As many of you know, I am a Belly Dancer for Gypsy Dance Company and I love it! For the past six weeks or so, I have been participating in a belly dancing technique class, because the regular dancing season ended at the beginning of September and I just couldn't get enough. This was a two hour class, the first hour being technique training and the second hour rehearsing a number for out upcoming Gypsy Tapestry Formal Event.
Last night was the Gypsy Tapestry Formal Event and the last performance of the season for Desert Gypsy Dance Company. We performed at Covey Center for the Arts in Provo with different belly dancing companies from around the area, for a fairly large crowd of people.
There are several reasons that I can think of that make me like belly dancing, but I think one of the biggest reasons is the camaraderie. The feeling of acceptance. There really is no feeling of competition or rivalry, even amongst the different troupes from different areas. We are all different. We are all shaped different, dance different, have different talents, dress differently and yet, as one group performs, another group is usually waiting in the wings for their turn and cheering on the performers. We can appreciate each other for who we really are and encourage each other regardless of all conditions. We are all like one big family...who all happen to like to shake their stuff on stage! Hahaha.
It was good to be back on a stage again. I haven't been on a stage since high school. Even though I have never been to the Covey Center for the Arts, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as I wrapped my hand around the rope of the fly, or darted in and out of the legs and narrowly avoided the cyc. The lights, the music, the markers on the stage floor...all of it, was like coming home in a way, and yet completely different, because I had never been here before.
In the past, I had never been the performer really, I was always the girl behind the scenes, with her headset on, making fun of the stressed out dancers as they darted around worrying about their hair, makeup and costume changes.
Imagine my chagrin and bemusement as I found myself now in that position; worrying about making the lines as straight as possible when you spin into them (which is never easy), worrying about my hair flying about, worrying about my skirt getting caught on the skirt of another dancer and on top of it all remembering all the steps and specific beats to hit them on.
It was an interesting dynamic. Appreciating the performance on both sides, as both the performer and the presenter. I think it made the experience that much richer for me.
All in all, I think I did fairly well. I was in one performance that showcased just the members of my troupe and the last performance of the night, which showcased only those that took the technique class.
My troupe dance was easy as pie. A dance I had once thought I would NEVER get down correctly, I was able to stroll through it. We have performed this dance a couple of times at different venues and we get better at it with each performance. I don't remember making any grand mistakes in this dance and if I did, I am getting much better at hiding them.
The second dance, the techinique class, was more difficult, due in part to never having performed it, having a large group of people and having only finished learning it a couple weeks ago. We practiced it before the crowd of people began to file in and I don't think anyone there thought we had a good run through. Our lines were a mess, the steps were forgotten and my skirt got caught on that of my partner. We gingerly undid the tangle and hoped it wouldn't happen again.
As I stood in line for our last number, staring at the back of one of my fellow dancers, trying to get into the beat of the music, while pretending not to notice that I was in the front row, dead center on stage and just feet from me were what felt like thousands of eyes staring at me, I silently prayed "please don't let me mess up".
The beginning of the number was good. I was confident in the steps and the rhythm. My partner and I making cheesy happy smiles at each other helped a bit. It was only towards the end, the part not practiced as much, that I started to have some difficulty. And sure enough, my skirt did get caught on my partner, but she quickly tore the thread loose off my skirt and solved the problem. Staring at my partner, I did steps that were after the next steps and threw us both off, but before I knew it, the dance was over. I felt good. Now, anyone that knows me....really knows me...is fully aware that despite how I am with people in small groups or even on a 1-on-1 basis, I am terrified of getting up in front of people. While I wasn't 100% perfect, I did the best that I could and I didn't think it was too shabby, because in the end...I did it! I got up in front of people and danced my heart out!! A real success in my book.
I told a friend the night before that I didn't care if anyone came, which in itself isn't completely true, but for the most part it was. It's not that I don't want to invite people or that I don't care if the come to support me. I would love it if EVERYONE came and loved it as much as I did! But the truth of the matter is that people are busy, they have lives that they need to live. Sometimes that allows them to be there and sometimes that doesn't. My point was, that while I would love for everyone I love to see me dance and know that this is truly what makes me happy (even if I am not perfect), if they can't make it for whatever reason, it will not bother me, because I am doing what I love and I am doing it for me. It makes me super happy and that is all that matters!
So now the season has finished and there won't be practices or performances till next year...
...what WILL I do with myself...
....hmm, Salsa Dancing...
...sounds like just the ticket!
No comments:
Post a Comment