dancers

Body Rolling at Belly Dance

Lirona Wainer-Yaffe, , Leave a comment

Hey Dancers! This week I tried a look anticipated dance style – belly dance! Read on to find out more about my adventure…

Basics

Class: Belly dance

Studio: The Dance Complex

Teacher: Johara (@joharaboston)

Time: 1 hour

Category: Teens 16+ and Adults

Cost (Single Class): $18

Background: Belly dance, also called raqs sharqi (dance of the East), comes from the Middle and Near East, primarily Egypt and Turkey. The style arrived in the US and Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, but it wasn’t popularized much till the 1950s/60s. The American cabaret style of belly dance blends Middle Eastern influences with innovations and movement styles inspired by the backgrounds of notable American teachers and performers. The class provides a fun and supportive environment for learning Egyptian, Turkish, and American Cabaret movements to the tun of Arabic rhythms and music. Some classes include props such as finger cymbals and veils (Johara, The Dance Complex).

OOTD

I emailed Johara before the class and asked what dancers should wear, and she responded that dancers wear many different things, including leggings, yoga pants, loose and fitted pants, tank tops, crop tops, short skirts over pants, and belly dance practice wear. So really, it’s up to you, and the important thing is that you can move, stretch, and feel comfortable.

Johara also noted that it helps to have a hip scarf with or without coins, but I didn’t have one and neither did several other dancers, so it was okay. She also recommended having a veil to use for some choreography (3 yards of polyester, chiffon, or silk), but she brings extra veils to class so dancers can borrow them, and we ended up not needing veils for the class that I attended.

For footwear, some dancers wore socks and others were barefoot, but either way just be prepared to take your shoes off and use your feet a lot to root yourself in the ground and shift your weight.

Atmosphere & Energy

Maybe it was that we were only 10 dancers (all women) in a large studio, and maybe it was that Johara also happened to be a certified yoga instructor, but beginning this class I immediately felt a sense of calm and relaxation.

The music Johara played and the movements we followed all urged us to focus on being fairly slow but accurate. Even Johara’s descriptions for our arm movements – to feel like we were moving our hands through Jello – encouraged us to pace ourselves, and prioritize technique over speed. This led to a soothing class atmosphere, even though the technique itself was at times challenging.

Dance Difficulty

Johara’s classes are set up so that she teaches 6-week sessions, and each session is an opportunity to learn belly dancing from the beginning and become a performer in a belly dance that Johara choreographs for the spring/summer event or festival. I happened to join the second class of the session, but it was still undoubtedly beginner friendly (in fact, another classmate brought her two other friends for the first time, so we were 3 new dancers out of 10).

We started with a warmup standing and laying down on mats. The warmup incorporated stretches from yoga, got us thinking about hand movements, and allowed us to begin working on moving our hips and glutes while on the ground, so the movements would be clearer when we eventually did them standing up. One of the movements I found particularly challenging was shifting my weight from side to side while raising one hip at a time in an increasing speed, but Johara encouraged us to start slow, and reassured us that perfecting this technique takes time and practice.

After warming up, Johara led us through segments of the choreography for the final performance she was working on, which was inspired by some swing movements and tango music, and incorporated belly dance. We practiced shifting our weight from one leg and hip to the other, rolling our hips in a half circle, and moving our upper body separately from our lower body. Since the class was small, there were never issues hearing Johara or seeing her or ourselves in the mirrors, which led to a calm and non-competitive atmosphere.

Top Tip

Relax. And I don’t mean mentally (although that will hopefully come too), I mean physically relax your muscles. You’ll find that you were tense in ways you weren’t even aware of, and that by relaxing your muscles you can manipulate them in new ways you didn’t think were possible!

Awkward

Some of the hip movements felt physically awkward, because I’m just not used to moving my body this way. While it made me uncomfortable that I hadn’t fully grasped the fluidity of the movement, it also excited me to discover new ways to move, and reminded me that every style I learn teaches me more about the various ways I can move my body and pair it with music.

Awesome

This class was calm and relaxing in atmosphere, but really challenged me in terms of the technique! I moved my muscles in ways I wasn’t used to and that felt difficult, but Johara’s reassurance that these things take time allowed me to feel content with the little I had achieved, and took away the pressure to excel while still encouraging me to keep improving.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to try a class that’s technically challenging but calm and relaxing in atmosphere, belly dance is right for you!

That’s all for this week! Visit Dance Diaries next Tuesday at 8PM for another diary entry. See you then dancers 😊

Bouncing into Beginner Hip Hop

Lirona Wainer-Yaffe, , Leave a comment

Hey Dancers! This week I grooved with Carl and his dancers to beginner hip hop. Read on to find out how it went!

Basics

Class: Beginner Hip Hop

Studio: The Dance Complex

Teachers: Carl Alleyne (@dancewhereyouare)

Time: 1 hour

Category: Adults

Cost: $20

Background: “Hip hop – is a street dance form that derived from clubs and house parties in the 80’s.” It’s rooted in African American culture, and characterized by bounces, grooves, and more that get to the soul of African American culture (Carl, The Dance Complex).

OOTD

Some dancers in this class opted for looser clothing than I’m used to seeing in other classes, but I think that works well with the style of dance, which, especially for a beginner class, didn’t require floor work or a lot of flexibility. Still, everyone seemed to wear outfits that were comfortable and stretchy, and sneakers were the go-to. As always, if you have long hair you may want to pull it up before things get heated!

Atmosphere & Energy

As soon as I entered the room, I saw broad smiles and heard the buzzing of friendly conversations among familiar faces. Though 3 of us raised our hands when Carl asked who was there for the first time, the other 12 or 13 (mostly women) had clearly been there before, and several seemed to know each other fairly well (of course, they all clapped for us newbies and made us feel welcome).

Carl continued to lead the class with positive energy and an emphasis on enjoyment over execution. He shared his favorite parts of the choreography and encouraged us to freestyle a bit at the end. He repeatedly checked in with us to see if there were any questions and generally contributed to a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Dance Difficulty

The difficulty of this class was perfect for beginners to hip hop, and I’d say even for beginners at dance in general. Carl started off with a warmup, where we jumped, stretched, and even did a few crunches. Then he led us through a sequence of choreography, breaking down each movement, answering any questions, and adding on the music after we learned each segment. There was one organized water break, and though I’m sure dancers were welcome to get more water if they needed it, the class didn’t really require it.

There were parts where the moves were a bit fast paced, and a part where we were challenged to do a sort of body roll, but otherwise the steps were fairly easy to understand and execute. There was one part where we each picked a number – 1 or 2 – and depending on the number Carl taught us to perform the choreography in the opposite direction, which made the dance look very cool when we performed it all together. I’d say the song he chose was more on the side of R&B, but Carl’s choreography went with it well, and all in all the class was just the right amount of challenging for beginners.

Top Tip

Have fun! That was the one thing Carl emphasized too. He had his favorite part of the choreography, where we would all swivel our heads toward the mirrors and point at ourselves in them, and he said that if got nothing else right in the dance at least to enjoy that part. Other aspects of the choreography – like when we walked in a circle, or when we freestyled at the end – allowed us to put our own spin on things, and the more I put my personality into the movements, the more I enjoyed the dance.

Awkward

Though I’ve danced a bit of hip hop before, I wasn’t ever formally taught it, and it’s not the style that comes to me most naturally. There were times when I saw myself following the steps in the mirror and thought I looked awkward and out of place compared to other dancers. But the more I followed my own advice and incorporated my style, the more at peace I felt with my dancing. And anyway, I was having so much fun that it didn’t matter what I looked like.

Awesome

The class really was ideal for beginners, so even if hip hop felt less intuitive to me than other dance styles, the choreography itself wasn’t too difficult to follow or too challenging to execute. Carl’s positive energy also took the pressure off of doing everything perfectly and reminded us to have a good time.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to try hip hop dancing in a positive, supportive, and beginner-friendly environment, this is the perfect class for you!

That’s all for this week! Visit Dance Diaries next Tuesday at 8PM for another diary entry. See you then dancers 😊

Sizzling at Samba

Lirona Wainer-Yaffe, , , Leave a comment

Hey Dancers! This week I picked up the speed dancing samba. Read more about it below!

Basics

Class: All-Levels Samba and Afro-Brazilian

Studio: The Dance Complex

Teachers: Rachen and Ines (@sambavivaboston)

Time: 1.5 hours

Category: Teens 16+ and Adults

Cost (Single Class): $17

Background: An Afro-Brazilian dance style unique to Brazil, samba is a dance that “originated among disenfranchised communities of Black Brazilians and spread to the mainstream and beyond.” The class celebrates movement and “appreciation for Brazilian culture through music and dance” (SambaViva, The Dance Complex).

OOTD

In the information about the class on the SambaViva website there is a recommendation to wear comfortable exercise clothing (no jeans), so I opted for my usual short-sleeved top and leggings combo. The website also noted that sneakers, socks, and bare feet are all good footwear options, so I stuck to my sneakers, and noticed that most of the other dancers did as well. And of course, for those of you with long hair, I recommend getting it off your neck ahead of time.  

Atmosphere & Energy

The SambaViva website promised that the class is “non-competitive, high-energy and fun,” and emphasized that it is open to every gender and age, and to dancers of all levels of experience. As promised, the class kept us moving and enjoying ourselves in a judgment-free environment, welcoming all dancers equally. Though there were probably only 3 men in our group of 20, they were welcomed, and the teachers even suggested a traditionally men’s style for certain movements, which anyone in the class could choose to follow.

And with Afro-Brazilian beats playing as our backdrop, how could we not smile? Each song had a different pace, allowing us to experience a variety of rhythms and speeds while familiarizing ourselves with the technique.

Dance Difficulty

The title “all-levels” really fit this class well, and it was one of the most beginner-friendly ones I attended, simply because of how it was structured.

We started off with a collective, all-level friendly warm-up, and then the teachers asked who was a beginner, so they could split the class into two and each teach a different group. To my surprise, the class split perfectly in half, and I was surrounded by many other dancers who were new to Samba.

My beginner group joined Rachel on one side of the room, while Ines took control of the more advanced group on the other side. Luckily, they both followed the same music, but some dancers may find it distracting that they call out different instructions to their respective groups at different times, so I would suggest finding a spot close to your instructor and focusing on their movements to not get confused.

Rachel led us through a lesson of the basic step, breaking it down into stages that were more digestible, and gradually increasing the tempo. We started by stepping in place, then by stepping in various directions, then focused on taking backwards steps without moving from our spot, and finally we incorporated hip work and increased the speed. Though it was challenging to keep up at the end, the process was digestible, and it made the speedy movements make much more sense (meanwhile, Ines’s group, who were more advanced, had already mastered the basics and were focusing on incorporating arm movements and style).

After our technique lessons, Rachel and Ines joined the two groups together again and led us through a short combo, which relied in parts on the technique work we did earlier but also incorporated slower and easier-to-learn movements that encouraged us to focus on style and to put our on “flavor” into the movements.

We ran the sequence several times on its own and then with music, eventually splitting the class into two groups so that each could enjoy having more space to move around. We cheered each other on and concluded with one last run of the combo all together (which you can see a clip of on the dance diaries Instagram, @dancediaries0).

Top Tip

Be open about your level of experience and try not to worry when the pace starts to pick up. It can be daunting to try a new dance style, especially one so speedy, but the teachers are attentive to the students’ levels of experience, and learning is broken down into several parts that are easier to join together once each aspect is mastered. True, you likely won’t perfect the basic samba step by the end of your first lesson, but luckily in this class no one is expecting you to, and the important thing is just to keep trying and have fun.

Awkward

At full speed, the basic step of samba is incredibly speedy, and though my hips have had their share of exercise when I danced salsa, samba was still quite a challenge. This led to some awkward slip ups where I’d lose the rhythm when things got too quick, but I tried to just compose myself, keep going, and remember that I’m there to enjoy myself!

Awesome

Maybe it was the energetic music, the smiles on the faces of the teachers, and the fact that I just love dancing.  Or maybe it was the amazing smell of food streaming in from the open windows, the unusually warm weather, and the fact that the class reminded my of my days dancing salsa. Maybe it was a combination of everything! Either way, during this class I felt transported to a dance festival in the middle of summer, and that felt amazing.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an energetic workout to the tune of energizing beats, try this all-levels samba and Afro-Brazilian dance class!

If you’re entirely new to the dance world, just keep in mind that while the class is beginner friendly, by the end of the class you’ll be asked to pick up the speed!

That’s all for this week! Visit Dance Diaries next Tuesday at 8PM for another diary entry. See you then dancers 😊