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| RRRRRRROAR! Maria Sokolova by Michael Baxter |
Maria Sokolova is a rising star in the world
of belly dance. Every time I watch her perform, she takes my breath away with
her precise technique, which is powerful, showy and full of pizazz, yet still
extremely Oriental, soft and subtle. Not
only that, she’s gorgeous, has terrific
stage presence and costumes that any
belly dancer would give their right hip for! It’s no wonder she won Belly Dancer of The Universe, Belly Dancer Of The Year and was a finalist on Michelle Joyce's “Project Belly Dance: Season Two”-
cause she’s got it all! She’s also one of the sweetest and most
humble dancers I’ve ever met, truly a joy to hang out with backstage!
Born in Moscow, Russia, Maria first became
enthralled with belly dancing while travelling in North Africa. She
now lives in Santa Clara, California and was trained in belly dance by her
mentor, Sandra, as well as international
stars like Randa Kamel, Raqia Hassan, Tito and many others, including the Russian
greats when she visits her
homeland. Currently, she performs and
teaches throughout the San Francisco Bay
area, directs her student troupe Almaz,
and travels internationally for workshops and shows.
Many of us dancers get nervous and flustered before we go
onstage, so I love to find out about
backstage rituals from dancers I admire,
and have them share their secrets here
for inspiration!
Here’s
how Maria preps for shows, in her own words:
“ Waiting is the thing
that can make anyone nervous, so most of the time I try to arrive late enough
that I only have time to jump into the costume and run on stage right when music
starts. Many dancers dislike that, saying it makes them feel unprepared, while
for me it's much better than to get dressed, get ready and wait, cause waiting
makes me doubt if my makeup is in place, if my skirt slit in the right place,
if extra pins are needed…or wondering if I have to step on stage with right
foot first or left?
I like to spy on the
audience I am about to perform for, so when I’m done with fixing my eye make
up and hair a hundred times, I go take a look at the performance area while staying unnoticed.
If there are hundreds
of people in the audience I'll tell myself to get relaxed - "It's easy,
just like dancing for two tables at a restaurant!”
But if I’m really a restaurant,
if it's only two tables then I pretend it's a stadium of people to make myself
work harder. Thus, my best shows are often the ones for half empty restaurants!
Sometimes to add more
confidence before stepping on stage I try to imagine who I want to be
today….depending on what skill I need to access at the moment. I close my eyes
make a deep breath and think "I'm Tito!" and run on stage pouring all
possible stage presence; or I can think "I'm Sandra!" and flow out on
a dance floor with all sensuality; on special occasions "I'm Randa!"
when feeling ambitious, or "I'm Dina!" when I
feel daring… It helps, I swear!”
Maria’s website: http://www.orientdancer.com/
View her instructional mini-workshop on
RaqsTV, “Refining The Dance”
Maria will be
teaching and performing at “From
Russia With Love” in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada on June 14
& 15, for details, contact:
#
Get your autographed copy of “The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For
The Serious Dancer” here:
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