Music, Music, Music!

IBCC Emerging Artists Stage Solo, 2012

Since I believe it's never a bad time to think about what to dance to next, I have been spending some energy going over my music collection to figure out what pieces I want to perform to at some upcoming spring and summer events.

I've usually got some ideas in my mind at any given time of pieces I'd love to dance to - one of the hazards of being a bellydancer, actually. I never can just listen to a song, I have to think "hmmm...is this something I could work with?" or "OMG this would be GREAT with cane!" You get the general idea. Any song by any artist is fair game as far as I'm concerned.

I do try to tailor what I dance to to the event at hand. For example, I tend towards more upbeat music for Kensington Pedestrian Sundays since it's a summer, outdoor festival,  while I am inclined to do something darker for a performance at a Dark Salon at The Dark Side or more experimental if it's a student show like Dragonfly Rising at Dragonfly Bellydance.

I firmly believe you can bellydance to anything. With the right attitude and the right costume, any song is a bellydance song. I've danced to everything from George Abdoo and Djinn to Shani and Cleopatra, Medieval Babes and The Lost Fingers to The Doors and The Who and everything in between:

 

Boris the Spider at the Dragonfly Fantasy Hafla, September, 2013

To make sure I always have something in my back pocket in case a surprise opportunity comes up, I keep a list of songs I'd like to dance to on my Crackberry and add to it anytime a new idea pops into my head. Then, about once a week, I take a good half hour to an hour to just play songs from that list and improv to see what comes out. Sometimes after playing with a piece for a while I realize it just isn't working for me, so I move on to something else. Other times something really "clicks" and I keep it on the back burner and wait for the right time to pull it out.

I also have pieces I've done in the past that, as I have improved and grown my technique, have decided to revisit and try again either from another angle or to see what else might come out now that I've had a few more years or a few new workshops or classes with a different teacher under my belt. Usually it's because I really loved the song in the first place and really wanted to dance to it right then, then go back to it later because I become convinced I could do more with it.

When I start to seriously think about getting into choreography mode, I put the piece (or pieces as the case may be) I am currently working on on repeat on my Crackberry and listen to it/them constantly until I feel like I know every beat, riff, phrase and subtle nuance. This is when I get the most interesting reactions from normal people because I start dancing along while I'm out walking, waiting for the streetcar or on the subway platform. I'm sure most of you can relate to the looks other people offer up when they can't hear what you're grooving to!

I'm always open and looking for new and exciting music to work with, so if anyone has bands or songs or anything to share, feel free to pass it along! I love hearing what other people are into and what makes their world work!