Have it Your Way

    I told you this was not hard hitting enthralling journalism. I tole you that I like to go deeper and deeper into subjects that mean a lot to me. But you didn't listen, you are still reading. So if you get bored it ain't my fault.
  This isn't a post about reaction, this isn't a post about being who you are, or dancing where you are or even PP ( Presence and Practice) This is a post about doing things your way.
    I see dancers struggle with this a lot, as a matter of fact it seems to be a rite of passage for dancers. Much like puberty, there is a time to break away from the teacher, take some initiative, explore movement, find what is meaningful to them, all without the guidance of the teacher/parent. It can feel scary, but you need to learn to fly on your own. I have said before that to me, Plain Ole Cabaret will never get boring. It is like a musical instrument, there is always a new tune to be played, always something to learn. The people who just regurgitate moves and never feel them probably do get bored. But if you start to OWN this dance for yourself, then you can see what a wonderful vast continual learning experience it can be.
   The cool thing about bellydance as opposed to other dance forms, is that we are given the perimeters ( the movements) and then it is up to us how we put them together. It is like someone helps you into an Olympic sized swimming pool and says "here are the boundaries, now do whatever you want". We can keep the imposed boundaries, bend them or ignore them entirely, it is up to us.
   Do you think the innovators, the creators in this dance just keep doing what they were taught? Do you think Fusion, Tribal, and all other hybrids just fell from heaven one day, fully formed? People played. They moved. Let themselves go fully into the movement until the movements spoke to them and told them what to do next. Do you think Rachel Brice, and Suhalia and Tempest and Carolina Nericcio just kept doing the same two step? NO, they let out their inner spirit. They experimented. And even if it ain't your thang, you have to give them credit for taking the "old" and making something "new". They gave themselves permission to "do it their way".
So grab inspiration where you can, accept and embrace your reactions, and dance however you damn well please.

   This is where I am in my dance; I am going to do it the way I want to, and to hell with the rest.

( and doesn't that burger look amazing? it is from The Counter )