DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS PART FOUR: ALEYA OF CAIRO

This is Part Four of my series Dancers Backstage Rituals...and this post focuses on Aleya, an American belly dancer who has been living and working in Cairo, Egypt for three years.

Aleya and I came up together in the Los Angeles dance scene. We saw each other constantly, at gigs working together, and socially too. In 2008, we sort of accidentally bumped into each other in Cairo. I say "accidentally" because neither of us knew that the other one was going to be there!

Aleya had been in the beach resort of Hurghada, relaxing, and I had taken a un-planned, totally last minute ten-day trip to my favorite city on earth...between gig obligations. Due to the wonders of email and texting, Aleya found out I was in Egypt, and of course we got together...spending some quality time which basically amounted to four days with no sleep and constant laughing. We ran amok in Cairo's cabarets until the wee hours, shoveled a quick breakfast in our mouths, and then spent all day hanging around Eman Zaki's atelier or cruising around the city before doing our hair and makeup in my hotel room...and then repeating it all again! It was during this trip that Aleya confided to me she was planning on moving to Egypt to pursue her dreams of dancing in Cairo.

"So...when are you doing that?" I asked, thinking she'd say something like "next year".

"I'm just going to go home and get my cats," she replied.

Knowing that Aleya was as insane about her cats as I am about mine, I immediately realized that this wasn't a lark...it was an absolutely serious, real move, not a temporary "feeling it out" kind of deal. Taking her cats along to Cairo meant Aleya was going for broke!

But as long as I have known her, she has been always driven and continually strives for excellence. In Los Angeles, she worked at clubs, restaurants and private parties, taught classes, and directed and choreographed for her own Negma Dance Company. Before she left, she also released a CD of fantastic belly dance music called "Bellylicious Raks". ( There is a link at the end of this post where you can purchase it on CD Baby).

After moving to Cairo, she soaked up as much dance, music and culture as she could. By the time I came back the next summer, her dancing, which was always great, had been noticeably changed by her time in Egypt. She was, however, finding the dance scene harder to crack than she'd originally expected, and though she was trying everything she could think of to get work, work wasn't coming her way.

As she told me this, she joked,

"I always believed in affirmations, so I used to say: I want my life to be just like a vacation....and now it is like a vacation, but I don't want it to be, I want to work!"

Her dedication paid off though, because she has been working... at private parties at top-notch hotels, and at Cairo landmarks like the elegant floating supper club, The Nile Maxim. She also teaches many group and private classes, and just appeared in Qatar, dancing for the Royal Family.

Somehow in between all of this, she also managed to document the Egyptian Revolution! While other people were cowering in their apartments, Aleya and partner Ramy Salem were smack dab in the middle of the protests, braving tear gas and riotous crowds to take photos of history-in-the-making. You can see them in her book, "18 Days"- scroll down to the end of this post for a link to preview and purchase the book, which is stunning.


From the very beginning, Aleya was always such a super-hot performer, no one would ever have guessed that in the first part of her career, she suffered from really bad stage fright- but she did. Happily, she doesn't any more, but see what she has to say about that- and gigging in Cairo, here, in her own words:


"My first five years of performing I had horrible stage fright! I used to practice for at least one and a half hours before a performance. I think the stage fright stemmed from me not feeling good enough, so I felt like I had to remember all my moves and practice a lot before I danced.

I would put on videos of dancers I admired and imitate their movements. I would try to get two moves from them that were not in my normal repertoire and do them during my show. In retrospect I think this has helped me to have a bigger vocabulary for the dance. It also calmed me down so I could release all of the nervous energy I had. It was great! I would do two workouts in one night, and sometimes more if I were doing a couple of shows.

Now, as I prepare to dance, several years later, I just try to stretch and relax after I change into my costume.

Of course before I dance, I must have my wig on even though I have long hair. My vision of belly dancers always has been to have big hair and lots of stage make-up. I don’t believe in the “natural look” for a performer! If I don’t have big hair and great make up, the stage won’t feel quite right and I will not perform my best.

I also must always go to the toilet before I dance, even if I went 5 minutes before! I think that stems from the habits, which I acquired long ago, when I had stage fright. I have never been able to release this habit, which can be quite annoying… especially because in Cairo, you never know where your show will be or what the conditions are where you will be changing into your costume! For example let’s say you have a show at the Pyramids, then your “dressing room” is in the middle of the desert…things can get quite complicated!

Now, I am quite comfortable with any kind of venue or show where I can interact with an audience; they always put me at ease. I don’t get nervous and I don’t need much of a ritual.

On the other hand, if I am dancing on a big stage with a band and away from the audience I still get unbelievably nervous. If and when I do, I just close my eyes and say to myself,

“It’s just a big party!”

Saying this takes the edge off for me and I also say a little prayer to God and the Universe for letting me be my absolute best, and being thankful for the gift of dance. Then it’s show time! And I just try to be in the moment and enjoy it. "

- Aleya

Watch Aleya dancing on The Nile Maxim in Cairo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMicku0pc4U&feature=player_embedded

Buy Aleya's CD "Bellylicious Raks" here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/aleya

Preview & purchase Ramy Salem and Aleya's book "18 days" here: http://aleyabellydance.com/2011/07/09/egyptian-revolution-in-cairo-part-ii/

Read Aleya's blog about belly dancing and living in Cairo here: http://aleyabellydance.com/

PHOTOS: Aleya by Ramy Salem; Aleya dancing on The Nile Maxim

MY OTHER CAR IS A BROOMSTICK!

Happy Fall to you!

It’s getting dark a lot earlier, something I’m not entirely fond of, but as the year winds down, there are still plenty of things that make me happy. Aside from the shorter days, I love fall…even though I live in Hollywood, California, it’s harvest time.

At my house, that means my pumpkin patch is in full swing. Fat and orange with giant, prehistoric-looking leaves, they have taken over my entire yard! My kitties are growing their winter coats and look all round and cuddly.

October also means Halloween, which is always fun. But it’s also a different sort of holiday for performers, who dress in costumes on a regular basis. At the risk of sounding like a crabapple, I’m just gonna come right out and say it: sometimes I dread Halloween because of the amount of calls I get in the weeks leading up to it from everyone I know who feels entitled to raid my closet.

This entry below is a re-post from Halloween 2010- but I had to put it up again, because it still applies- and always will! So here’s the original post.

* * * * * *


It’s just a couple of weeks until Halloween, which has always been my favorite holiday ever.

If you are like me- and if you’re reading this, I’m sure you are- you are already aware that this is the time of year when everyone you know hits you up about borrowing or even renting your stage costumes. Call me selfish, call me witchy, or just call me a “Hallo-weenie”… but I NEVER rent or lend my costumes out for Halloween (or Burning Man, for that matter) unless I know it’s something I know I could easily part with.

The stage costumes I own, not to mention my crazy collection of circus outfits, pirate hats, robot suits, saloon girl headdresses, clown outfits, feather fans, vintage corsets, kitty ears, rhinestone studded masquerade masks, wigs, super-hero boots, vampire capes, real and fake fur coats- need I go on? They are the "tricks“ of my trade, not a “treat“ for someone who won't respect them! They took a long time and a lot of money for me to collect, not to mention maintain.

My costume collection could probably have it’s own episode on the show “Hoarders”, but there’s a reason I have all this stuff around: it’s my livelihood! These pieces are my work tools, my office supplies, and in most cases, very expensive. But whether it’s an Egyptian belly dance costume I paid $700.00 for, or pair of character shoes I embellished myself, they are professional accoutrements that I can’t do my job properly without.


Oh, I used to be very generous about lending out costumes and costume pieces for non-dancers to use at Halloween parties, but it always ended badly. Things would come back to me (usually months later) ripped, stained, with burn-holes from cigarettes or wax from candles, or just covered in cheap drugstore make-up or greasepaint from The Spirit Store. And some things never came back at all!

Would you lend someone your laptop if you knew they were going to use it-and maybe accidentally leave it- at a club? Would you let a friend borrow an expensive camera to bring to a party where all the guests were going to be falling-down drunk? I thought not!

I think the reason most “civilians” want to borrow costumes is simply because they want to look good… and they also have nothing but the best intentions in borrowing these things. But the average person doesn’t realize that for their seasonal party-needs, a $20.00 costume from the toy store would be fine.

Want some help with your Halloween make-up? I’d be happy to assist you.

But don’t even think about asking to borrow my costumes… cause you’ll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands!

DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS, PART THREE: LOTUS NIRAJA

The featured performer for Part Three of Dancers Backstage Rituals is Lotus Niraja. I have been charmed by her performances for years, as i am sure many of you have! She's also a really nice person in "real life"- we spent some quality dressing room time at the shoots for Cheeky Girls Productions "Combination Nation" and "By Dancers, For Dancers" DVDs.

She's also fireball: not only is she an exquisite dancer and international workshop instructor, she is the founder, choreographer and artistic director of award-winning dance company, The NDC , or Niraja Dance Company.

She has been featured on several instructional and performance DVDs, and is admired for her precise technique and dynamic stage presence. As if that weren't enough, she also runs the popular competition The Belly Dance Nationals, and recently partnered with Michelle Joyce of Cheeky Girls Productions to co-produce the hit web-based reality show, "Project Belly Dance".

For Lotus, stage-fright has never been an issue... but are you wondering how she gets such boundless energy?

Her secret-like her personality, is ultra sweet, just the right combination of naughty and nice!

Here's what she has to say, in her own words:

"I do not have a pre-performance ritual per se. I grew up behind the stage as a child, so I can get into costume and makeup pretty quickly.

My only mandatory good luck charm is that I have to have four safety pins in my costume at all times. If I do not have four, I feel like the stage will fall apart if I even touch it. You will find four safety pins in each of my costumes in patterns such as crosses, x's and letters. BUT...after I perform is when the ritual magic happens.

When I leave the stage and the music is off. You'll see me rummaging through my bag with a gusto. I grab a bar of high quality chocolate out of my bag, open it, and slowly savor the taste. I won't rush it either. I don't chew it , I let it melt in my mouth. My post-performance ritual is to have a piece of chocolate after every performance to congratulate myself and to savor the moment.

I have to have it, or I won't think my performance is complete! My current favorites are Yeli Belly Chocolates (made by a belly dancer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area) and Richarts in NYC.

But if I'm desperate, I'll grab a quick 70%+ cocoa bar from the local grocery store and throw it in my bag. I love the feeling of having something special waiting for me during the finale part of my dance.

It's my little sweet secret!"


-LOTUS NIRAJA



To find out more about Lotus and The NDC, please visit: www.lotusniraja.com

Photos:
LEFT: Lotus' newest DVD, "The Icing On The Drum Solo", released by Cheeky Girls Productions

RIGHT: Lotus looking uber-glam in a costume by her mom, designer MAZ

Bottom: Lotus' newest DVD, "The Icing On The Drum Solo"

A DANCER’S QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE TO THEATRICAL LIGHTING

Theatrical lighting enhances stage performances in many different ways. Through the use of colors and intensity, good lighting can set a mood, it directs attention to-or away from- a certain performer or place on the stage, it can take the place of scenery, mark the passing of time, or even be used to enhance the action onstage, or move a plot along.

Lighting can make or break a performance, turning an average piece into something special, or even turning a beautiful and technically perfect dance piece into something mundane- or worse, something that cannot even be seen!

Lighting technicians used to change the moods onstage manually, but nowadays, many theaters are equipped with computerized lighting boards that can be programmed to change in a split second.

While not all dancers regularly perform in a proper theater with state-of-the-art lighting, it is still a good idea to be familiar with some working knowledge of theatrical lighting.

Have you ever experienced this all-too-familiar exchange?

Question: “What kind of lighting would you like for your piece?”
Dancer: “ Um…. I’m not sure…?”

With a little bit of know how, you will be able to decide exactly what sort of lighting you would like for your dance piece, lighting that will enhance your performance and make you look beautiful…or menacing, innocent, young, old, remote, friendly and accessible or even as grotesque as you want!

While this is by no stretch of the imagination any sort of complete guide, it’s a quick 'n' dirty, easily memorized guide to the basics of theatrical lighting.


House Lights
These refer to the lights in the actual theater, not the lights on the stage. The house lights illuminate the entire audience area, and can include everything from chandeliers to sconces on the walls, and the runner lights on the floor that illuminate the walk ways and aisles. House lights are often controlled by the theater’s lighting designer, and can be dimmed or brought up before and after the performance, as well as during intermission.

Work Lights
Work lights refer to the lights that are on ( both onstage and in the house) for the cast and crew to work by during a rehearsal or tech-check, while the theatrical lights for the performance are being set up.

Spot Lights
There are many different varieties of spotlights, but they all have one thing in common: they focus an intense beam of light directly onto a performer or place on the stage. A follow spot is mounted on a moveable base, so it can literally follow a performer around the stage, continuously illuminating the individual. A pin spot directs a very narrow beam of light onto a person or place on stage.

Fill Lights
Fill lights and side fills are supplementary lights, usually used to lighten up the shadows cast across the performer’s features.

Accent Lights
The type of lighting used to accent a person or a place on stage, to make it stand out. Accent lighting may be done with colors or with intensity- a spotlight is basically an accent light.

Black Out
This term refers to a total absence of lighting on stage. Many performances begin and end in a black out, while the cast members walk on and off stage. There should ideally be a small mark on the floor done in glow-tape or fluorescent paint at center stage, so it can be seen it in the dark and help performers get their bearings as they step into place. Whenever possible, have a stage hand or the lighting tech make a separate mark on the floor for you if you are beginning in place on stage anywhere other than center.


Wash
A “wash” refers to the mix of lights being used onstage at any given time.


Gel
A gel is the thin sheet set across the front of light to alter the color of the light. Nowadays, gels are commonly made of plastic, but “back in the day” they were originally made of gelatin (from animal tissue) hence the name.

Gobo
A Gobo is a generic term for any sort of opaque object placed in front of a light to block a portion of the beam, or the entire beam of light.

Pattern
A Gobo with any sort of design cut into the surface. When placed in front of a beam of light, the patterned Gobo projects the design onto the stage.

Colors of lights and/or gels, and the effects they will have on skin tones, make up and costumes:

Black Light/ UV Light
Black light, UV, or Ultra Violet light, this is a bluish- purple light used for theatrical effects, and will highlight white or fluorescent-colored costumes and props, such as hula hoops or juggling clubs.
Black light is often used for psychedelic effects at parties and nightclubs. Aside from the fact that it makes almost any skin tone appear lavender to dark purple, it also evens out the skin and makes it appear flawless, and makes teeth appear glowing white, which is why so many “gentlemen’s clubs” use UV lighting. However, black light or UV light onstage is so unnatural and unusual, that on a stage, it should be used judiciously, for special effects only.


Violet
Non- UV Lighting in the violet family will cause any sort of warm color to appear redder, and will make yellows and greens turn brown and muddy. Red colored make up used on the performer’s face will look very deep and unnatural, and sometimes black. Shadows under facial features (like cheek bones) will also appear dark gray or black.

Purple
Deep purple lighting effects makeup and costumes in the same way violet lighting does, only even more intensely. Any costume or prop in with blue coloring will appear violet.


Lavender
Less intense than purple or violet, a soft lavender light will make the performer appear lifelike, but with a slightly cooler cast to the tone of the flesh.

Magenta
Though an intense color on its own, careful use of magenta lighting can actually look rosy and romantic when used an accent color onstage.

Pink
Straight up pink lighting will intensify warmer colors and gray down cooler colors. For example, a lemon yellow costume will appear almost orange, and a royal blue costume may appear to be dark purple, black or gray. Red or pink lipstick or blush will appear intensified and doll-like.

Light Pink or Peach
This rich, warm color flatters most theatrical makeup, and mixed in with whites, will bring a softer look to a bright stage.

Red
Used on it’s own, red lighting will either wash out or muddy up almost any color of costume, and plays horrendous tricks with stage makeup. On the face, everything but the darkest color of make up pretty much vanishes…. in other words, you will look like a corpse! Light and medium rouges fade into the performer’s foundation make-up, whereas dark red rouges turn a rusty brown. Yellows will become orange, and the cool shaded colors turn dreary shades of gray and black.

Orange
Orange or golden-toned light will make most flesh colors turn sallow. It will also turn colors in the red or pink family even more orange. Cool colors- blues, greens, purples, will be grayed and won’t stay true.

Amber
This color is pretty much universally flattering, because it warms the skin and picks up the lively pinks and flesh tones in almost any sort of theatrical makeup, making the performer appear healthy and “life-like”.


Bastard Amber
This is a warm pinkish-golden tone that is commonly employed onstage to mimic daylight- it adds a rich,robust tone to almost any shade of skin or any kind of stage make-up, and costume colors appear bright and true. And yes...it really is called Bastard Amber!

Yellow
Yellow lighting on it’s own makes most skin tones appear sallow and sickly, and can wreak havoc on almost any color used in costuming or back drops.

Green
Another color to be careful of using too much of onstage is green. It can make performers look sick…or just plain weird! Green lighting will make all flesh tones appear white and/or gray, and reds or pinks will appear black in proportion to the intensity of the green light. Any props, sets or make up that is already green in color will be intensified, blues will become greener and yellows will appear light green.

Blue
Used by itself, blue-toned lighting will definitely gray most flesh tones and cause them to appear more red or purple, again giving a zombie-like appearance to performers. As a special effect blue light can be very interesting, but use blue lighting with caution, and as an accent, for lighting that will highlight the performers themselves.

White
Almost all colors in the spectrum tend to stay true under white lighting, as do metallics and mixed neon brights, or costumes with patterned fabric. Any sort of shiny trim or sparkling stones will gleam and twinkle insanely and supernaturally.

Though pretty much any color costume will look great under white lights, unless you mix in other colors in a wash with the white lights, most skin-tones may appear ashy or extremely pale and facial features- no matter what the age of the performer- will look rather harsh.

UNIVERSALLY FLATTERING STAGE LIGHTING
If you are unsure of what sort of lighting effects to ask for, or there is a limited amount of lighting in the venue, a nice, bright stage with a mixed wash of whites, pinks and ambers is a safe bet.

It will compliment any performer’s skin tone and show the true colors of costumes, props, sets and backdrops. These colors used together will warm up and soften white lights, and make the performers on stage look life-like and animated without looking harsh. A stage lit like this will also allow the audience’s eyes to take in a performance without being distracted.



Photo: Princess Farhana basking in a spot light, during Hollywood Music Center's "Soul Of Bellydance" DVD shoot

THREE DAYS...AND 1,001 ARABIAN NIGHTS AT SEA

I just returned from Michele Nicola’s Arabian Nights At Sea Belly Dance Cruise to Ensenada, BC Mexico. This year marked the 14th annual voyage, but it was my first year on board The Carnival Paradise. It was definitely one of those experiences that makes me feel so fortunate and grateful that my life involves doing something I love- dancing, teaching dance, traveling, and meeting great new friends.

It was also so much fun that I am completely hoarse from three full days of non-stop laughing, not to mention yelling and zaghareeting over the din of live Arabic drums and dozens jingling hip-scarves!

Nearly two hundred belly dance cruisers attended, from all over North America- there were even two dancers from such a remote place in Canada that it had taken them four planes-and two whole days- to get to the ship!

The ship had plenty of on-board activities, shore excursions in Ensenada, and relaxation opportunities. The classes were wildly varied, including Tribal Fusion, Jazz-Influenced, Oriental, Veil, and Mahalia’s instructional henna workshop.

My other co-instructors were Fahtiem, Ava Fleming, The Shimmy Sisters, tabla master Reda Darwish, Ashley Lopez and my cabin-mate, the lovely Paulina, to whom I am now permanently and irrevocably bonded.

Paulina and I had a three night slumber party that included talking shop, doing each other’s make-up, and waking up at six am to barking sea lions…not to mention marveling over professional break dancers who spun on their heads, and sharing mojitos in a hot tub that just happened to be full of foxy twenty-something guys.

Oh, I forgot to mention the cucumber!

What happens on the ship isn’t gonna stay on the ship- at least THIS time! Here goes:

Paulina was already settling in as I entered our cabin. As I plopped my luggage down, she greeted me in a rather unusual way.

“I brought you a present!”, she chirped brightly, brandishing a giant, light green cucumber. She then whipped out another one and added,

“And I brought one for myself, too,”


I wasn’t exactly sure how to take this rather… unique greeting, and I guess my confusion kind of showed on my face!


Finally, noticing that I seemed flustered, Paulina clarified that she had grown them in her Ojai garden, and had thought they might make a nutritious snack for us in between classes and performances! We both got a great big belly laugh out of that.


Live music for the shows, which took place in the ship’s lounges, and theaters, were provided by Doug Adams and Light Rain with Reda Darwish guesting on tabla. I have loved Reda’s drumming for years, but I gotta say that watching him play live- and dancing to his talented drumming- brought things to a whole new level! He is a beaming ray of light when he plays, all the joy just pours out through his talented hands.

On Saturday night, Light Rain and Reda played for an amazing open dance party on the top deck of the ship, near the pool. They sounded fantastic! Not only were all the A.N.A.S instructors and students reveling, there were many “civilians” who happened to be on board joining us. There was an entire Persian family, whose daughter and mother-in-law joyfully joined us in dancing for hours, and a whole crew of old Egyptian folks whose veiled women clapped and zagareeted wildly from the ship’s balcony. Fahtiem and Ava Fleming engaged in uproarious ballroom dancing, Ashley Lopez got her groove on, and The Shimmy Sisters put on an incredible, gymnastic hoping show, complete with belly dancing- and contortions!

The cruise ended with a cocktail party that included a fabulous show, including Turkish dancer Nilay Enjin, Jan, Angela and many more, which photographer Richard Lowe documented for posterity. After dinner, there was an all night dance party in the ship’s Rex Lounge.

Right now, I’m recovering from my working “vacation” and still giggling at what went on…because aside from the cucumber incident, what happens on board stays on board!


PHOTOS:

Nilay Engin performing at the cocktail party

Paulina and me with the break dancers

Participants from my "Strike A Pose: How To Make The Camera Love You" workshop

Ava Fleming teaching class



Check A.N.A.S out and sign up for next year!!
http://www.arabiannightsatsea.com/

UPPING YOUR DANCE GAME

I am so very excited about MECDA’s Pro Dance Retreat… and there’s only one more week left to register!

The event takes place OCT 6-10, 2011, in Newport Beach, California

This weekend will be like a crash college course in all aspects of business for belly dancers! From learning about music copyrights to making a class curriculum; from structuring a show to negotiating gig fees, from promotion to professional networking- and more!

Back when I first started dancing, there was absolutely nothing at all like this- not to mention no cell phones, email or internet. Finding out ANYTHING about belly dancing, from history to costuming, was nearly impossible....and as for figuring out how to go about becoming a professional at something I loved and thought I'd be good at? NADA!

In those days, I felt like I was on a treasure hunt for knowledge…and though it was fun, a lot of what I learned about becoming a successful professional dancer was learned through the “school of hard knocks”. In fact, i probably got a PhD in that, which is precisely the reason i am so stoked about this conference, which is the first of it's kind.

The workshops are designed for those who want to turn pro, or professional dancers who want some assistance in reaching their career goals and increasing their income, promotional skills, class and performance knowledge, etc.
There will be workshops on everything from developing your professional persona, to making class curriculum, stage make-up to marketing! Also many opportunities to network, and get one-on-one brainstorming sessions with dance professionals. Of course there will also be leisure activities like cocktail parties, an informal hafla and optional luxury spa treatments.


Here is how the event is described on the MECDA site:

This conference is a MUST if you’ve ever…
▪ wondered “am I ready to become a professional?”
▪ dreamed about opening your own studio.
▪ thought about quitting because you’re just not making a living wage.
▪ felt like the economy is kicking your butt, and you’d like to kick back.
▪ wanted to have the extra money to buy costumes and go to workshops without feeling guilty.
▪ figured there’s got to be an easier way to get paying gigs.
▪ been told “better keep your day job!”
▪ believed you had to be a starving artist.
▪ wished you could teach workshops locally or nationally.
▪ felt like producing your own DVD, but didn’t know where to start.
▪ wondered where to find students and how to keep them coming back.
▪ discussed holding a big event, but didn’t know how.
▪ wanted to learn how to run a successful troupe.
▪ been curious about the history and heritage of our dance.
▪ paid a fortune in advertising and wished you didn’t have to.
▪ been treated badly by another dancer protecting “her territory.”
▪ had a burning question and no one would give you a straight answer.
▪ wished you had access to event promoters and organizers.
▪ reached a point where it was too painful NOT to be a professional dancer, but were too intimidated or confused or fearful to get started.



The teachers are all fantastic, and include Zahra Zuhair, Julie Eason of The Bellydance Business Academy, Angelika Nemeth, Amara, Devilla , Nadira Jamal, myself and more—don’t miss this opportunity.

Find out more- and register- here:

http://www.mecdaconference.com/

You'll be glad you did!

DANCERS BACKSTAGE RITUALS, PART TWO: SUHAILA SALIMPOUR

This is part two in an on-going series, which will share the the way well known- and in some cases, wildly famous- dancers prepare for their shows.

Everyone I spoke with had a highly personal take on stage preparation: some are “all business”, listening to an iPod and going over choreography, some hate to be around people while others need to, and even others are superstitious- like yours truly!

Do you ever get backstage jitters or performance anxiety?

Even professionals who have been dancing for years sometimes get that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach- you know, the not-so-nice butterflies that feel more like deadly pterodactyls?

There’s not really any way to “cure” these backstage demons, but you can get them under control a bit. Some of these dancers may be doing a certain pre-show something that can help you.

And anyway, it’s just plain fun to get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes lives of some of the amazing performers we all see live on stage, or on YouTube, as the case may be!

To the belly dance community, Suhaila Salimpour needs no introduction… but I’m gonna go ahead with one anyway…not only is she an uber-talented supernova of a dancer, she is a artistic, talented, a shrewd business woman, and a great mom. I have known her since I first began dancing, and aside from being very generous with me on a professional level, I will attest to the fact that she also has a hilarious sense of humor—just look at the second picture of Suhaila and me on the set of the film “Two Sisters”...


Here’s what Suhaila does backstage, in her own words:


“I began doing "circle time" with my dance company from the first performance we ever had. We make a big circle with all the dancers, myself, my mom (if she is there), and any musicians or special guests and link pinkies. We all stand facing inside the circle and start to vibrate…or try at least. : )
Then I make a speech about the work that went into the performance we are about to do and how proud I am of everyone. I start a pinky squeeze to pass the love and I watch it go from one dancer to the next. When it gets back to me then we all take a big breath together and start to chant "juice, juice, juice" (like give me some "juice" during the show) and it turns into a zagareet. When we part there are a few hugs given and then we focus and grab props and anything else needed for the performance.

If I'm doing a solo I just like to be left alone. I focus on my music going through it inside my head and make sure I'm deeply warmed up. When I'm back stage getting ready to go on I usually miss my mother and wish she was backstage with me. It's like I get home sick.

When I'm done I can't get undressed fast enough or drink enough water! “
- SUHAILA SALIMPOUR


Photos:
Suhaila Salimpour

Princess Farhana & Suhaila on the set of the film "Two Sisters", directed by Margaret Cho


For more info on Suhaila, please visit www.suhailainternational.com