Brain-ella - The Belly Dancing Brain

Brain-ella – The Belly Dancing Brain

Recently I was reminded of one of the times I was the MC for a belly dance event. During the 1990s I was the MC for a monthly showcase in Studio City at The Marrakesh restaurant and sometimes would MC other events.

I unexpectedly ran into Anisa earlier this month at a non-belly dance show in North Hollywood.  Anisa produces the dinner show King Tut Returns every October. This year marks her 18^th anniversary of the show. Incredible!  Time flies by too fast.

I was the MC for the show the first couple of years. The first year I MCed as Elvis and second year I was myself except that the show started off with my friend Brain-ella.  Yes, Brain-ella.  She was yet another of my crazy creations, this one especially for Halloween.

I found a high quality rubber-like brain at a store - not one of those cheap plastic kind of brains. Since brains are brains and have no limbs or a torso; the only way I could give her a belly dance costume was wrapping a silver sequins belt around her middle. I then sat her on a stool on the stage.

The script for the show is either lost or stuck in a box in storage somewhere but basically it went like this:

“Hello, I am Brain-ella; the belly dancing brain. Yes, I know I don’t have legs and arms to dance, but I do have great rhythm, I can even shimmy if I try real hard.  Don’t you love my costume?  I designed it myself.

Brain-ella is not my real name. It’s my dance name. We belly dancers always have a dance name. I did consider other dance names such as:  Sarah-Bellum, Thala-mus, and my favorite: Medulla Oblongata.  

Please do enjoy the show.”

I bet the belly dancers that happen to also be brain surgeons reading this are just doubled over in laughter right now.

Unfortunately I don’t think I have any pictures of Brain-ella, but I do have some great memories.  Have a great Halloween! 

Brain-ella looked something like this, but more awesome...with a very nice sequin belt.

Please pay us a visit at BellyDance.org

Sword Face

You must avoid sword face at costs!!  Sword face is that look on your face you get when you are balancing a sword on your head and you're overly afraid it's going to fall off.  
There's only 1 cure for sword face. Before you even think about performing sword work in a performance, you must practice with your sword enough so that you are confident enough that it will not fall off.  Remember - Practice makes perfect....
This will also put your audience at ease and they will enjoy your performance, rather than worrying with you that the sword will go a flying off!
Suzy Evans
Please visit our website BellyDance.org

This is Zahirah.  She never has sword face.

In the Beginning: Belly Dance Posture

What’s the first thing you should learn in a belly dance class?  Posture. Why is posture so important?  It is the very foundation of the dance.  ALL movements emanate from your posture. You cannot be a great belly dancer without it.  As a matter of fact, you cannot even be a competent dancer without it.

Basically, proper belly dance posture is this - starting from the top:

Head and neck directly over your torso, shoulders slightly back, chest/sternum slightly lifted, your legs should be directly under your hips and aligned with your torso, a soft bend in your knees, feet pointing forward.  You should practice this so much that you feel relaxed and comfortable in this position.

Here are some examples of problems that occur when you do not have good belly dance posture.

Neck: I have seen dancer’s with their head thrust out past her body.  This isn’t a problem with the head; it’s the dancer’s neck.  Be sure your neck is alignment with your body. You many have to practice pushing your neck back over your body. 

Lifted Sternum/Shoulders:  A dancer who is not standing with their shoulders back and with a sunken sternum will have no energy in her dance. This is such a small thing that you can fix and will make a huge difference in your stage presence. Keep your shoulders back and your sternum lifted and your audience’s eye will be riveted on you.  It will give you energy and make you more confident.

Legs:  I attended a show some years ago and there was an experienced dancer who we had not seen before; we were told she was supposed to be the bees knees in belly dance.  Within seconds I realized there was something very wrong with her dancing. It was off and awkward and you just felt uncomfortable watching her, like when you see someone wearing improperly fitting clothes.  In less than a minute, I knew what was wrong.  I stood up from my chair just enough to see her feet and legs.  Her legs were too far apart and she was also dancing flat-footed with her feet were turned out.  A friend of mine said you could drive a tricycle through her legs. :)  Dancers who do dance with their legs too far apart have movements that are rough looking and out of control.  You can also physically hurt yourself.

Your legs need to be under you when dancing just as you do when you are walking.  If not you are off balance.  Your torso needs your legs under you. In the above example the belly dancer’s performance looked awkward because basically she was off balance and had little control of her body or dance.  Good posture will give you control and balance over your body.

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, like a wide hip circle, however dancers that do wide hip circles also pull their legs back in when they have finished the movement.

Have you ever seen a skeletal chart at a doctor’s office?  Take a good look at it.

Look at the alignment of the body. Notice that the legs are aligned with the torso.

You must always have a slight bend or what I like to call a “softness” in the knees. Don’t ever lock your knees. Bending your knees will prevent you from injuring your knees.

Feet:  Your feet are your connection to the earth.  In many cases your feet are the beginning point of your dance. 

No matter what level of dance you are currently at, please review your posture. Before you start a lesson, take a minute and put yourself in that good posture.

At IAMED, we feel so strongly about proper belly dance posture, many of our instructional videos start with a review of posture.

Good posture will give your dance the following:

Your dance will be balanced, centered and therefore graceful.

You will be able to build technique and movements.

You will become the belly dancer you always wanted to be!

Suzy Evans

BellyDance.org
Please support us and visit our on-line store. 

Now this is good posture!

Please share this blog post with your belly dance friends. 

Keith Drosin Belly Dance Photographs

We are looking for photographs taken by Keith Drosin.  Keith was an amazing photographer who specialized in belly dance photography.  Most of his work was in black and white but there are color photographs out there in the belly dance realm.  IAMED will be adding a gallery to the BellyDance.org website dedicated to his work which will also serve as a memorial to him. He primarily took photos in the areas he lived in - New Mexico and Los Angeles. Keith was one of my photographers at the Belly Dance Awards shows.  He did a number of shoots for me in L.A. and took photos - which have become famous - of belly dancers such as Jillina  and Ansuya.  His photos graced the front of the flyers for the Belly Dance Awards shows since the first show.

My friend Keith Drosin passed away in August 2000, coincidentally on the same day as the 4th Awards of Belly Dance.

While I have a number of his photos, I want the gallery to be as complete as possible. If you or you know of anyone who had their photo taken by Keith, please have them contact me through the BellyDance.org website.  We do not need hard copies, they can be emailed. Please share this post and get the word out.

Thank you,
Suzy Evans
BellyDance.org

Ansuya by Keith Drosin

A New Belly Dance Release Coming Soon

In less than 2 weeks we will be releasing a new belly dance performance DVD called The Stars of Belly Dance.
The DVD includes performances by Amanda Rose, Amara, Anaheed, Aubre, Ava Fleming, Celeste, Farasha, Kaya, Marguerite, Sadie, Sherri and Tamra-henna.
Stay tuned....

Suzy Evans
BellyDance.org

Hollywood Babylon Anniversary

Its hard to believe:  This week marks the 10th Anniversary of the show Hollywood Babylon. How is it possible that 10 years have gone by?  It seem more like I was there just last year.

Our show Hollywood Babylon happened in December 2001. I would like to share some stories about that show.  It was a special show in many ways, and it stared some great talent.  Sadly, one of those talents will never been seen again in any show.  I'll explain later.

Here's the all star line up: Anaheed, Rania, Anisa's Orientale Beledi Troupe, Marula, Brandi, Dondi, Jillina and the Sahlala Dancers, Marguerite, Leyla and Saharan Silk, Princess Farhana, The Tut Sisters and Mesmera.

We had a combination of live music by Al Kimie and recorded music.  The show was held at the Burbank Center Stage in Burbank, California.  This is the only time IAMED produced a show at this venue.  I'd love to go back and do another show there, but its difficult getting a date locked in because the theatre holds its own productions.

The attendance at the show was not what I expected.  Burbank Center stage has about 200 seats, we filled about 100.  I believe the problem laid solely with the 9/11 attack which had occurred just a few months prior, and this is after all a dance from the Middle East.

Our photographer we hired was asleep at the wheel and most of the photos he took were not useable. Note to photographers: Be sure to always bring a telephoto lens.  Fortunately, Var Daghdevirian saved the day and took most of the photos that you can now view in on our photo gallery.

The show also served as a fund raiser for a local dancer who suffered a heart attack and needed help with her medical bills.  We had a great silent auction with wonderful items that were donated.  Most people in attendance bid on at least 1 item.  I don't recall the amount we ended up raising but it paid a big chunk of her medical bill.

Leyla, the dancer and director of Saharan Silk died in an accident in Hawaii several years after this show occurred.  She had moved to Hawaii and apparently slipped and fell to her death from a cliff.  During her belly dance career she won the Belly Dancer of the Year contest.  She is sorely missed in our community.  In Hollywood Babylon she danced with her newly formed dance company, Saharan Silk. If you watch the video you get a good taste of what she and her dancing was like.  I wish there was more of her performances out there on video.

And of course, what show is complete unless there is a controversy!  It was all about Dondi's costume.  Dondi, who graces the cover of the Hollywood Babylon DVD, was wearing a couture costume.  She bought it during a recent trip to Turkey.  It's very see-through with those few certain areas covered.  Geez... there was a lot of talk about that costume!  A few people were out right offended about the skimpy costume.  I myself, do not care for vulgar, non authentic costumes, but this costume was an authentic costume.  Its quite normal for Turkish dancers (the ones in Turkey) to wear very skimpy, revealing costumes.  Thankfully most people loved the costume and Dondi's performance in it.

Brandi gave us a rare treat with a Moroccan Guerda dance.  Her entourage included dancers and her own Moroccan band.

Jillina and her dance company The Sahlala Dancers put in some truly special performances.  The girls did a beautiful Armenian piece with candles.  Jillina and her dancers performed a pop Bollywood/belly dance number.  These numbers were later used in the Bellydance Superstars shows. 

Jillina put in 2 of the best belly dance performances in her career on Hollywood Babylon.  A superb drum solo and my personal favorite; a taxseem to Om Kalthoum music.  In the later she wore a gorgeous flesh colored couture Egyptian costume. 

Dondi brought down the house performing her now infamous Marilyn Monroe dance.  She perfected this performance just for this show.  Later it also appeared in the Belly Dance Superstars shows. 

Looks like Miles Copeland got ahold of the Hollywood Babylon video and decided to borrow the numbers and talent from this show.  Its certainly not the first or will it be the last time people copy what I produced. 

Marula and her dancers were all wrapped up as mummies and performed an interesting choreography billed as the Tut Sisters. 

Multitalented Marguerite not only turned in a beautiful American Cabaret performance, but she jumped in with the band as its singer. 

And then to top it off we had our very own movie star as our MC.  Lance Henriksen star of Millennium, Aliens, Aliens versus Predator, etc. introduced the performers.  Some of his fans found out he would be there and came to the show to see him. 

These are just some of the stories surrounding the show. I've shared as much as I can remember right now. With all the complications, controversies, etc it stands as one of my most memorable and favorite shows. 

I have put the Hollywood Babylon DVD on sale this month, because I think everyone should have this outstanding DVD.  Most of you were not at the show, but this is the next best thing and it was captured beautifully on video.  A clip of the show can be seen on BellyDance.org site.

See the following links for:
Hollywood Babylon DVD
Photos for Hollywood Babylon
BellyDance.org
Hollywood Babylon Video Clip on YouTube

Suzy Evans
International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance

Ansuya Finger Cymbals Review

SaraBeth's Belly Dance Journey has posted a review of the Finger Cymbals with Ansuya video.

See link below:

http://sarabethsbellydancejourney.blogspot.com/2011/11/gluing-your-fingers-to-your-hips.html

The Magical Belly Dance Era of the 1970s

I believe that I was truly blessed to have started belly dancing in the 1970s.  It was a special decade for the dance.  Ask anyone that took lessons and performed or taught during that time. It was a golden era!

The 1970s belly dance era was post-hippie, but we still had a bit of that free spirit in us.  It was all about American Cabaret belly dance.  There was no other type of belly dancing at that time. Big chiffon 7 panel skirts, often times made of Persian lace.  A chiffon veil, coin and/ or beaded bra and belt.  Most us made our own costumes or had them made for us.  My first teacher made extra money by making costumes. No imported costumes from Egypt or Turkey.  Can you even imagine that?

I look back at pictures of me in those costumes. Some were rather simple, but I did save up the money to have a coin bra and belt made. Most of us only had 1 or 2 costumes.

And the music!  It was wonderful, it spoke to you!  No CDs back then, or downloaded music, it was all on albums.  There was no 1000s of titles to choose from;  record releases were few and far between.  It was Eddie the Sheik, George Abdo as well as others. We couldn't wait for the next record to come out.  And boy did we wear those records out!

I took belly dance classes at least once a week, sometimes from more than 1 teacher. It was the highlight of my week when I would drive up to Hollywood after work to take lessons from Marie Silva who owned a belly dance studio - a rare thing then.

Once in awhile some of us dancers would get together and go to one of the Arabic clubs/restaurants. I remember going to Haji Baba's and Ali Baba's and Abu Nawa (sp?).  I remember going to see Bal Anat,   featuring a young Suhaila, who came down from San Francisco at one of the clubs in Hollywood one Saturday night.

I think we cherished and appreciated the small thing more back then.  Probably because we were not inundated with "stuff" every minute of the day.  Life was more simple back then, at least compared to today. And maybe that's also what made it more special too.

I'll write more about the 1970s in future posts. It was so much fun!

Leave your 1970s experience in the comments section.

Yes, this is me circa 1977. Can't believe I was wearing glasses.

Suzy Evans
BellyDance.org  The International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance

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Do a Little Belly Dancing Every Day

Most of us do not have the time to rehearse and practice belly dance every single day of the year.  However on the days when we are not doing a full rehearsal, take a minute or 2 just to belly dance.

Here are some suggestions:
When you are sitting at a red light practice your zill patterns. You don't actually need the finger cymbals to rehearse the patterns. Use your "air zills".  (get it?)

Belly dance in the bathroom when you are brushing your teeth or doing your hair.

When you are home alone and just bumping around the house, turn on some Middle Eastern music and belly dance from room to room.  Great way to practice traveling steps or combinations.

If you are sitting at your desk looking at FaceBook or whatever, you can practice upper body movements; torso or arms.

You may not want to belly dance out in public on a street corner, as people have been locked up for less. :)

If you have other suggestions leave them in the comments sections of this blog.

Why should you do this?  Lots of reasons.  It gets you thinking about belly dancing, it could lead to more practice, its fun and it will up lift any day. You could turn a bad day around.

Suzy Evans
Please support us by visiting our website BellyDance.org

Here's a lovely photo of Lilla Varese
I bet she belly dances a little every day

Belly Dancing is More than a Drum Solo

I know. It's that flashy, fast, dynamic part of a belly dance routine that we all love so much. Drum solo classes and workshops are almost always the most attended.  Its also part of the performance that people in general associate with belly dance. Its the part of the dance when we shimmy, and everyone loves to shimmy.

But belly dance is a lot more than a drum solo.  Without all the other parts of a belly dance routine the drum solo would not shine. Whatever your performance consists of: a full five part cabaret belly dance with veil, or just a couple of changes of pace in the dance, it's important for your dance to contain more than a drum solo.  Its the changes of pace that make the dance complete. Its adds dimension and interest to the dance as a whole.

So learn all paces of the dance. It will make you a more memorable performer.

Speaking of a change of pace, Sultry Slow Moves with Sadie is a great belly dance video.

Suzy Evans
BellyDance.org

New DVD Releases - Sadie and Kaya

We have 2 new DVDs now available.
Hip-notic Belly Dance with Kaya
Pops, Locks and Layers with Sadie and Kaya

For more information and video clips of these DVDs
Click Here

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