SalomeJustitia

Smooth.

Since I've known the results of this year's Ohio Star Ball for some time, simply repackaging it as "America's Ballroom Challenge" did not fool me into being surprised by Ben and Shalene's victory in the American Smooth division tonight.  However, I was pleasantly surpised by Tomas and JT, who made it into the top 6 and were a joy to watch, since they were obviously having the time of their lives.  When it comes to Standard and Smooth ballroom, there is often an odd contrast between the smoothness (hey, guess that's why they call it that, huh?) and the hard edges.  In Latin and Rhythm, I feel the sharpness of the movement, but that's not what I feel when watching Standard/Smooth - hard is the only word I can think of to describe it, or possibly, severe (I still love it; don't get me wrong!).  But it's funny, you don't see that in the very best (like Ben and Shalene, who are always so in sync and draw you right in with a light hand) or those not considered contenders for the top spot, like Tomas and JT.  I guess some of those hard edges - the stylized hands, the rigid posture - are what judges are looking for, but when I watched Tomas and JT on the floor, I felt less like I was watching a competition and more like I was watching two people just dancing.  It didn't win them the title, but I sure liked the feeling of it.  A couple to keep an eye on, for sure.  I also did enjoy their Showcase dance, to "Ramalama Bang Bang" by Roisin Murphy, one of my favorite artists.  For those SYTYCD fans, Tomas and JT definitely styled themselves in the same vein (Victorian zombie goth chic) but so interesting to watch it as a tango instead of a group contemporary/hip pop number.  Looking forward to next week and the American Rhythm competition (go Emmanuel and Joanna - can't wait to see if your showdance lives up to "Teach Me How to Shimmy" from last year!).

Bonita.

As Reyna put it, I need to get over my shimmy hump.  I don't know what it is, but I just cannot loosen up enough to really shimmy smoothly while doing other steps - at least, not without everything else going, too.  And I have good isolation in other aspects of my dancing, so what gives?

I could take a cue from the fantastic flamenca I saw tonight, Carmen Salao.  Dancing for over 40 years, and she looks terrific and can MOVE so fast ...  I guess it's true that dancing keeps you young.  Unlike my last trip to La Nacional, this time the early show was almost empty, so we had seats right up front.  I didn't know where to look - her feet or her face, because she had a really playful, flirtatious style - not the smoldering, intense look of most flamencas.  She's considered one of the jewels of the old style, and I can see why.  She sang, played castanets, and danced (sometimes all at the same time), and I have to say, I've never seen anyone play castanets like that - all over her body, the floor - amazing.  Well, I'm inspired.  And if I could get my hips to move half as fast as her feet, I might just make it over this shimmy hump.

Resolve.

As 2007 fast approaches, I look forward to the next twelve months in my dancing life.  My one true goal for this upcoming year is to stretch.  Stretch my body and stretch my mind.  Expand past the bonds that constrain me – stress, fear, insecurity, habit – and allow my dancing to grow.

What are New Year’s resolutions but desires to push yourself further than the year before?  In this next year, I resolve to feel boundless.  I resolve to stop saying I can’t and start saying I will, with practice and dedication.  I resolve to treat my body better and provide it with healthy fuel. I resolve to open myself to more varieties of dance to provide me with inspiration in my genres.  I resolve to be fearless and be willing to fall.  I resolve to let out the various parts of my personality.  I resolve to see the humor and fun in dance.

But what generalities!  In 2007 I will:

*  Perform in spaces bigger than my bedroom and in front of people besides the person in the mirror.  With my bellydance troupe I will be attending Rakkasah West, and I want to perform my best.  I want Reyna to trust that I will know the choreography down pat, perform it full-out, and be a positive reflection on her teaching skills.  I also don’t want to be put in the back, so really working it at class is necessary to demonstrate my “front line” potential!  This year I also want to get up the nerve to bellydance solo.  We’re doing a showcase to raise money for our trip, and I’d like to perform a short solo routine, hopefully giving me the courage to seek out solo performance opportunities over the course of the year.  I'll be performing Latin ballroom for the first time this year, as I’ve signed on to do the studio showcase in the early spring, and I’m not backing out!  I want to feel comfortable with my routine and start to develop some ease of Latin movement.  I want Tony to recognize his choreography and for Michael to not feel like my life raft, but like a dance partner. And for all of these performances, I want to have no concerns about inviting people I love to come and see.  I love to talk to those around me about my dancing, but I get nervous allowing them to see me dance.  I'd like for my performances this year to have those I love watching in the audience.

*  Increase my practice time.  Time is at a premium in my life, and dance classes are expensive.  Still, even if I can't increase my studio time, I'd like to increase my flexibility, including getting down into the splits again. This means taking the time to warm up and stretch at home every day.  I also want to feel no guilt about taking dance class when busy at school. Dancing is an important escape for me, and I need to acknowledge that I will be a better student when I am a more well-rounded person.  I'd also like to get over some of my fear of the unknown and take drop-in classes at studios around the city to challenge myself and make sure I'm not falling into any ruts or patterns.

*  Watch more dance.  I think looking back over this blog proves that when I witness a dance performance that moves me, I am inspired in my own efforts.  So I hope to see more dance performances, this year, especially performances outside of the genres I am usually attracted to.

*  Stay positive.  This is a two-pronged effort for me.  I'm glad I looked back over 2006 and accentuated the positive, because I have a tendency to get very down on myself and my abilities.  I want to learn to accept compliments and criticism equally, instead of always dismissing complimentary comments as "just being nice."  I want to take pride in my increase in skill, instead of always focusing on what is left to learn.  I want to have a healthy body image and not fret about not having the ideal body for whatever genre, which leads into letting all the old ballet hang-ups and negativity go and just moving on as a person meant to do a different type of dance.  Dancing is fun, and I want to have a lot of it this next year!

Ole!

I went to Somos Flamencos last night at La Nacional, and what a show (well, actually two shows, since the 8:30 was so good, I stayed for the 11!).  Pedro Cortes on guitar, Peter Basil on percussion, and La Conja singing and dancing, along with dancing by Neli Tirado and Raul Ortega.  Watching La Conja and Neli, I could see a lot of what my Latin dancing is missing.  I have a tendency to be afraid to express myself full-out.  I hold back with the flair, like emotion and styling, because I'm afraid to make a mistake full-out.  I tell myself I'm focusing on nailing the steps, and when I do that, I'll perform it, but in reality, no one is ever finished learning dance.  Even if you know all the syllabus steps, if it's not expressive it's just steps by rote and totally worthless.  Expression is the key.  These flamencas were so wonderful in making every flick of the wrist and tilt of the head mean something, add something to what their feet were doing.  And they both drew you in with their eyes as well, even across a very crowded space.  Raul, a young Madrid-style dancer, was very passionate, almost frenetic, but what I liked most about him was that he brought a real humor and playfulness to his dancing.  It was very engaging.  Now the question is: when am I going to find the time to fit in a flamenco class (not to mention the space for yet another pair of shoes!)?

Heels.

Reyna suggested I bring shoes to class to see how I felt about bellydancing in heels (actually, she said "Have you ever walked barefoot through the kitchen of a Turkish restaurant?"), since I'm used to dancing in heels for Latin.  An interesting experience.  I've got a great pair of Capezio Cabaret theatrical shoes (which I recommend over the usual bellydance heel, the Capezio open-toe Footlight, because the toe straps are more flexible and allow for a better toe grip), but those suckers are still high (2 3/4") and I've never worn more than a half-sandal while bellydancing.  I understand the point of learning to bellydance in heels; as a cabaret-style dancer, it adds a little finish and glamour, and the barefoot look is frowned upon by some cultures.  But quite the adjustment!  To begin with, I felt that I looked a little stripper-y doing some of the moves.  Also, there just wasn't as much movement in my hips, especially up and down, so I had to exaggerate basic hip movements so they would read.  On the plus side, my center of gravity was forward over the balls of my feet so whoa could I backbend!  Also, the shimmy is much easier in heels, but I have to be careful not to get lazy.

I have so many pairs of dance shoes to lug around now, though.  And two things happened this weekend which suggest I should back slowly away from the shoe section - I went into Capezio and the saleswoman said, "Oh, hi!  I'll meet you back at shoes!"  Then on Sunday I went to see a burlesque show with a girlfriend and as the first performer was dancing, I kept lusting after her beautiful hard-soled La Ducas.