It Ain't Much About Belly Dancing

Back in September I bought a Nook and started loading it up with all sorts of books and apps, including content of the belly dance variety.  Of the 13 books and one app currently available one is a biography called "The Life Story of Etta Jamison:  The First Instructor to Bring Belly Dancing to the Tri-Cities."

See that cover?  I think you can understand why this grabbed my attention in such a big way.

In comparison to other forms of dance there just aren't that many belly dancing books available; and a belly dancing biography?  Well, that's the rarest of the rare. 

And, it's still rare.  I was hoping this book would have some insights into the early days of the belly dance craze of the 60's and 70's, but it doesn't.  It's a short book, only 85 pages, and of those only about 4, two of which are photos, are devoted to Etta Jamison's experiences with belly dancing.

When her friend Elly asked if she knew anything about belly dancing Etta said "No," but that she was interested in learning about it.  After doing some research and hearing about a belly dancing showgirl performing in Portland, Oregon she and Elly decided to make the drive down there to see this mystery lady dance and ask if she would be interested in teaching them how to belly dance.  After some hesitation she agreed, and with a notebook and tape recorder in hand Etta and Elly began taking belly dance classes.  I could be wrong on this, but I get the idea that these lessons only lasted for a few days before Etta went back to Washington to teach classes at the Richland Community Center.

She had a few highlights to her belly dancing career;  40 students in her first class,  forming a troupe, teaching at least twice for the Professional Dance Teachers Association, and an impromptu performance in the Kasbah in Tangiers.

After reading this all too brief chapter I have so many questions:  How long did she actually study and with who before she started teaching?  Did she start teaching after only a few lessons?  There's only the briefest mention of her attending workshops in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.  Why did she start teaching classes at a community center instead of at her own studio?  Were all her classes so large and for how long did she sustain those numbers?  How were her classes at the PDTA received and did she teach more than twice?  Where did she perform and for how long?  The way the story is written it seems like it was about 10 years.  And of course, the big question:  What were those early days of belly dance like?

To be fair, this is an entertaining and well written book about a little girl who started dancing because of weak joints and spent a life time exploring and teaching many different styles of dance that included jazz, tap, ballet, Polynesian, Irish, ballroom, and more.  Life jumped up and bit Etta on the ass more than once and each time she picked herself up and didn't let some of those horrible experiences;  an abusive, cheating husband, the estrangement of her children, or the death of a son destroy her enthusiasm for life or dancing.  

Brass Butterflies

Even though this is an advanced finger cymbals DVD beginning and intermediate dancers should not let that stop them from adding this to their library.  You can always concentrate on just learning the rhythms before including the dance steps.

In this DVD from IAMED, Ansuya covers 6/8, 9/8, and Masmoudi.  She gives a through break down of each pattern and allows for plenty of time to familiarize yourself with each one before adding music and a simple dance step like Figure 8's with a step ball change.  Have your brains and fingers at the ready because the one thing she doesn't do in this DVD is stop, turn to the camera and say "Now, let's speed it up,"  before increasing the tempo.

When it's time to put the playing and the dancing together she demonstrates each step completely, walking it out and talking through the rhythm, before adding zills and music.  Beginners can focus solely on playing the rhythm or follow along, while you intermediate students can trying adding a little of your own flavor to the mix.   

The drill at the end that combines all 3 rhythms is done without music and she just jumps straight into them with no walking through it.  I'm not sure of how I feel about this section.  Maybe the lack of music was meant to make this part less intimidating, but it just felt awkward to me. 

The last chapter covers different ways of playing zils in order to elicit different sounds, ie. a bell like ringing vs. a flatter clacking sound; a quick review of the Ayub and Beledi patterns that were taught in the "Finger Cymbals" DVD; a section on embellishing the three rhythms learned in this DVD with singles; and ends with a brief explanation on how to safely build up strength and stamina in the wrists and fore arms.  

At the end Ansuya, gives an electrifying and inspiring performance; beautiful brass butterflies fluttering at her finger tips. She's wearing a bedlah and skirt of fresh chartreuse with accented with sky blue turquoise and shimmering silver, and most fabulous necklace that I'm totally in love with.  The bead artist/jewelry designer in me is just itching to make something like that for myself.

My only complaint with the DVD is that the audio is somewhat fuzzy and muffled. 

Gluing Your Fingers To Your Hips

....or your arms, legs, and any other moveable body parts is what dancing with finger cymbals, also known as zills, is all about, and it's probably the most difficult and elusive skill for belly dancers to acquire.

My first belly dance teacher, Nancy Ireland, handed me a pair of finger cymbals and started teaching me to play and dance with them on the very first day of class!  Of course I was beyond lousy, but after a few weeks of practice I began to see steady improvement.  It's something I'll always be grateful for because teaching finger cymbal playing skills from day one is no longer the norm for belly dance classes.  Most students can study for several years before they ever learn how to play them, let alone dance with them, and I find that extremely sad.  Once people do decide to start using zills in their dance it can be extremely difficult to successfully blend the two arts together.

In my mind it would be like learning how to surf before learning how to swim.  There is a vital link missing.

I recently spent a week reviewing and enhancing my zills skills with Ansuya's "Finger Cymbals" DVD by IAMED. 

This is a great DVD for beginner or intermediate dancers who want to start playing finger cymbals and work on a bit of their dance technique at the same time.  Advanced dancers with limited zill skills can add some interest to the drills by adding arms paths, or layering shimmies over some of the easier steps.  

After a brief introduction to finger cymbals Ansuya moves on to the heart of the matter; playing a simple percussion instrument while dancing.  The four rhythms taught are; 4/4, Beledi, Bolero, and Chiftitelli.  Each one has it's own chapter which makes it easy to pick and choose the rhythm du jour.  

Each section starts with an introduction and a detailed break down of each zill pattern followed by a variety of easy drills using basic belly dance steps that will help build the foundation for "gluing your fingers to your hips."  

The final chapter is a simple routine using all four rhythms followed by a dynamic performance by Ansuya.  

On a personal note, I'm recovering from a sore throat that turned into walking pneumonia so my dance practice has become a healing yoga practice until next Monday then I'll spend a week with Ansuya's "Advanced Finger Cymbals" DVD. 

I had every intention of splitting my belly dancing bead blog into two separate entities at the beginning of October, but that was before my daughter got sick, followed by my husband, then me.  The Snot Monster seems to be trying his best to make my house his permanent residence.  

I had originally intended to start this blog off with a few DVD reviews but I think I'll save those for the weeks to come and start off with a question that MECDA, The Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association originally posted on their Face Book page a few days ago.

"When you think of summer school for belly dancers, what would it be like?"

Here is my answer:

If it were local I would say one month of technique, yoga, a basic introduction to any of the following: ballet, modern, jazz, Flamenco, Bollywood, Afro-Cuban, etc. for people with little to no other dance training, zills, props, music theory, costuming, make-up and hair lessons applicable to a wide range of styles, ages, and body types, dance history, cultural etiquette, at least one or two spa days, on-site masseuse, performance opportunities on the weekends, and field trips for mingling with other dancers in the community. 

If I had to travel then I probably could only afford one week of technique, yoga, zills, props, performances, and field trips for mingling with other dancers in the community.

After thinking about it for a while I think I would also like to include floor work, fitness for dancers, dance etiquette, choreography, and stage craft.  

That's all for now.  The DVD reviews will be starting shortly.  Don't forget to check out my bead blog every now and again!