Ahlan Wa Sahlan  / Welcome

Hello and welcome to April's Zameena. Gosh! We really are wishing you well wherever you may be in the world right now. We hope you are safe and that in someway having a read of this month's Zameena will give you a little break and relief from the crazyness that is the world right now. 

We have a funfilled issue for you this month! 

Every cloud has a silver lining and although the Shahrzad London workshops have been necessarily postponed (details below) because of the horrilbe happenings in the world, it has lead to the wonderful Shahrzad offering to WRITE FOR US this month and she has also made us an
EXCLUSIVE GOLDEN ERA WORKSHOP VIDEO - how amazing!
Plus, we announce details of an online hafla that will get you so EXCITED! 
 

Also this month we ask Shahrzad, Vanessa Raqs and Zara Dance for their recommendations of online resources that can get you through these times....

Not forgetting Music Corner and updates so please, sit back and enjoy!

5 Tips for Keeping Your Dance Alive in Isolation
By Shahrzad

I have been contemplating this question a lot over the past few weeks as I watch my plans for the foreseeable future disappear before my eyes. As a full time dancer who splits my time between nightly performances in Cairo and international teaching trips I am accustomed to changing gears at the drop of a hat but this is an entirely new situation. For me, as I'm sure for a lot of us, the community and connection aspects are a huge part of what I enjoy about dance. I love being able to connect directly with the people around me and share the joy of what I do, be it in class or on stage. This is probably the most difficult part of the situation for me personally not to mention the complete physical change from regularly dancing hours a day to having literally months without a solid schedule. 

So, during all this upheaval I have been brainstorming about what to focus on for the next month or two and here are some of the steps I'm taking to make the most of my time. These ideas are purely centered around dance and movement but I think it is important to point out that this is a hard time for everyone and we all need to do what is best for our bodies and minds while also caring for those around us. That should be top priority before all else. That being said, if dance can factor in, great! So let's start!

1. EMBRACE THE CHANGE 

Almost everyone is having to make lifestyle changes right now and it's only natural to get stressed about the idea of quarantine and isolation but directing your focus to positive takeaways from being at home can greatly help your outlook and can help you to find new ideas for using your space and time. Instead of focusing on what you are missing out on start considering all of the things you can transition into your personal space and the things you now have time to do that you didn’t before. You have the opportunity to re-build your relationship with dance and customize it to your needs; take advantage of it!

 3. SCHEDULE AND GOALS

I am a person who thrives on having structure and goals in my life so naturally one of the first things I started doing, when I realized I would have to leave behind my Cairo vampire, routine was how I was going to restructure my time. I started to draw up some kind of schedule that I want to hold myself to so I can keep some kind of normalcy in my life. I decided which days I wanted to teach, which days I would continue remotely with the Arabic classes I usually take, and setting goals for my regular exercise and practice. I have also decided to take at least a few hours a day away from TV and social media to keep anxiety levels down. I can't recommend this enough. Of course everyone is going to be different and we also shouldn’t hold ourselves to perfection in these crazy times but setting any kind of schedule and some short term goals, no matter how small they may seem, is a good way to manage time and having things to look forward to when your time starts to get monotonous is great for boosting morale. 

4. FINDING COMMUNITY ONLINE

Speaking of morale boosting, a huge positive aspect of everyone being at home has been the transition many dancers have made to the online world. Lots of teachers, who most of us usually only have access to at festivals here and there, not to mention hundreds of studio owners and local teachers, are now available in our living rooms offering everything from technique to choreography to lectures and more. The ingenuity and dedication to community that I have seen manifested online the past few weeks has given me a lot of hope and inspiration. So much new content has been popping up from teachers all over the world, I highly suggest searching some of your favorite names to see what they have or using the opportunity to sample some new teachers and/or styles. Many dancers are also donating their time and efforts to make community content for those who want to keep dancing but might not be able to afford the costs at the moment.  

If you haven’t already, make sure you download and get well acquainted with ZOOM because it will become your new best friend in this online dance world! ZOOM has quickly become the most popular platform for live classes and due to its easy-to-use design people have been getting super creative in using it to re-create their belly dance social lives. So, want to continue having fun with your dance friends? Take a class together! Get online and share practice time! Get dressed up and throw a hafla! Being at home doesn’t mean you can't still be connected and enjoy the feeling of community through dance. 

Get back to basics!
I notice that in the belly dance world most dancers move through beginner to advanced level classes and then transition to mostly doing workshops or maybe private lessons from then on. It's pretty common for more advanced dancers to just want to learn cool choreography and flashy new moves. A new dancer showcases their signature moves in a viral video, a choreographer teaches an amazing piece, and everyone is dying to learn these cool new trends. But in reality there should be more focus on strengthening and maintaining foundational movements. Whether it's jumping into an advanced choreography class and struggling with basic grooves, or being able to do a piece on stage but feeling uncomfortable improvising… a lot of dancers should take the time to go back to the beginning. That, or revisit their basics to have a sturdier foundation to build their moves on top of. This is a great time to do just that! A good first step is identifying your base movements and posture and making a habit of using them to drill as a warm up before building into your more difficult movements. While drilling the basics take time to be mindful of your technique so you can train good muscle memory and control into your body from step one.

Get nerdy!
As we know, belly dance is much more that just some fun hip shaking. A huge part of studying this dance is exploring the history, music, and cultures behind it. So, grab a cup of tea, pull out your notebook, and get ready to become a dance researcher! I have seen some really awesome developments on the research side of belly dance in the past several years, there are more resources than ever to check out surrounding dance history and culture including online books, articles, documentaries, lectures, and more. It's also a great time to dig deep on your musical knowledge since many musicians have transitioned online as well. I highly suggest taking some music classes to get the basics and then taking a deep dive on YouTube, listen to all you can to train your ear to pick apart the details in the music. Study the nuances of rhythms, maqamat, and even dip your toes in a little Arabic. You might even stumble across some brand new inspiration for your movement practice!

Expand your repertoire!
This is a good tip specifically for those who teach and/or perform on a regular basis or full time. As someone who dances for a living, I find that I tend to fall into a routine and focus mostly on the dances I'm known for or feel most comfortable with. A busy schedule leaves us with little time or energy to develop new dances. Not having to go out for classes and shows gives us a great opportunity to try out those ideas/songs/styles that we’ve been putting to the side! Pick a song that's going to require new technique practice and extra study and go for it! Pushing your body and mind in new ways is always a great way to improve your over-all dance skills and increase your versatility which is incredibly valuable for professionals. 

So, I hope that I was able to share some positive thoughts and new ideas with you in this article. It's going to be a hard time for people in artistic careers and as someone who falls into that category I can say that I am thankful for the support of dancers all around the world and the opportunity to continue my work online.
I am sending my love to everyone and am looking forward to dancing together when all of this is over but until then stay safe, stay strong, and stay creative!
Yours Shahrzad x x 

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