Choreography Tips
by Leyla Najma · 6 Comments
Many women ask me how I learned how to choreograph dances and when did it make sense? I have to say for most of us this is more then a legitimate question; it’s an obstacle that until addressed, can offset a career in the making. It’s also a hard question for me to answer because I didn’t really pay attention the day I just started to create my own choreography, I just did it.
I remember one workshop in particular with Suhaila Salimpour that not only inspired me but at the same time knocked me off my rocker. I realized that with all her intricate ways of incorporating body movement, I was last woman standing because I felt like a blob learning to move her way. It was great to learn and almost accomplish the moves but I realized that this amazing and talented dancer had years on me in this dance field. Plus some of what I learned just didn’t feel good even when I could finally do it. After that particular workshop I went to Egypt and decided to go another route, one that made the dance more of a personal journey instead of going to workshop after workshop. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with going to workshops; I just wasn’t feeling my direction of inspired individuality. Here was my chance I thought to find out what I really should be doing. Little did I know there would be more choices than Carter has liver pills!
After I came home 6 months later from Egypt, I realized that I was energized and completely committed to belly dance but I still wasn’t sure how to work in movement to music. I sat on my bedroom floor so frustrated one day that tears were coming down my face. It was a turning point for me because I realized that if I couldn’t create my own unique dance then I needed to move on and do something else. So I picked myself up and started to listen to my music. I think it was Leylet Hob and I listened to it over and over and over again until I was ready to throw the CD out the window. But then something happened and I realized that I was instinctively moving to the music because as I was listening to it I was spontaneously dancing. Then as I was looking in the mirror I saw a move come out of me and I went, “Wow,” to myself and that was the first move I put down on paper. As I went through hours of spontaneously dancing (no exaggeration, because I was a dancing fool) I would see moves I liked and I would write them down on paper. So now I had a rough draft of moves that I liked and the moves looked pretty good to the music.
From the rough draft I decided to see what move was my most favorite and from there I started to integrate more moves that came from my spontaneous dancing that fit the music. As I pieced the moves together which meant fitting them here and there and then changing it all up, a choreography was born! She looked something like a Picasso painting of a woman with an eyeball on the side of her face but at least it was my eye ball and I was a proud momma or I should say “choreographer.”
Maybe this is my way of answering the choreography question that was so hard to answer before. As a result I thought I would put together different moves to a short song and show you how I count to music. With a variety of moves I think I can show you how you can put movement to music in different ways and then pick the one that’s right for you. Hope this helps those of you who are dealing with the choreography brain freeze or fight the short circuit feeling of not being able to put together your own unique dance.
Here’s some short Text that will go along with the video:
Arms are basic out to the side for the hip work. Bring arms down when you start working in the pelvic roll/chest circle/ab sway.
Music, Progressive Move:
Right hip twist forward and back to center 1cnt /backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 2cnt / backward stomach roll
Right hip twist forward and back to center 3cnt / backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 4cnt / backward stomach roll
Right hip twist forward and back to center 5cnt / backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 6cnt / backward stomach roll
Right hip twist forward and back to center 7cnt / backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 8cnt
Right hip twist forward and back to center 1cnt /backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 2cnt / backward stomach roll
Right hip twist forward and back to center 3cnt / backward stomach roll
Left hip twist forward and back to center 4cnt / backward stomach roll
In place Shimmy with a slight side thrust right to left side on 16 cnts to music.
Layering move: Do as many times as you want.
3 choices for opposition hips: 1. Move right leg behind you to start left hip. 2. Move left leg forward 3. Stay on the right hip or left hip without moving to opposite side.
Right hip down/up/out
Backward pelvic roll
Chest circle parallel to mirror
Ab sway forward/back 2xs (Faster speed than prior moves)
Left hip down/up/out
Backward pelvic roll
Chest circle parallel to mirror
Ab sway forward/back 2xs (Faster speed than prior moves)
Shoulder rolls and head spin if desired.
Finished!
Sphere: Related ContentSharing Some Text and Combo Ideas
I went through my archives and wanted to share some of the combinations that I have put together for students and dance enthusiasts through out the years. I have so much that I decided that I must share it and hopefully give some of you ideas for new moves and combos that you otherwise wouldn’t have thought of.
If any of you have any questions regarding this text feel free to write me. I am always more then happy to be able to talk about dance, combos and ideas for a variety of songs etc. So enjoy the text and happy dancing!
Blessings,
Leyla
PS: If you like these combinations you at the bottom is a PDF document for you to download and print.
Text
Down/up/out-Twist back/twist back
Right Hip
(Arms are to the side or one arm behind head and the other out to the front)
Weight is on left leg and right leg is posed.
Right hip drops/lifts/drops with the right leg extend out in front
(Think of pistons for the first two drop/lifts and for the second drop remember you still need to piston down but it feels different because your leg is out)
Put your weight on your right foot and twist back with the right hip.
Put your weight on your left foot and twist back wit the right hip.
(Think of a prize fighter moving forward and back with his weight from one foot to the other)
#1
Turn to the left keeping your weight on your left leg. (Think of a paddle turn keeping the weight on one leg while the other pushes off)
Right hip down/up/out-twist back/twist back
#2
Turn to left keeping your weight on your left leg.
Right down/up/out-twist back/twist back
#3
Turn to left keeping your weight on your left leg.
Right down/up/out-twist back/twist back
#4
Turn to left keeping your weight on your left leg.
Right down/up/out-twist back/twist back
You will end up facing the audience again. Alternate left side
Zoheir Pistons/Forward-Back Thrusts/Opposition Hips
Right Hip
(Arms are to the side with the Zoheir positioning)
Right hip piston up/down
Left hip piston down/up
Right hip forward thrust
Left hip forward thrust
Right hip back thrust
Left hip back thrust
Zoheir down piston right/left
Flat piston right/left
Left Hip
Left hip piston up/down
Right hip piston down/up
Left hip forward thrust
Right hip forward thrust
Left hip back thrust
Right hip back thrust
Zoheir down piston left/right
Flat piston left/right
Corners Folkloric Hip Thrust/Chest Lift Walk
(Arm positioning is one arm behind head and the other out in front)
Weight is on left leg and you thrust your right leg forward/forward corner/ side and than you change your weight on the 4th count.
Left arm is behind head and the right arm is out in front as you thrust your hip but remember not to move your arm with the thrust.
Lift your left heel to get you to go around to the right side. Turn your head to the right side slightly bending it and looking over your right shoulder.
(You want to do half turns to each side with your thrusting but remember again to change weight on 4th count)
After you do the 4 corner folkloric thrust you turn to the side and do the folkloric 4 corner thrusts in place only having your right hip go different directions (forward/forward corner/side/back corner).
After you do the thrusts to the side start with your chest lift walk.
Weight is on your right foot
Right foot is flat and left foot is up on ball and for every side step you lift/drop. You side step 3 counts and change weight on 4th count.
Weight is on your left foot
Left foot is flat and right foot is up on ball and for every side step you lift/drop. You side step 3 counts and change weight on 4th count.
Alternate Sides
Madam Boozy Leg Sweep
Draw a circle with the right leg and place it in place. Remember to add in a side sway or side winder (figure 8 horizontal) to add interest into the move.
Draw a circle with the left leg and place it in place.
Draw a circle with the right leg and spin back around to your right back and face audience.
Added Move in Place
Weight is on left leg and left foot is flat. Right foot up on ball as right hip goes back and around.
Change weight as you come around and lift left foot so that the left hip can go back and around and weight is on the right leg with the right foot flat. This move is part figure 8 and side sway so if you don’t include both it will look like a full figure 8.
Pistons/Thrusts with Layering
Right piston up
Left piston up
Right hip thrust to the side
Left hip thrust to the side
Left piston down
Right piston down
Chest lift/drop
Pelvic drop/lift
Left piston up
Right piston up
Left hip thrust to the side
Right hip thrust to the side
Right piston down
Left piston down
Chest lift/drop
Pelvic drop/lift
Ommis/Mayas/Full Hip Circles
Ommi right hip
Ommi left hip
Right leg extended to side and ommie right hip to right side 4xs
Weight is on right leg and left leg is extended out
Maya right hip with weight on right/maya left hip with leg extended out
Maya right hip as you come move back to center/maya left hip and come down flat foot
Full hip circle back and around bringing in your right leg to center
Ommi left hip
Ommi right hip
Left leg extended to side and ommie leftt hip to left side 4xs
Weight is on left leg and right leg is extended out
Maya left hip with weight on left/maya right hip with leg extended out
Maya left hip as you come move back to center/maya right hip and come down flat foot
Full hip circle back and around bringing in your left leg to center
Sphere: Related ContentWhat is Layering?
by Leyla Najma · 4 Comments
I get asked a lot of questions on belly dance but one that I have found that I don’t get asked often is regarding “Layering” and what it really is.
Looking at our dance field today, it has changed into an accumulation of personal interests and the pursuit of relevance for each individual dancer. So layering can be sharp to soft movements or upper body to lower body and many other interpretations in-between. Without layering our dance tends to look a little flat almost one dimensional and you can usually tell an experienced dancer from a novice by her ability to layer in movement.
Layering is also the focal point for the audience that prepares them for each chapter in a story that a dancer tells through out her dance. It’s the dramatic or subtle change in the phrasing in the music interpreted by the dancer.
As with any painting what makes it have depth is the usage of the shadows and color interchanges with subjects either in the background, middleground or foreground. The Abstract purposes that the interpretation of the strokes is just as or more important than the detailed idea. Impressionistic themes want to suggest what the image is without giving it away totally to the viewer. Realistic paintings say it all and leave nothing for the imagination because they become as real as the room you are standing in. Each style takes you in and makes you apart of the painting.
Our dance is a compilation of our own interpretation of what we like and view as beautiful. So to me “layering” is the stroke of our movements that makes the performed choreography understandable to the audience. Put a shadow of an accent to the melody of any song and you bring to life the wordless meaning of the song. Even songs with words don’t have the same impact without a dancer up on stage becoming the mime or interpreter. Sometimes it’s the impact of movement that the audience sees first and the music accompanies the dancer. I have had people say to me that the movement I did at a certain part of the song was beautiful more often then being asked, what song was I dancing to. There is a romanticism that sets our dance apart from all others because we surrender to our movements tirelessly with each performance. Because of this we have more performers questioning their dance in dressing rooms or darkened hallways; it all has to do with the realism, abstract or impressionistic stroke of their visual interpretation of their dance. Really what they are questioning is, “Did the audience see what I created?”
So “layering” isn’t just the accent of a chest lift or drop or soft swirls of hip circles with shoulder rolls but an individualized signature that takes your dance from a primitive, one dimensional performance to an explosion of movement. Even in the subtle moments of your dance stroke, you lead the audience where to look as you complete your canvas. With live performing they get to see the canvas blank first and the strokes of movement added in to create an image, story and emotional journey that otherwise wouldn’t exist. They are pulled into its meaning and they become apart of the canvas. It is and always has been the sharing of energies and imagination that keeps the dancer and the audience connected. But little do they know that it’s the “layering” of a dancers signature strokes that leads them into her dance and into her canvas.
So I have shared with you what “layering” is to me…….share with me what it is for you!
Sphere: Related ContentThe Single Minded Dancer
by Leyla Najma · 1 Comment
Sometimes learning a dance form can lead a student into a matrix mentality that can become an uncomfortable habit. The learning process in anything can be intimidating, scary and unfamiliar territory. For some reason in dance it’s intensified tenfold and the need for a leader, elder or expert is more then necessary but required to continue on.
I remember this feeling well, it’s like swimming in a pool and the next day swimming into the ocean. What’s underneath that can’t be seen is more frightening then the bottom of any pool. And the test of courage sets aside the girls from the women because once a dancer steps foot on the stage, she might as well be in a vast ocean of the unknown.
The best dancers that I have seen on stage all understood one thing. It’s simple and is many times overlooked. Most women want to think that dance is complicated and the training is endless which is true to a point. But the best dancers remember one thing and that is body motion memory. This has everything to do with your timing, step coordination, turns and accents with dramatic stops. If you forget you’re in your body it won’t matter how much you practice at home or studio because just like in water if you can’t float you’ll sink. Fluidity and timing comes from being familiar with moves in a way that extends from your inner soul to the tips of your fingers or the leg extension out to the side. Most women don’t walk like truck drivers because we have a different structure in our hips that make us swing alittle or alot. We don’t question it and for the most part people, men in particular enjoy what comes naturally to each of us.
Questioning your dance, scrutinizing who you are as a dancer or comparing yourself to others puts your own unique design in a defensive mode. How can individual creativity defend itself from itself? After moves are learned and implemented into the body, it takes the courage and fortitude of each individual dancer to take the plunge and see what’s hiding underneath.
So the student looks for a teacher who will help her understand that the plunge is nothing more then learning how to feel comfortable in any environment with her body. We are made up of about 70% of water and the earth is made up of about 75% of water so once we understand this connection then the ocean not only becomes our home but apart of us.
Nothing unseen stays a mystery forever because there is always someone who has the tenacity to venture into unchartered waters to see for themselves the mystery that progressively unfolds around them. So through a teacher’s guidance the student understands that she gives meaning and authenticity to the stage which exists for the sole purpose of a dancers inspired thoughts, choreographed into individual motion.
Guidance to me is a key element in a good teacher. My online classes coming up will be an extension of my understanding of dance, inspired thought and creative choreographies. It’s important for all of you who are interested in taking my classes to know that while I’m in front of the camera, I am there for the sake of your dancing needs. You will know after taking my classes which direction to go once you understand the different elements in dance that motivate you to share your creativity with the world. In the end it is you up on stage confirming your understanding of your connection to divine inspiration. My job as a teacher is to let you know that you are already connected, it’s just a matter of believing you can float before you can swim. And since you and inspiration are one and the same, you just have to believe in yourself thus becoming the single minded dancer.
Sphere: Related ContentThe Fall Roundup
This blog will be more news of what’s coming up then my melodramas. Actually no drama’s to speak of so life is movin and groovin right along.
Ready, Set, Action!
We just bought a new camera and of course Daniel has big plans for doing a live broadcast which at this point I don’t know exactly what the theme will be but as soon as we get the camera we’ll let you know. We decided that with the changes in classes with adding Belly Stretch-Thrust and Roll and the regular Hip Phylosophy curriculum that we needed an upgrade. Plus I might include another class if I see how these all go. We might as well keep the dance classes going through out the week. Who knows, it might be props, history of belly dance or my talk radio show…….
Music from California Dreams to Sonic Waves…
We just purchased new music for the exercise class that will keep us all rockin, shaking while we sweat. It’s not typical belly dance music and I wanted to change and spice class up abit so it’s all electronic music! On another note Jibber Jab went on hiatus because of the book but I will finish that one up so you all will not only have a cool drum solo choreography to learn but drum solo music that isn’t out yet!
Dance Advice
Any of you who want to write me and discuss combinations or drills please feel free to do so. It’s important to know how your body works with movement and how you are moving to your “own” rhythm. Practicing at home is important but you have to eventually dance in front of people to experience your timing and rhythm style. It’s almost as if performing in front of people releases the control mechanism that inhibits many dancers from feeling the music. Audiences will either bring it out in you or show you what you need to work on and listen to. Music will speak to you, all you have to do is just listen to her. Also remember music doesn’t know it has to keep up with you or slow down so try to feel the beat and rhythm in your moves, combinations and body.
Keep the fires burning and know that I am here for all of you as well as Daniel! Your support is appreciated more then you all know!
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