Two years of belly dance, and counting
Before July ends there's an entry I've been meaning to write. Two years ago this month I went to my first belly dance class. Finally. I'd been interested in learning how to belly dance for a number of years. I had even gone so far as to sign up for a class once about six or seven years ago. But I had to drop it because the job I had at the time required that I travel at a moment's notice.
Even once I got the desk job I have now, it took me a couple of years to get around to finding a teacher. I knew I wanted to learn more than just nightclub style belly dance, but also learn about the folk dances and music of all the many Middle Eastern cultures. (I very briefly considered majoring in ethnomusicology in college, but didn't because I didn't want to be a college professor). Eventually I crossed paths with a woman who recommended my current teacher, and a couple of weeks later I made the call.
As I took the weekly classes, learning how to move my body in this new way, it slowly become apparent that I have found "my art". I have always, always, always loved music. I never felt coordinated enough to play an instrument, but I loved to sing: feeling the sounds in my mouth, feeling the music flow through me. I was in my high school chorus, and even made it into the All-State Chorus one year, a fantastic experience. Over the years I have also tried to stir my creativity through drawing, writing, and beading, but neither of those disciplines has brought forth the flood of creativity that dance has. True singing has always been a love and transformative experience for me, but I suspect am a better dancer than I ever was a singer.
For me, dancing is a collaboration between my heart and the music. The music tells my body how to move. My job--my joy--in dance is to make the music solid, to make it visible. I felt this need and inspiration years before, during my club dancing years in the early 90's, but my body didn't have the skills that it needed to bring the music to life. Now I am training my body with the skills and strength of Middle Eastern dance. I have felt more creative in the last two years than ever before in my life. I have felt my heart and soul open to the joy of finding a oneness with the music. I continue to improve my skills and technique, and continue to find new ways of interacting with the music. I am truly blessed to have found this art.
Even once I got the desk job I have now, it took me a couple of years to get around to finding a teacher. I knew I wanted to learn more than just nightclub style belly dance, but also learn about the folk dances and music of all the many Middle Eastern cultures. (I very briefly considered majoring in ethnomusicology in college, but didn't because I didn't want to be a college professor). Eventually I crossed paths with a woman who recommended my current teacher, and a couple of weeks later I made the call.
As I took the weekly classes, learning how to move my body in this new way, it slowly become apparent that I have found "my art". I have always, always, always loved music. I never felt coordinated enough to play an instrument, but I loved to sing: feeling the sounds in my mouth, feeling the music flow through me. I was in my high school chorus, and even made it into the All-State Chorus one year, a fantastic experience. Over the years I have also tried to stir my creativity through drawing, writing, and beading, but neither of those disciplines has brought forth the flood of creativity that dance has. True singing has always been a love and transformative experience for me, but I suspect am a better dancer than I ever was a singer.
For me, dancing is a collaboration between my heart and the music. The music tells my body how to move. My job--my joy--in dance is to make the music solid, to make it visible. I felt this need and inspiration years before, during my club dancing years in the early 90's, but my body didn't have the skills that it needed to bring the music to life. Now I am training my body with the skills and strength of Middle Eastern dance. I have felt more creative in the last two years than ever before in my life. I have felt my heart and soul open to the joy of finding a oneness with the music. I continue to improve my skills and technique, and continue to find new ways of interacting with the music. I am truly blessed to have found this art.