Nizana El Rassan
Amongst all the movement drills, choreographies and costumes are nuances important to the dance that all performers should learn. Being a well-rounded knowledgeable dancer helps you to appropriately portray this beautiful cultural art form. Teachers have an obligation to go beyond performance routines and provide a foundation and connection to resources to truly learn the dance style and its origins.
History, including dancers before us, along with culture are two integral parts of this dance form which is still evolving. The countries that these dance styles come from include Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, the Gulf Region, Persia (Iran) and beyond in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. World flavors have individualized dances from countries such as the U.S., Morocco, France and Russia. Regardless of the creativity and individualization, the dance must maintain a respect and authenticity for the cultures represented. Understanding congruence of music, movement and costuming is a must, and there are important elements that make it what it is. There are plenty of teachers and resources to draw from to represent each style with authenticity.
Etiquette is a whole other article, but suffice it to say that etiquette is important, regardless of where you are at. Teachers should prioritize this topic, especially if they are having their students perform. Dressing rooms in particular require extra attention in this area as they are usually small, shared and otherwise limited. Don’t set your food and dump your wine on other people’s suitcase and leave it there. Don’t hog the mirror, spray things or bring your friends in. It’s not the place to practice choreography, especially with canes and swords… Be mindful and thoughtful, clean up your mess and remember others are needing to get ready, too.
Some other things teachers should be sharing with students are the little things that can make a big difference. For example, be graceful picking up your props on stage. Don’t bend over with your butt to the audience to pick them up. This really distracts from an otherwise beautiful performance. Test run your costumes so there is no gap-itis, crack-itis, slippage, etc. While you’re working hard at your dance, the audience is left wondering what malfunction they are waiting to see- is she wearing underwear? (Please do!) Is her boob going to pop out? Are his pants going to slide off and show us even more plumber’s crack? In the same vein, if you’re going to do floorwork, make sure your costume is conducive to floorwork.
Wear your coverup when you’re not performing (unless specific circumstances dictate otherwise.) Keep the magic under wraps until you are on stage, don’t distract audience members while someone else is in the spotlight and protect your costume from snags, spills, etc. Keep your dance persona going from stage entrance to exit, know your music (so you’re not smiling during the singer lamenting about heartbreak) and know your audience.
If you're going to choose a dance name for yourself or your troupe, be mindful of what it means to take such a name on as well as what the name itself means. Be mindful not to use the same dance name as someone else, and if there is a strong reason to do so, make it your own by adding to it. For example, when my teacher discovered someone new using the name she'd been using for years, she added the last name of her Jordanian "family" to distinguish herself and reduce confusion. Borrowing and copying isn't flattery; it's not ok to use established names or parts of names for your event or troupe that others have clearly been using for awhile. Come up with your own names, choreographies, graphics, etc. Social media have made it easy to connect with dancers around the world, so it's extra important to be mindful not to be duplicative.
These dance styles are entertaining, fun and inspiring. Teachers enlightening students on important aspects of the dance benefits everyone. Students must also take it upon themselves to understand what it means to dance this genre and the responsibilities that go with it.