Giving Props

pic above is of the lovely Ava Fleming

6am on a Saturday. Can't sleep in, even though I want to. Decided to blog about props.

Props are personal, and if you have been dancing for any length of time you have heard a million times that your prop becomes your dance partner. It is interesting to me that when one walks over to the row of props seated along the dance floor like lonely wallflowers, and chooses one to dance with, the question is why. Why do you choose what you choose. Don't know, why do you choose anything? Clothes, partners in life,foods, etc. Props, like the gold lame' shirt that you think is adorable and everyone else hates, are very personal. Props are personal.

So all I have to offer you is my own personal take on props, don't get upset if I shit all over your favorite prop. It's just my opinion.

Props I want to dance with, then take out for a romantic dinner afterwards:

Sword: It is powerful. Cool. Comes somewhat easily to me. Kali is my Matron Goddess and Her sword wielding is a natural inspiration to me. You can STAB, you can BALANCE, you can do FLOORWORK, you can WOW, you can FLIRT, you can SCARE...lots to do with a sword.

Zils: Most people don't consider this a prop, but a standard, so for the sake of argument I will consider anything a prop that is not your body. Zils are amazing and challenging, and I love a challenge. It takes effort, skill and practice to be good at zils. Zil dancers are just better, sorry but they are.

Cane: When I first thought of dancing with a cane, I thought it might be a little, you know,.....GAY. But I quickly got hooked. It is sassy, saucy, flippy, and to me cane dance has such a fun, sharp energy. I love cane dance attire. I love the sound of the cane type music. I like dancing with phallic objects, apparently.


Props I want the occasional one night stand with:

Veils: Once again, these are considered a standard not a prop. But I have noticed that pretty as they are I only feel the desire to dance with a veil when I am depressed or melancholy. So other than the occasional opening few minutes of a dance or floaty mood, veils are just MEH to me. I don't get excited about them.

Double veil: Double veils are like veils attractive cousin from out of town. You get excited, think, cool, something kind of different. They are fun for a while, but when I am done I just want to put them back on the bus and send them home. "Yes, yes, I will call you, I promise." thinks; in 6 months when I am bored again.

Isis Wings: Isis Wings are like candy canes. They are good in their season, but don't be pulling that shit out around July and asking me if I want one. They are pretty and manage to be more powerful ( can you tell that I am obsessed with power?) than veils. But if I am at a show and my eyes start hurting from iridescent wings fluttering in my face for an hour, I have a phrase I say to myself. TMIW. Too Much Isis Wings.


Props that I have limited exposure to, but would like to try:

Trays, Lit Candles on Trays:  What is not to like about balancing a tray of lit candles on your head?  Naima had a good post on this a while back.

Shemadan: There is something kind of freakish about shemadan that appeals to me. I don't think I can explain why,something to do with my overactive crown chakra.



Props that can Kiss my Ass:

Fans: What, are we fairies now? Fluttering coquettes? Sorry, I just don't get this one.

Poi: Since when did we move to Hawaii and why don't I have a large Mai Tai in my hand?

Turkish Spoons: Fuck off.

Animals of any Kind: You gonna bring out your cat and dance with it? No,I won't be dancing with my snake.

Dancing on Glasses: O.k., 1. are you out of your freaking mind? 2. this is so circusy/freak show-ish I expect clowns next and then a monkey with a bowtie.


So there it is.

Some more Pimpin'

O.k. so I have said that I am a self confessed DVD Whore. When my favoritest teacher told us one day that despite all of her experience, workshops, etc. ( 30 some years of it) that she has learned most of what she knows via DVD/VHS, etc. I went for it.

   Soooooo remember the Floorwork post ? I have been working non stop with that Ruby DVD and it is kick ass! Here's the thing, I own several DVDs/tapes with floorwork material on them, and they are not bad. But this one is superior. What makes it superior is that she shows you lines. Shows you alignment, shows you that even the smallest awareness of certain muscle groups can make or break not only the movements but your back. I feel like in comparison all of the other floorwork material I have is incredibly sloppy.
    The ," warmup/strengthening techniques" part is AMAZING. If you have no introduction to Pilates this part will leave you saying..... damn. Ruby is a certified Pilates instructor also and even though I have done Pilates before and loved it, her approach is especially tailored for the bellydancer. I swear on the Lindt dark chocolate bar that I have waiting for me as a snack, I could see definition in my abs after 1 week of doing just the strengthening exercises.

So I have decided. I'm gonna marry Ruby....or at least send her flowers or something.

A Story

Once upon a time back in the land of 2001, there lived a busy young morning show host. She had to rise at the ungodly hour of 3AM, drop her infant off at grandma's house and be at work at 4 to be on the air at 4:30. The bellydance classes that she started in 98' had to end abruptly, just when she had moved to intermediate, and had started to play with zills a little ( a cheapo Turkish pair that slid around when she tried to play them becuase she was too stoopid to get the right kind of elastic). So this radio host one morning, got tired of not dancing. She said to herself, "self, I may not be able to go to classes,because they start right at my bedtime,but I can get a tape." So get a tape she did....by a blond instructor with the name of a fish well known for its sea world-blow hole-we like humans tendency....

She practiced every day. EVERY DAY. For an hour sometimes more. In a month or two she decided that she was bored with the fish woman's DVD, and so she called up a well known instructor and said to herself, " self, we are making good money now, we can afford weekly private lessons".
So the instructor came. Saw her undulations. said ,"very good". Saw her shimmies. said," you have been practicing and it shows". Saw her whole repertoire of movements and nodded with approval. Just when things looked like they were all peachy she saw her hands. HER CONSTANTLY ROTATING HANDS. OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ,"STUPID HANDS". Her hands, like the fish womans moved like little helicoptors, circling at a frantic pace when she danced.
The instructors smile turned to a frown and she said,"WHERE did you learn that?" pointing aghast to her hands that twirled like a kid who had had too many fun pops.
" From the Fish Woman's DVD" The radio show host/bellydancer said timidly.
" well, unlearn it now." The teacher said. Shaking her head at the variety of crap put out there that is marketed as bellydance.

So what is the moral of the story, my friends?
Just because something is on DVD or Youtube, or even taught in a class doesn't mean it is worth a shit. Think before you dance, and don't ever ever twirl your hands around like a fucking low rent/video taught bellydancer.