicking my butt over and over again.

Back to topic:

Dear Dancer,
Thank you for having the ability to make me weep with joy when I see your encouraging performance and how you will not let cancer steal your love of the dance.

Dear Dancer,
Guard your tongue. What you say in secret, WILL be repeated in public. No matter how faithful you think your friends are and no matter how loyal you think your students are.

[salomestar]

Dear Dancer,
There is no nice way to say, it, but you just don't have the talent to be a professional dancer. But don't let that stop you dancing for yourself, having a great time and shaking your stuff at every hafla. Not every belly dancer needs to be a pro and that's okay.

Yours In Dance,

Shems

Bravo! I wish I had the balls to say this face to face but then I know I would just be called a jealous b!t$h!

[MakedaMaysa]

A slight veer off...

Dear Dancer Mentor,
Thank you for inspiring me and keeping me grounded. You have opened my ear to music and taught me to interpret with my heart. I appreciate you having the courage to make me fly, when all I wanted to do was nest. Thank you for kicking my butt over and over again.

Now, I should totally say this to you. While smooching you on the face!

[Adiva84]

Dear Dancer,
Please do not hump the floor. Ever.

That is all.

This thread is cracking me up ..g.:

[Tourbeau]

Now I feel like a jerk lol

Please don't feel like a jerk. One of the biggest problems we face is a lack of willingness to be honest when honesty is needed. I'm not saying people should be mean to one another for the sake of being nasty, but let's be frank. Maybe my experience is atypical, but when I think of all the dancers I've seen, the clueless, the bad, and the boring outweigh the talented, awe-inspiring ones by a ratio of at least ten to one. Part of this is our own fault for encouraging the idea that the dance community as a whole should soft-pedal the criticism and shovel on the supportiveness. We don't have to be cutthroat and vicious, but there's something wrong with a situation where a teacher can't tell a student in well meaning sincerity that she doesn't seem to be destined for the top echelon of the field without coming across as brave and brutally candid.

Look at what's being criticized here: wearing ill-fitting costumes, ridiculous fusion, vulgar floorwork, zill playing that is physically painful to the audience's ears, unimaginative copycatting, thinking rules that apply to other dancers don't apply to you, failing to accept what your abilities actually are. Which of those sins are too unspeakable to confront? Nobody posted things that were subjective or personally vindictive. No one identified another dancer by name and ridiculed them for what they did. Those were each valid criticisms that apply to any dancer. Think before you dance. Don't insult your audience with arrogance or delusions of your own grandeur. Don't embarrass yourself.

[Souzan]

Dear Dancer,

A fur mini skirt, leather bra and tatoos is not a costume. Especially when your choreography consists of 6 Turkish drops with your crotch to the audience.

[emtink]

dear dancer,

thank you for organizing bi-monthly performances where our dance is presented as family-friendly art. you've done wonders in educating our local general public. thank you for hosting parties at your house with live music, food and wine. you've created an amazing supportive community of dancers, and a space for new dancers to just boogie down. thank you for dancing. you inspire me with every performance.


dear dancer,

if you think 'regular' bellydance is boring, why do you still call yourself a bellydancer? stop it!

[phillyraqs]

Dear dancer,

Please wear underwear. I now know that you are not a natural blond.

Love,
Phillyraqs
______________________________
Dear Dancer,

The highest compliment I can give you is that you just dance, and I love that. It's not about age, or weight, or height, or dropping names. You love to dance, you are good at it, and it shows. Watching you dance inspires me every time.

Love,
Phillyraqs

(Maybe we should make it more of a point to share some of these positive messages with those who inspire us! I bet they'd never guess.)

[NazirahDances]

Dear Newbie SCA Dancer:

You've seen me at SCA events and told me you love to watch me dance - even calling me your "favorite dancer". I could not believe you drove nearly 2 hours to come see me at a local non-SCA hafla (and brought friends!). That meant the world to me :-)
_______________________

Dear Dancer:

I know who you are from the internet and the local community, and when I saw your name listed for the hafla I was attending I was eager to see you dance. I was stunned to find out that a "professional" with "years of experience" looked so. . . amazingly. . . unprofessional. :-(

[JoLynn]

Dear dancer,
You are an amazing and talented professional performer, and I beg of you to please, please ignore that catty audience member who keeps saying that "she" can do that (while watching your amazing performance with a sour face of pure envy) because you and I both know she can't. Rock on.

[nadira82]

Dear Dancer,
Please SMILE and have FUN when you perform. Really. Or at least, express emotion! Even if you are doing something all Gothic, you can express more than one emotion.

Later.

Dear Dancer,
You have such a fresh, beautiful smile! It was so much fun to watch you dance. I never would have known...