hips more. You already have enough technique. The goal is to
settle into the music, not to do too much. Also, to be a dancer
is to be an actress, to express the meaning of the song.”
Settle…to sink into the music; to have a steady and
confident approach. On the stage, the rush and excitement
of adrenaline pushes us to perform, rather than to express.
We must intentionally counteract the natural effects of
adrenaline in order to settle into the music. For me, this
begins with a mindset of contained energy, and is furthered
by several tricks and techniques to stay grounded.
Emanate energy, rather than dispersing it. As you enter the
stage, often the music is dramatic and high energy. You are
making a first impression on the audience, taking ownership
of the space. Your adrenaline is at
its peak, and the tendency is to
disperse energy, rather than to
emanate it. Dispersed energy is
scattered without intention. It
comes across as purposeless and
nervous, and it falls to the ground
without energizing the audience.
You may find yourself more prone
to disperse energy not only when
you are nervous, but when you are
confronted with a large stage or
unresponsive audience. I recently
fell prey to this pitfall at a venue
that had a deep room, modest
stage, and seemingly indifferent
audience. In an attempt to energize
this cavernous
environment,
I flung my energy into its deepest reaches, resulting in
a rather frenetic performance that made the audience
withdraw further. Counter-intuitively, you have to withhold
energy in order to draw in your audience. When your every
movement emanates contained energy, audience interest is
kindled by anticipation, not singed by a blazing bonfire that
all too quickly runs out of fuel. Keep your energy in reserve;
leave your audience wanting more.
Stay connected to the steady heartbeat of the music. As
a performance progresses, it helps to give attention to
the underlying rhythm of the music. This will help add
structure to your dance and will go a long way towards
making your dance merge more organically with the music.
A natural tendency is to accelerate your movement when
emotions intensify or dynamics increase. Louder does not
necessarily mean faster; in fact, sometimes faster tempo
doesn’t even indicate faster movement. Perhaps in such
musical moments it could be most effective to settle in and
become more emotionally expressive rather than flighty
in your movement. For example, an accelerating tempo
and increased dynamic could be expressed by a gradually
intensified shimmy or by a slow and dramatic lifting of the
arms from earth to sky.
Pull back and savor the moment. As musically appropriate,
express an ebb and flow of energy throughout your
performance. Alternating fast and slow, even playfully
pausing in suspended animation, both adds interest and
keeps your energy from running
away from you. Also, intentionally
pull back your energy, allow for
intimate moments. Natasha, my
first bellydance teacher, referred to
this as “stopping time”; in musical
parlance it is known as rubato,
or “stealing time”. Perhaps this,
above all else, is the trademark
of settling into the music. There
is no rush, there is nothing other
than savoring the emotion of the
present moment. The musicians
sense it and play with more
abandon; the audience feels it and
is transported from the mundane
to the magnificent. And that is
the highest purpose of art: to
convey a universal, shared emotion that may only last for
a moment, but leaves a sense of transcendental fulfillment
and satisfaction in those who felt it together.
There is no rush,
there is nothing
other than
savoring the
emotion of the
present moment.
CAMELLIA SINENSIS
A dancer based in Sacramento who performs
regularly with live bands throughout the Bay
Area, Camellia Sinensis is passionate about
sharing the joy and love of music through
dance. www.camelliadances.com
October 2017
The Belly Dance Chronicles
21