Part I
Check homemade CDs on a regular stereo before you go to a show. Burning at
high speeds burns shallow which makes it undetectable
for some older units... forgetting to finalise can leave it
unreadable for anything but computers. And don't web
surf while you burn as it can cause skips.
"Melodia" style fitted pants
can look great (especially for tribal fusion! ...
but even for practice pants!) but if you are wearing
anything that adheres to your crotch you should either
avoid open legged poses during performance, buy only
dark pants, or wear some kind of panty shield between
you and the world. The sweat can outline your parts or
just plain fill the crotch area and is very visible
to the audience in non-black colors. Ewwwwwwww!
Garlic, even just a little garlic, will hang in your system and people WILL
smell it when you dance.
Rhinestones can be most conveniently glued to your face with eyelash glue or clear nail polish.
Use the clear kind instead of the white kind in a tube, because though the
white kind dries clear it will go white again when you sweat. You can also
glue rhinestones to your belly and legs for interesting effects. Bindis can
be reused same way.
Colored arm bands that match your costume bra make your bust look larger
because they carry the color out to the side. Important to remember if you
are a narrow topped person that wants to wear gauntlets (which carry the
color down and make you look narrower).
Be tolerant of people who don't dance the same way you do. You aren't more
right than they are, you just have different opinions. Live that way and
we will all be happier.
If you can't do your isolations with half a cup of water on your head, you
ain't doing your isolations.
Having trouble getting real passion and emotion into your slower dancing?
Select a slow song you really like in your native language -- one that really
touches you -- and PRACTICE with it. Practice communicating the content of
the words. Let yourself really get into it. Then find an appropriate slow
piece you want to perform to and work to communicate the emotions you hear
in THAT music.
If your hips pop or click on hip slides or circles, keep your butt tighter
when you move. Consciously flexing your buttocks will help support these
joints.
Make your nails look longer by making a stripe of a darker color down the
length of the center.
Your ears should be over your shoulders, and your shoulders should be down
and relaxed even when your arms are over your head.
When your arms are posed down at your sides your elbows should be bent outward
away from your waist. This not only gives a nice line to the pose, but it
also takes advantage of something called a "corner illusion" and makes your
waist look considerably smaller. This only works if your hands are at hip
level, and not if your hands are at your waist..
Cheap costume jewelry that your skin reacts to can be painted with clear
nail polish to protect your skin.
Learn to play the finger cymbals. A middle level dancer can occasionally
beat out a truly inspired pro dancer just by playing cymbals well.
Men, to bring masculine energy to your dance cultivate strong arms and hands.
Best basic hand position: fingers parallel to each other, hands gently curved...
hands with energy in them...kind of like someone may throw you something
like a basketball at any moment
Wearing a headband or hair ornament of the same color as your costume tends
to make you look taller.
When placing a prop on your head while dancing do not continue to try and
dance. Come to a complete stop, and do not start dancing again until the
prop is securely in place. The audience will NOT get bored and it will heighten
the drama of what you are doing. Moving distracts from the focus.
Wearing a cover-up garment over your costume when you are not performing
really is the best etiquette and preserves the mystique of your costume.
If you are a woman at a gig, do not ever allow any man to walk you to your
car alone at night . Just take my word and the word of many dancers for it. Make no
exceptions. Protect each other.
If your zills (finger cymbals) are clunking when you play them instead of
ringing, first check that the elastic is not longer insite the cup of the
zill than it needs to be, then try turning the thumb zil down slightly to
make sure the cymbals are NOT striking exactly face to face. They should
hit at an angle.
Darker plum and brick red lipsticks look better on stage than bright shades,
but may look strange in broad daylight. Outline your lips in a darker shade
to give them definition, and remember that you do not have to stay exactly
within the lines! Shape your lips how you wish by exceeding the lines slightly
above the upper and below the lower lipline in places that will make them
look fuller!
When performing a shimmy originating from the knees, make sure you are not
completely straightening the knees to locking position. Your knees should
be bent throughout ALL movements and your weight should be back towards your
heels.
Plan in advance so you can drink plenty of water at events during the hot
summer fair season. Also, many fabrics don't block the sun so DO wear sunscreen
ALL OVER!
Injure yourself? RICE is the key: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Ice
(20 min on/20 min off and repeat) and wrap every injury as soon as you can
because the damage continues to be done during the time immediately after
the injury occurs.
A "shimmy overlay" is when you are using the same part of the body to both
shimmy and do an isolation. A "shimmy with an isolation" is when you are
shimmying with one part of the body and doing an isolation with another.
Pack an old sock full of baking soda and rice and tuck it into a bra cup
when you put your costume away (assuming we EVER put our costumes away) --
especially if you have the bad habit of storing your costumes in plastic
bags. The baking soda will absorb any smell while the rice absorbs moisture.
If you wear your socks to death, make a bag out of calico or any tightly
woven natural fabric instead.
Need fresh material when you dance? Write down three things you always forget
to do and look at the list just before you go on stage.
If you are dancing on an outdoor raised stage in the wind please wear harem
pants or non-see-through full dance undies. Your butt detracts from your
dance no matter how nice it is.
Having trouble thinking of what to do when you are improvising? Select one
step, preferably with a few variations and ALWAYS go back to that step whenever
you can't think of what to do. Soon your mind will let you start to think
more clearly when you dance, and if you do the step with the variations very
few people will really notice the reptition.
Smile, position your arms and keep your eyes off the floor whenever you practice
or during your classes. Make it a habit so you don't have to think about
it when you perform.
When repositioning your arms during a series of movements, bringing your
hands in to your chest before extending them back out in a new position will
give a fresh and controlled appearance to many different arm placements.
Example: A) Both arms out at shoulder height, B) Touch fingertips together
just above and in front of your chest, C) Extend 1 arm up and 1 arm out at
shoulder height.
Always use your own standards to judge information. A famous dancer is just
as capable of teaching a dangerous or foolish step as anyone else would be.
If YOU think a step looks stupid or offensive use something else.
A drop of your favorite essential oil on the inside rim of your zills (finger
cymbals...sagat....) will permanently scent them. The oil beats into the
metal.
