belly dance gripes
missdaisy79
Posts: 566 Member
We all have them, something that really bugs us that is associated with our hobby. Get it off your chest here. I'll go first with these two:
1. The DJ starting your music when you are performing BEFORE you are ready. Happened to me and my troupe mates last night, and it put me off my stroke.
2. You tell someone you do belly dancing, they say "oh I could do that, I've got the belly for it". I'm sure we've all heard that :mad:
Go! Tell me what annoys you!
1. The DJ starting your music when you are performing BEFORE you are ready. Happened to me and my troupe mates last night, and it put me off my stroke.
2. You tell someone you do belly dancing, they say "oh I could do that, I've got the belly for it". I'm sure we've all heard that :mad:
Go! Tell me what annoys you!
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Replies
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Grrr, yes, both of those things are very annoying!! People often say to me, "Oh, if I got this belly started, it'd never stop!!" Yeah, yeah, it was cute the first hundred times I heard it.
I was at a thrift store buying random bits for costuming. I got to the counter, and the clerk asked me what I was going to do with this stuff. I told her that some of it was just for fun, but some of it was for belly dance costuming. She said, "Belly dance... Is that like, striiii...." I cut her off with a "NO!" before she could finish the word. I was kind of pissed, but she apologized, and I decided it was sort of a good thing. i explained to her how different the dance forms are. I was happy to be able to clear up the misconception for at least one person... She was very apologetic after that. Still pissed me off, though.
Another, very different, thing that annoys me is when certain troupe-mates somehow feel that they don't have to show up to rehearsals... I understand that life happens, but come on guys!! It's not fair to those of us who actually show up and put the effort in. :explode: I guess I can't expect everyone to have the same level of committment that I do, but if you want to perform, show up to the damn practices!!!
Anyways... other than that, belly dance is my passion, and I wouldn't give it up for the world!! :flowerforyou:
~Iza0 -
Yes, biggest gripe is those who don't take it seriously -- the worst of whom equate it with pole dancing or stripping.
And secondary gripe is for those who don't accept it as a form for all of us, regardless of age or size.
I think the two gripes are related -- because if this were a dance only about sexuality, heaven forfend that those of us over 22 and 105 pounds should be permitted to participate...0 -
It really bothers me that size and age are such issues for people. I was once asked by a co-worker what I did on the weekend. When I said I did a belly dance event, they thought I was being a joker. The response was..."hahaha...you're funny...belly dance...hahaha"
I have had people also make stripper remarks when the topic of belly dance comes up...how ignorant!0 -
Lately everybody seems to think that I can just dance at the drop of a hat (happened tonight, our work group went to a Greek restaurant for supper and it's a place that usually has a bellydancer on Friday and Saturday nights and a couple people commented that it was no problem I could dance for the restaurant... uh hello, #1 I'm in scrubs and sneakers and #2 I am not a toy, I don't dance on command.)
It bugs me when people say that you have to be a certain size, weight, and/or age to bellydance.... I am in a troupe where we're all various sizes and shapes and our oldest dancer is a beautifully young 75 and if we weren't good we wouldn't be asked back every year to the places we perform0 -
the assumptions about size is one that bothers me. I've heard comments about other heavier dancers (never about myself, because I'm probably dancing when they are made), including the "ugh, I do't want to see a fat girl dance, let's go" comment. At the time she was one of our best dancers. When I've told some people I belly dance, I get the once-over look followed by the raised eyebrow and a look of disbelief.
Vendors at workshopsand events who only carry tiny sizes in cute costumes. Really how are supposed to be encouraged at all sizes to dance when the costume makers have bought into the Western perception that we should be model thin. (of course this is part of the reason that I'm on MFP, to buy cute costumes).
the stripper association annoys me as, but I have not been directly impacted by that. I also completely agree with the earlier post of troupe members not taking it seriously and not showing up for practice for group routines.0 -
I've not had any of the stripper remarks. Maybe it's more of an American thing? Mind you, having holidayed in Istanbul and seen professional belly dancers performing, they do get a lot of money stuck in their belts, so perhaps that association has stuck in peoples' minds.0
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Here's a gripe - putting makeup on whilst there are acts performing. It's a little bit rude. Pay the performers some attention, and do your makeup at the break.0
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I have a sad personal gripe -- the costumes for my next performance came in and they gave me a skirt based on my height rather than my hips. These thighs do NOT fit into a small! Fortunately they can reorder in a larger size in time, but it was a really unpleasant feeling.
And while I'm griping, I would be so much happier in a big chiffony skirt than in skin-tight lycra! I am far from the heaviest woman in my troupe, and I'm not sure that even the thinnest look especially good -- or can dance effectively -- in a sausage casing.
So I won't be eating between now and December 14...0 -
The thing about "oh, I could do that, I've got a belly!" really gets on my nerves - I must have heard it about 500 times when I was running the local Middle Eastern dance society's booth at my university's freshers' fair. Usually from boys, and almost always accompanied by a horrible laddish attitude.
Also the inability to find ready-made costumes that fit my boobs, except for galebeyas and the like. (I realize it's because I have an abnormally large chest - I wear an H-cup - but I still hate it when I see the PERFECT COSTUME except whoops, it's got a C-cup bra.)0 -
I have a sad personal gripe -- the costumes for my next performance came in and they gave me a skirt based on my height rather than my hips. These thighs do NOT fit into a small! Fortunately they can reorder in a larger size in time, but it was a really unpleasant feeling.
And while I'm griping, I would be so much happier in a big chiffony skirt than in skin-tight lycra! I am far from the heaviest woman in my troupe, and I'm not sure that even the thinnest look especially good -- or can dance effectively -- in a sausage casing.
So I won't be eating between now and December 14...
Sorry to hear that, lady, but don't starve yoself!! I'm sure you'll still rock it!!! Any way you can use a drapey scarf or veil to mask whatever area you're worried about on your lower half? I've done that before for sure! Hang in there!! And, I think it's hilarious that you call it a sausage casing! That's what one of my troupes calls the super tight belly coverings. One of the events where we perform requires our bellies to be covered (even though you can see right through the power mesh...) so we have to don our sausage casings for that show!
Oh, and khosh, I'm sorry to hear of your top troubles. I'm afraid I usually have the opposite problem! "Oooooh, look at that costume!! Oh crap... there's not enough padding in the world... :flowerforyou:
Hang in there, beauties!! :drinker:
Unrelated note, has anyone studied with Ariellah?? I just love her! I took a workshop with her over the weekend, and my love was renewed. Such a wonderful teacher. I took with her last year and this year, and hope to next year!0 -
The new skirts came in today and now I'm much happier. Even with the larger size she's adding a wedge in the hip for almost all of us to stop it riding up...
And I feel compelled to gripe on behalf of the women in my troupe who griped at me about my griping about needing to lose weight. Don't you hate it when women who are thinner than you complain about their bellies? I'm going to have to work on shutting the &*&^ up.0 -
Izanami, I took a workshop with Ariellah in July. I think perhaps I was over-tired after a weekend of intensive belly dance workshops, but it was the hardest, most unenjoyable experience I've had in belly dance, and I was seriously thinking about sneaking out all the way through it. :sad: However, loads of other people really loved learning with her, so maybe my experience is just an anomaly.0
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Izanami, I took a workshop with Ariellah in July. I think perhaps I was over-tired after a weekend of intensive belly dance workshops, but it was the hardest, most unenjoyable experience I've had in belly dance, and I was seriously thinking about sneaking out all the way through it. :sad: However, loads of other people really loved learning with her, so maybe my experience is just an anomaly.
Was it a choreography or combos workshop? I've taken one of those with her, and she does move really fast. I'm sure with a tired/full brain it would be a bit much!! The ones I took with her last weekend were about stage presence and fluidity of movement. Those were both great! There was a bit of lecture at the beginning, and she made several great points that have stuck with me. If you get the oppotunity again, her more theory/lecture, less combos/choreography classes are wonderful. She's incredibly knowledgeable and, in my experience, skilled at expressing it to the participants.0 -
It was called Daily Drills for Life, it came at the end of a whole weekend stuffed with belly dancing, and it wore me out and broke my brain!! I did find out there was one thing I could do which she struggled with, which was a minor delight (I can't remember now what it was), but on the whole my body didn't want to do the things I was trying to get it t do. I would consider learning with her again if I got the opportunity.
Excitingly, one of our local teachers is getting Rachel Brice to come over next year to our local area.0 -
Excitingly, one of our local teachers is getting Rachel Brice to come over next year to our local area.
Oho, I think I know your local teacher - took a workshop with her in Reading over the summer and loved it! :-D I don't think I've got enough TF experience to attend next year's event, but the mere fact that Rachel Brice is coming did make me stop and go "WANT!!!" for like ten minutes.0 -
That's amazing, Miss Daisy!!!
Would so love to take with her. About the Daily Drills workshop, I know exactly what you mean. I went to an intensive weekend of workshops last year, and by the end, I was just done... done dancing, done learning, and I just wanted to sleep, so having Ariellah funnelling knowledge into my brain and body probably would've destroyed me at that point! That workshop was on the list of ones she was teaching this visit, but I didn't take it due to moneys and time. Maybe next time I will and then we can commiserate about the details. Let me know how RB is if you get to take with her. :flowerforyou: 0 -
Khoshgeleh - was it Alexis? She's an excellent dancer. I've not taken classes with her, although I really wanted to start doing Unmata style with her. I just haven't got the time or money to do all the things I want to do.
If RB does any open level workshops i'm totally going to sign up for them. Even if she doesn't, I'm totally going to buy a ticket for the show and just watch her and try and absorb some of her awesomeness from afar... 0 -
I have a sad personal gripe -- the costumes for my next performance came in and they gave me a skirt based on my height rather than my hips. These thighs do NOT fit into a small! Fortunately they can reorder in a larger size in time, but it was a really unpleasant feeling.
And while I'm griping, I would be so much happier in a big chiffony skirt than in skin-tight lycra! I am far from the heaviest woman in my troupe, and I'm not sure that even the thinnest look especially good -- or can dance effectively -- in a sausage casing.
So I won't be eating between now and December 14...
Lentigogirl how did the costume and show work out?0 -
Thanks for asking -- The show was great! (see my profile pic -- which for some reason MFP has posted sideways, making me look way more acrobatic...) I was able to get a larger skirt -- and to add darts to expand it even more!0
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Aaaah, it's fantastic!! You look beautiful!! 0
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Khoshgeleh - was it Alexis? She's an excellent dancer. I've not taken classes with her, although I really wanted to start doing Unmata style with her. I just haven't got the time or money to do all the things I want to do.
If RB does any open level workshops i'm totally going to sign up for them. Even if she doesn't, I'm totally going to buy a ticket for the show and just watch her and try and absorb some of her awesomeness from afar...
It was indeed Alexis! She's a lovely dancer and possibly an even better teacher - one of her drill techniques has become a really important part of my regular practice, which isn't something that can be said about most workshops I take! If you have the chance to take from her, I highly recommend it. (And that's coming from an almost exclusively cabaret/modern Egyptian style dancer, so - that's pretty high praise! :-D)0
