Aszmara's Dancer's Philosophy & Demi-Bloggess Articles
“Being a Musical Dancer
What we hear is what we dance.
What we hear is what we feel.
What we feel is what we dance.
The cycle is a beautiful interrelated chord of danced musical expression. Taking classes from different teachers, their choreography tells how they hear the music and that learning broadens your reaction and relationship to music.”
“I dance because words are not enough. Music vibrates through my being and it must escape, therefor, I dance. Philosophical and historical questions about where our dance form originates, the anthropological reasons for dance in society, the regional differences; I let the scholars answer those questions and intently listen to their views. I work their studies into what I create and add their knowledge to my references. All adds to the vibration of each dance. To my dance.”
“In performing, the wish to fully embody the music is a desire whether it is in your improvisations or prepared choreography.”
“A dancer's presence of true, pure emotion takes us on that journey being taken beyond words to pure Emotion in Motion. A true artist does not imitate dance moves but becomes them and embodies the music. In finding the passion and letting go, you can feel the music as it happens, not just choreography in your head.”
“As dancers we embody the music. Our connection along with expression and technique illuminate. A dancer's toolkit of steps and movement vocabulary is our base. Adding expression, dynamics and designs in space to our toolkit heightens not only our soul's experience, but that of those around us.”
“The dancer is a musician whose instrument is her body. Stage magic happens when the intensity of your focus and delight in movement finds you becoming one with the music. The dance escapes from you rather than being performed. You are the music and the music is you.”
“Being a Musical Dancer is about the never ending exploration and discovery.
As in dance, music learning builds our vocabulary, the seeking is exciting,
and the music fills our souls….”
“There have been nights that I have dreamed the dance and upon waking, immediately try to find the technique needed to match the dreamed dance.
And the words haunt me. They color the fabric of my movement….”
“Remember, even the face dances….”
“Audiences filled with Blue Lit Foreheads and a Rectangle Eye ~ Videos are just sounds and images carrying so little of the heart and soul of what the performer is conveying. Emotions from stage cannot be felt while looking through a device nor can they be reciprocated back to the performers. Please respect artists. Put down your phones, pick up your soul and live every moment.”
“’The Musical Dancer - Flight and Float'
Dancing with wings on our feet like Hermes
Flying above the clouds
Soaring like playful swallows
Express the music in your soul"
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Demi-Bloggess Articles
"What Style Are You"
Thank you Peter Paradise Michaels for the beautiful photo and words....
“Aszmara is a master performer who goes beyond dance and art to speak directly to the human spirit. She calls her approach “Emotion in Motion” but that may be an understatement. When she dances she connects with every single member of the audience, including, and perhaps especially, any live band that might be playing behind her.”
“Her performance Sunday evening was passionate and riveting. It seemed to this photographer that she crossed the line into ecstatic dance frequently - much to the delight of the crowd lucky enough to witness her magic.”
Photo ©Peter Paradise Michaels for RavenWolfe Photography
“Aszmara is a master performer who goes beyond dance and art to speak directly to the human spirit. She calls her approach “Emotion in Motion” but that may be an understatement. When she dances she connects with every single member of the audience, including, and perhaps especially, any live band that might be playing behind her.”
“Her performance Sunday evening was passionate and riveting. It seemed to this photographer that she crossed the line into ecstatic dance frequently - much to the delight of the crowd lucky enough to witness her magic.”
Photo ©Peter Paradise Michaels for RavenWolfe Photography
Creating Dance Images
Back in the '90's before there was Tribal Fusion, SaZ Dance Theatre performed pieces using Middle Eastern Dance as our movement base and seamlessly added Modern Dance, Afro Cuban, Afro Haitian, Indian and Flamenco to the dance style. At that time, there was no classification for the dance - we just created images that moved us and spoke about life's issues through dance. Now it would be called Theatrical Belly Dance but it was so much more...
With our nine member dance company, we created pieces that explored women's issues, themed concerts (one with Djinn's battling for the dancers mind and body), and folkloric dances such as Ghawazee and Ouled Nail that were researched before the days of internet. Beside music from all over the Middle East, we found music from all over the world to express our ideas; Irish, Japanese, African, Cuban, American. The creative energies along with the many talented dancers that went into making SaZ Dance Theatre Concerts are dear to my heart and I am thankful that this is part of my dance history.
SaZ Dance Theatre Program cover from week long concerts September 1993 at Ohio Theater in NYC
Back in the '90's before there was Tribal Fusion, SaZ Dance Theatre performed pieces using Middle Eastern Dance as our movement base and seamlessly added Modern Dance, Afro Cuban, Afro Haitian, Indian and Flamenco to the dance style. At that time, there was no classification for the dance - we just created images that moved us and spoke about life's issues through dance. Now it would be called Theatrical Belly Dance but it was so much more...
With our nine member dance company, we created pieces that explored women's issues, themed concerts (one with Djinn's battling for the dancers mind and body), and folkloric dances such as Ghawazee and Ouled Nail that were researched before the days of internet. Beside music from all over the Middle East, we found music from all over the world to express our ideas; Irish, Japanese, African, Cuban, American. The creative energies along with the many talented dancers that went into making SaZ Dance Theatre Concerts are dear to my heart and I am thankful that this is part of my dance history.
SaZ Dance Theatre Program cover from week long concerts September 1993 at Ohio Theater in NYC
“Art is in the heart, mind and soul.
For me, it is a need to express what is felt deeply.
Choreography is structured like a poem or painting with constant additions, subtractions, re-workings, discovery...
Improvisation is to completely abandon to the emotions of the moment. Both are joyous to me.”
2019
I Dance Because
At Tava’s “Keep It Real” event in 2019, she invited several of us to speak. Throughout the night much was said about how dance gave voice to shy souls. While listening to each dancer, I reflected on my own path. Going from being invisible to dance giving voice to my emotional soul and the pleasure at how this gift is passed on to students.
Dance is where I found out I was beautiful. As with most teenager, my hair was wrong, my body was not enough here, too much there, felt unloved, unwanted, alone, a voice unheard in a sea of other’s happiness.
When I danced, the world seemed to click into place. I knew this was me, my place of belonging into the pattern of life. As I grew in technique, I also grew in strength of character and will - the bad marriage could be escaped, I can earn my living as a performer/teacher, I can live out loud. I can.
Throughout the years, dancing has brought me many friends, many adventures and a voice that shouts or whispers and is heard. As a teacher, I am gratified when I hear that class had brought that same courage and beauty to a student. Voices heard, beauty realized, strengthened resolves and dance forever in the heart.
Even after 40 years as I continue teaching, learning and performing, I still fly high with the music in my soul as it escapes through the body. Whether in classroom or on stage, beauty, strength and courage are present. Silent no longer, my voice shared in unison with those whose ears and bodies listen to the beauteous music within.
4/6/21
"Why does Isadora Duncan resonate so much to me?"
Loved Artemis Mourat's "Knowing Your Roots" presentation last week. As always, I come away with knowledge, more questions about possible connections and a sincere reflection on and of my dance path. Learning about the Russian ballet teacher hired by Badia to teach deportment and to work on a veil piece, I remembered that Isadora Duncan was in Russia in the early 1900's. Was she a possible indirect influence?
Why does Isadora Duncan resonate so much to me? She is the mother of Modern Dance, a representative of change, freedom of expression and repression that inspired so many artists in creating amazing works of art. The photos of her and her Isadorables in Greece by Edward Steichen have such beauty of form. They still serve as examples that I sometimes use as a jumping off point in choreographies. A quote from Walter Terry’s book: “She was the first to dance the music and not dance to the music” is exactly how I feel about dance.
“Dancer as a Musician - Chops, Heart and Manners”
I stumbled on Dance and have been tumbling for it ever since . . . Forty five years ago, a friend invited me along to a Belly Dance class at a local YWCA and the minute I heard the music, it touched my heart. I saw the beauty of the movements and the dance captured me in total.
The dancer is a musician whose instrument is her body. Stage magic happens when the intensity of your focus and delight in movement finds you becoming one with the music. The dance escapes from you rather than being performed. You are the music and the music is you.
As with all true musicians, we strive for ‘Chops, Heart and Manners.’ Chops, meaning technical expertise, is nothing but technique without truth of the heart. The expression of the music, ‘Heart’, takes us into the moment with its’ truth of outward joy or inner sorrow. It is fulfilling watching a dancer with heart and joy but add ‘Chops’ to the mix and there is a greater and deeper range of expression.
Lastly ‘Manners.’ How many times have you heard one musician overpower all others, not listening to what the others are playing but only to their own instrument? They are so busy trying to impress the audience with their ‘Chops’ that they lose the magical opportunity of interplay, the give and take that bring a band to a higher level. It is the same with dancers. Do you hear with your ears what the musicians are playing or are you just in your head hearing the song or thinking what movement to do next? Hearing with your whole being takes us into the moment and acknowledge the musicians with whom you are playing. A smile directed just to them every now and again helps them to know that you appreciate what and how they are playing and that you are all together in the experience. True manners are not a set of rules but a way in which you make others feel comfortable in your company. Acknowledging the music, the musicians and the audience; forever building our technique; giving truth to our movements. All these combined makes a dancer with ‘Chops, Heart and Manners’ a true dancer musician.
"It's All About Content and Presentation"
When & Why we dance is the question. In a Nightclub, on a Concert Stage, in a Living Room, in a Showcase; why are we dancing? Are we expressing an idea or image; Are we being an entertainer; Are we being an educator? These are the questions to ask of oneself when preparing for a performance. The content of your show depends on your venue and how you present that content is what people remember.
As a pure entertainer, don't forget to entertain yourself. If you are enjoying the music and can be playful within it, then the audience will feel your sense of fun and enjoy themselves as well. Present the image of a Dancer enjoying her art. If you are Educating your Audience, KNOW your topic - do your research and be comfortable with the information in your mind and body. Present the knowledge in a way that engages and enlightens the audience. It helps if YOU delight in the knowledge yourself! Stretching our wings as dancers: to do something larger than pure entertainment; to express inspiration from an idea or image; that is for the Concert Stage or Showcases. The idea can be as simple as "filling the stage with my veil" or can be abstract or complex story lines. With SaZ Dance Theatre, Roberta Koch and I developed whole suites of pieces to convey themes or moods. Make the story true for you and the audience will share in your experience. Prepare yourself, rehearse and challenge yourself to find the inspiration within to express it with full dance.
Remember, even the face dances....
“What Style Are You?”
For a workshop I taught in April, Najia asked me to write a little something about my Turkish dance style. My first response has to be that I do not consider myself a Turkish style dancer. I am a dancer who loves dancing to Turkish music. Also, I am a greedy music dance hog! Turkish, Arabic, Fusion, Folkloric, Classical... I love and dance to ALL music. Whenever I would work with musicians in clubs or on tours, I would listen closely to whatever they played and when there was something a little different, I would find out what it was and request it in my next show. Most times, it was a Turkish piece.
That being said, Turkish music has most interesting rhythms, and as a dance hog, I want to feel what it does to my dance body. A basic of cabaret shows was a Karsilama (9/8) ending which we would fly with our skirts for an exciting finale. Most bands would play so fast that you could only zil a basic tik tik tik tik-tik-tik... I worked hard so my zil playing could not only keep up with them but to play around with the rhythms. That woke the musicians up to the fact that I understood the rhythms intuitively and that they could trust me to try different songs and rhythms.
Dancing to Turkish music has a particular freedom of expression that is a little more open than Arabic but no less deep. Classic Arabic dance music has a smooth flow with a glide like feel that has small explosions of accents scattered a little bit here, a little bit there. There is a deep passion that mostly keeps movements internal and close to the body's center.
Turkish music has explosions everywhere! The base rhythm is the first depth to plumb, the wild improvisations the next layer to explore. Especially, when the players are Rom, there is just a tiny bit of tune with improvisations galore. Dancing to improvisations is a special challenge as suddenly you have to connect with the instrument that is leading with no idea where they will lead you! You are completely in the moment on a tightrope.
Turkish rhythms make me feel as though I can bound from the earth. Aksak (literal translation 'limp') time signatures, 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8 are connected to the earth and bounce you to the sky. There's a lifting from the earth that most classic Arabic rhythms do not have (yes, of course, ayub and saidi do!) and the sense of expansion/contraction of movements comes from this. Some people see it as being wild; I call it being free in the moment. The rhythms, the instruments, the passion of the combined forces that creates music in the body makes my dance heart sing...
"Like all good dance students, went to see what this band was about and the experience was mind blowing!" - My Souren Baronian Connection
So many dancers from the 60's onwards have been lucky to dance with one of the great master musicians of our time, Souren Baronian. His clarinet has welcomed many dancers into magical taxims that bring them into smiling connections. Souren is a dancer's musician; watching the dancer intently, he follows the moves made and encourages them to places they didn't think possible.
As a brand new student to Oriental Dance in 1976, my first ‘Live Music’ experience happened while on vacation in Cape Cod. In an old barn, Souren Baronian’s five piece group 'Taksim' was playing. I recognized the clarinet, electric bass and the trap drum set but what is that lute looking instrument that sounds like a weird guitar? Wait, that's not a recorder - what kind of flute is that? And look at that little drum! Oo! She's singing scat! That was Shamira playing dumbek and singing and after a break in the set, took my breath away when she came back dancing in a vibrant green beaded costume.
The music was dizzying, with all the rhythm changes, the scat singing and the wild improvisations. Souren's combining Middle Eastern music with Jazz was something I had never heard before. Mind you, my musical knowledge up to that point was Eddie the Sheik, George Adbo, Gus Vali, and a few awful albums titled 'Navel Academy' & 'Belly Belly' so this was my introduction to real music from Armenia, Turkey and Egypt.
This impression was deep and lasting, this mixing of traditional along with modern. A few years later, Souren, Haig and I worked in New York City clubs together and the way we connected together, music and dance, led to tours in Europe with Cornelia Kraft as the group Transition. Souren and I continue to play together whenever we can and there is always such joy when we play together. He is my musical mentor; tambourine lessons with him changed my zill playing along with my musicality in dancing and listening to him play each time is a lesson in how many places you can go deeply and truthfully.
It has always been very special that the coincidence of the first meeting brought us so far, so close, and so many places. He is my brother spirit, my musical mentor, my dearest friend and one of the Best Clarinet Players you will ever experience.
"What did one anthropologist say to the other anthropologist?"
It sounds like the start of a joke, "What did one anthropologist say to the other anthropologist?" But I was lucky enough at the Mahrajan Concert in California to be sharing a dressing room with Sahra Saeeda and Lee Ali, two women who have done extensive dance research. Sahra’s field is Egyptian dance and her knowledge is tremendous, deep and passionate. In class at Artemis & Tayyar’s Folk Tours Camp, I loved her evolution of the hip circle over the decades from Egyptian dance star to dance star and the prevailing Morals Policy of the time. Lee Ali’s field is a fabulous wealth of knowledge of folkloric, trance and ritual dancing. Well, one anthropologist asked the other anthropologist the loaded question, "So what do you think about the Tribal Dancers?" I will not tell the answers because that is not the point. What the question led to was a lively and informational discussion. It was fascinating to hear these two women as they presented their opinions with their wealth of education in their fields as their base. I felt privileged listening to their dialog and knew that I was missing an opportunity to learn more about cultural mores and theories of traditions when I had to leave them in order to perform.
These types of dialogs, from dancers who have spent their lives working on the knowledge of their art, are an important source of education to all dancers no matter how many years they have been studying. Continue to learn, to change, to grow. The next time there is an opportunity for a Symposium where dancers discuss the nature of our art, please attend with open ears, open minds and a notebook to take advantage of the wealth of information these educators have to offer.
"Veil Poetry"
Throughout my years as a teacher, I've taught many aspects of Veil work: Chiftitelli Veil, Lyrical Veil, Veiled Expressions, The Artful Veil, Veil Images. The latest incarnation , 'Veil Poetry' is a method of dancing to wordless music the poetry of your heart. Inspiration for Veil Poetry came during my summer's prep for this year's Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend; Samira sent me a Persian song that was so hauntingly beautiful, my soul cried. When I asked her for a loose translation, she said the poetry was about birds who were separated and seeking each other from village to village; the song's refrain asked, "Are you there? Are you there?" My heart broke at the words of the poem and kept the refrain in my heart while choreographing to music which conveyed that hopeful sadness. These words kept in my heart inspired working Veil Poetry with the dancers at the Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend. Each dancer received their own poem which throughout the Intensive was recited, danced, expressed, rhythm played and absorbed into the soul of the dancer. The resulting creations from these dancers were some of the most beautiful spontaneous images created with veils.
One of the most talented Veil Dancers is my SaZ Dance Theatre partner in crime, Roberta (photos withheld by her request). She retired from dance years ago, and if you attended any of the SaZ Dance Theatre productions in the '90's you would have seen the graceful and lasting images she danced. One of our choreography's, "Of Hope" was a suite in four parts; the third part was my reciting a poem while Roberta expressed the words with her veil images. Forth part of the suite, the music started and we danced together, she with China Silk and I with Silk Chiffon, expressing the emotions and questions of the poetry. Her innovations with the veil were incredibly beautiful and created by working an idea, finding the techniques needed for the desired result and rehearsing over and over again until it was seamless. Years later, I still have not seen anyone do the techniques Roberta developed!
All this month I am celebrating Veil Poetry. Delighting in the development of a dance, with the poetic images created. There have been nights that I have dreamed the dance and upon waking, immediately try to find the technique needed to match the dreamed dance. And the words haunt me. They color the fabric of my movement....
"Being a Musical Dancer
What we hear is what we dance.
What we hear is what we feel.
What we feel is what we dance."
The cycle is a beautiful interrelated chord of danced musical expression. Taking classes from different teachers, their choreography tells how they hear the music and that learning broadens your reaction and relationship to music.
Choosing how you interpret the music depends on what you hear in the music and on what you base your choreography. Is it Beat Based, Rhythmic Based, Melody Based, Idea Based? Do your ideas come from the music or do you look for music that fits your idea? The choice always depends on what you wish to express.
Becoming a Musical Dancer starts with understanding music. Every dancer I've ever enjoyed watching, from full professionals to student performers, have all had a sense of connectivity to music. When talking to them, have always found that they played an instrument, sang in a choir and had understanding of at least the basic principles of music theory. In Music Mapping Classes I share the structural Music Theory that teaches us different ways of listening and connecting to what we hear.
My musical education started with my parents whose record collection was vast and varied with something different played every day. We were raised on a musical diet of classical, musicals, Big Band, Danny Kaye, Josh White, assorted folk singers, jazz, Boston Pops, out worldly Peruvian singer Xtapla and many, many others. Going through their records was a delight and moods would be changed by the playing of music. My Dad's revere to wake his five children on Saturday morning was The Royal Changing of the Guard at full volume on his stereo. Starting with the shouted "Hiya Sentra - Huh! " (never could figure out what was really said) followed by a brass band full of drums and bagpipes. I think the whole neighborhood enjoyed the cadence and the groaning of children reluctant to leave their beds.
There was the ever present player piano to bang away on and dream of being Joni Mitchell or Duke Ellington. There were nights where one lucky child would puff away at the player piano's foot pump and all would stand around the piano singing "Call Me Irresistible" as the piano rolls wound through the spool. There was the guitar which was passed down from oldest to youngest and, when we were good enough, our allowance went to a better guitar. Self taught, with the help of Mel Bay charts, we all strummed and trained our musical ears by figuring out the chords to songs; playing records over and over again to get the words, the right chords, find the harmonies, nuances and structure of the song.
Having great music teachers in school and playing an instrument in band and orchestra was the next step in my becoming a Musical Dancer. Practice, rehearsals, learning about composers, dynamics, seeing the music on the page then hearing it all around you culminated into the excitement of being a part of a group being led to one purpose - music! My flute teacher was great not only in teaching technique but most importantly, in feeling the music as it pours out of the instrument. All our music teachers' enthusiasm was catching and we learned more than playing the notes - we learned the emotion that went into those notes.
I am still learning about music. Tambourine classes with Souren Baronian teach me ways of interpreting and playing with rhythm. Talking with musicians about specific song arrangement with the placement of taxims, how to start and end songs along with a little history behind the song is something I love doing when working with them. At the Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend, Mal Stein, Souren Baronain and Robert Boghosian share with us their musical knowledge as we bring it into our dance life. I learn every time I ask a question.
Being a Musical Dancer is about the never ending exploration and discovery. As in dance, music learning builds our vocabulary, the seeking is exciting, and the music fills our souls....
"Virtual Distance: Blue Lit Foreheads and a Rectangle Eye"
Being in the moment; present as a participant in the surrounding world; feeling emotions in reaction to stimuli. All of this is becoming a lost art when it comes to being an audience member during performances.
We've all heard issues concerning how phones are creating Virtual Distance and changing our interaction in the world. Patti LuPone raised cheers among artists after reports that she snatched away a texting woman's phone during her performance in a play. I was delighted when I read on facebook that Delilah Flynn banned videos during a recent performance featuring the fabulous Lee Ali to ensure that the audience be present. Brava! We who have been performing for years know how disturbing the trend is of seeing an audience filled with blue lit foreheads and a rectangle eye.
Watching life through a small screen instead of interacting with events surrounding you limits experience. It's like driving instead of walking through the woods. Driving, we see the woods through the windscreen and although we can admire the beauty, we miss sensations: the smell of air and trees, bird songs, the crunching underfoot of leaves, the unexpected creatures who scurry. We miss the full feeling of the reality in a time and place.
In Mel Brook's movie "Spaceballs" there is a brilliant bit between the evil leads looking for the heros who had escaped them. In the madness of the movie, they look at a video cassette of the movie and find themselves at the exact moment of looking at the video cassette of the movie. The dialogue between Big Helmet and his Henchman in short has them bantering:
"What's happened to then?" "We just passed it." "Go back to then." "I can't." "Why?" "We missed it."
Recording someone's performance is not only stealing their art but stealing from you the experience of their performance. The lie that you can relive "Then" "Now" boils down to "We missed it." Videos are just sounds and images carrying so little of the heart and soul of what the performer is conveying. Emotions from stage cannot be felt while looking through a device nor can they be reciprocated back to the performers.
Performers need more feedback than complimentary comments that accompany video clips online. We need your energy to feed the art. A Tarab artist needs a Sami audience to help carry and honor the experience.
Please respect artists. Put down your phones, pick up your soul and live every moment.
"I Love Teaching!"
When teaching, there are moments of inspiration that lead to the light of understanding in a student's eye. This is why I teach. What does the student need to understand the movement, the concept, the choreography? Do they need tactile information, physical reference, an image to connect with the idea? Teaching teaches me how to teach. Sunday and Monday, I taught a Dancing with Frame Drum Workshop & hosted a Music Mapping Tea. The Music Mapping was successful with the students understanding the principals and concepts but all day today, I've been pondering the questions asked during the Music Mapping. All day, I've been developing more of what is needed for the students to utilize more readily this system that develops musicality and facilitates learning, creating and teaching choreography. Finding the keys to unlock those words, those images, those concepts; finding the way for students of all levels to connect. This is why I love teaching. It makes me think deeper about my own relationship to dance.
At the Dancing with Frame Drum Workshop, hosted by Kim Leary of The Dance & Drum Learning Center, while explaining what 9/8 means ( nine eighth notes to a measure) they first needed to know what the term 'measure' means; then the explanation of eighth notes and how nine eighth notes make a 9/8; lastly, the music of the rhythm which forms the karsilama. As I looked around to see whether the light was shining in their eyes, an inspiration hit. I laid out 9 tambourines and was able to illustrate how the music of rhythm is formed and how we can play around with the music of the rhythm. The light shown brightly in their eyes - they understood the information and the possibilities that comes with that knowledge. I knew they understood the concept and although they weren't able to do everything taught that day, with practice they will be able to achieve their goals. I love teaching!
"You Never Yell At Us"
While in rehearsal for the New Rochelle Opera's production of "Turandot", one of my dancers commented, "You never yell at us! I've had so many teachers yell at me!" It brought my memories back to the special time of working with Roberta Koch and our SaZ Dance Theatre company in the mid to late 1990's. There was not a single cross word throughout the entire process; choreographing, training and rehearsing the dancers; putting together programs, publicity, mailings and box office; readying the theaters with stage staff, lighting, sets designs; and physically setting up the theater lugging sets, costumes, seating, cleaning and, my favorite memory, the entire company pushing or riding around on high scaffolding hanging incredibly heavy curtains to create the black box theater. We dealt with the stress, oh, and indeed there was more than enough stress to go around, with a sense of humor with which we infected the entire company. That humor, coupled with the belief of what we were achieving with our artistic vision made SaZ Dance Theatre a strong performing Dance Company whose members were able to grow individually while being committed to the company’s dance pieces. Our Oriental Dance Trained company members, Alexia Kim Leary, Andrea Beeman, and Vicki Webberly, went on after SaZ dance theatre to showcase their talents as soloists and created their own successful dance companies. I am thankful for the fond memories that they have of SaZ Dance Theatre and their expressions of how it helped them fulfill their own dance dreams.
I believe that dance grows from within and without. We never stop training our technique so as to be able to perform what a choreographer asks as well as to express ourselves in our own dances fully. Technique fills in the "without" of the dance but what comes from within is what makes a dancer alive, both to herself and to the audience. A choreographer's preconceived notions of specific movements can change to accommodate the dancers abilities and strengths and not harangue them on their limits. Yes, I experience some frustrating moments but the end goal is so much more important. Finding the dancer's strength within the training process and helping them go beyond what they feel capable of is, for me, always a joy and an adventure. The strength that brings is not only for the dance piece but contributes heart to the growth and power of the dancer.
For me, it is a need to express what is felt deeply.
Choreography is structured like a poem or painting with constant additions, subtractions, re-workings, discovery...
Improvisation is to completely abandon to the emotions of the moment. Both are joyous to me.”
2019
I Dance Because
At Tava’s “Keep It Real” event in 2019, she invited several of us to speak. Throughout the night much was said about how dance gave voice to shy souls. While listening to each dancer, I reflected on my own path. Going from being invisible to dance giving voice to my emotional soul and the pleasure at how this gift is passed on to students.
Dance is where I found out I was beautiful. As with most teenager, my hair was wrong, my body was not enough here, too much there, felt unloved, unwanted, alone, a voice unheard in a sea of other’s happiness.
When I danced, the world seemed to click into place. I knew this was me, my place of belonging into the pattern of life. As I grew in technique, I also grew in strength of character and will - the bad marriage could be escaped, I can earn my living as a performer/teacher, I can live out loud. I can.
Throughout the years, dancing has brought me many friends, many adventures and a voice that shouts or whispers and is heard. As a teacher, I am gratified when I hear that class had brought that same courage and beauty to a student. Voices heard, beauty realized, strengthened resolves and dance forever in the heart.
Even after 40 years as I continue teaching, learning and performing, I still fly high with the music in my soul as it escapes through the body. Whether in classroom or on stage, beauty, strength and courage are present. Silent no longer, my voice shared in unison with those whose ears and bodies listen to the beauteous music within.
4/6/21
"Why does Isadora Duncan resonate so much to me?"
Loved Artemis Mourat's "Knowing Your Roots" presentation last week. As always, I come away with knowledge, more questions about possible connections and a sincere reflection on and of my dance path. Learning about the Russian ballet teacher hired by Badia to teach deportment and to work on a veil piece, I remembered that Isadora Duncan was in Russia in the early 1900's. Was she a possible indirect influence?
Why does Isadora Duncan resonate so much to me? She is the mother of Modern Dance, a representative of change, freedom of expression and repression that inspired so many artists in creating amazing works of art. The photos of her and her Isadorables in Greece by Edward Steichen have such beauty of form. They still serve as examples that I sometimes use as a jumping off point in choreographies. A quote from Walter Terry’s book: “She was the first to dance the music and not dance to the music” is exactly how I feel about dance.
“Dancer as a Musician - Chops, Heart and Manners”
I stumbled on Dance and have been tumbling for it ever since . . . Forty five years ago, a friend invited me along to a Belly Dance class at a local YWCA and the minute I heard the music, it touched my heart. I saw the beauty of the movements and the dance captured me in total.
The dancer is a musician whose instrument is her body. Stage magic happens when the intensity of your focus and delight in movement finds you becoming one with the music. The dance escapes from you rather than being performed. You are the music and the music is you.
As with all true musicians, we strive for ‘Chops, Heart and Manners.’ Chops, meaning technical expertise, is nothing but technique without truth of the heart. The expression of the music, ‘Heart’, takes us into the moment with its’ truth of outward joy or inner sorrow. It is fulfilling watching a dancer with heart and joy but add ‘Chops’ to the mix and there is a greater and deeper range of expression.
Lastly ‘Manners.’ How many times have you heard one musician overpower all others, not listening to what the others are playing but only to their own instrument? They are so busy trying to impress the audience with their ‘Chops’ that they lose the magical opportunity of interplay, the give and take that bring a band to a higher level. It is the same with dancers. Do you hear with your ears what the musicians are playing or are you just in your head hearing the song or thinking what movement to do next? Hearing with your whole being takes us into the moment and acknowledge the musicians with whom you are playing. A smile directed just to them every now and again helps them to know that you appreciate what and how they are playing and that you are all together in the experience. True manners are not a set of rules but a way in which you make others feel comfortable in your company. Acknowledging the music, the musicians and the audience; forever building our technique; giving truth to our movements. All these combined makes a dancer with ‘Chops, Heart and Manners’ a true dancer musician.
"It's All About Content and Presentation"
When & Why we dance is the question. In a Nightclub, on a Concert Stage, in a Living Room, in a Showcase; why are we dancing? Are we expressing an idea or image; Are we being an entertainer; Are we being an educator? These are the questions to ask of oneself when preparing for a performance. The content of your show depends on your venue and how you present that content is what people remember.
As a pure entertainer, don't forget to entertain yourself. If you are enjoying the music and can be playful within it, then the audience will feel your sense of fun and enjoy themselves as well. Present the image of a Dancer enjoying her art. If you are Educating your Audience, KNOW your topic - do your research and be comfortable with the information in your mind and body. Present the knowledge in a way that engages and enlightens the audience. It helps if YOU delight in the knowledge yourself! Stretching our wings as dancers: to do something larger than pure entertainment; to express inspiration from an idea or image; that is for the Concert Stage or Showcases. The idea can be as simple as "filling the stage with my veil" or can be abstract or complex story lines. With SaZ Dance Theatre, Roberta Koch and I developed whole suites of pieces to convey themes or moods. Make the story true for you and the audience will share in your experience. Prepare yourself, rehearse and challenge yourself to find the inspiration within to express it with full dance.
Remember, even the face dances....
“What Style Are You?”
For a workshop I taught in April, Najia asked me to write a little something about my Turkish dance style. My first response has to be that I do not consider myself a Turkish style dancer. I am a dancer who loves dancing to Turkish music. Also, I am a greedy music dance hog! Turkish, Arabic, Fusion, Folkloric, Classical... I love and dance to ALL music. Whenever I would work with musicians in clubs or on tours, I would listen closely to whatever they played and when there was something a little different, I would find out what it was and request it in my next show. Most times, it was a Turkish piece.
That being said, Turkish music has most interesting rhythms, and as a dance hog, I want to feel what it does to my dance body. A basic of cabaret shows was a Karsilama (9/8) ending which we would fly with our skirts for an exciting finale. Most bands would play so fast that you could only zil a basic tik tik tik tik-tik-tik... I worked hard so my zil playing could not only keep up with them but to play around with the rhythms. That woke the musicians up to the fact that I understood the rhythms intuitively and that they could trust me to try different songs and rhythms.
Dancing to Turkish music has a particular freedom of expression that is a little more open than Arabic but no less deep. Classic Arabic dance music has a smooth flow with a glide like feel that has small explosions of accents scattered a little bit here, a little bit there. There is a deep passion that mostly keeps movements internal and close to the body's center.
Turkish music has explosions everywhere! The base rhythm is the first depth to plumb, the wild improvisations the next layer to explore. Especially, when the players are Rom, there is just a tiny bit of tune with improvisations galore. Dancing to improvisations is a special challenge as suddenly you have to connect with the instrument that is leading with no idea where they will lead you! You are completely in the moment on a tightrope.
Turkish rhythms make me feel as though I can bound from the earth. Aksak (literal translation 'limp') time signatures, 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8 are connected to the earth and bounce you to the sky. There's a lifting from the earth that most classic Arabic rhythms do not have (yes, of course, ayub and saidi do!) and the sense of expansion/contraction of movements comes from this. Some people see it as being wild; I call it being free in the moment. The rhythms, the instruments, the passion of the combined forces that creates music in the body makes my dance heart sing...
"Like all good dance students, went to see what this band was about and the experience was mind blowing!" - My Souren Baronian Connection
So many dancers from the 60's onwards have been lucky to dance with one of the great master musicians of our time, Souren Baronian. His clarinet has welcomed many dancers into magical taxims that bring them into smiling connections. Souren is a dancer's musician; watching the dancer intently, he follows the moves made and encourages them to places they didn't think possible.
As a brand new student to Oriental Dance in 1976, my first ‘Live Music’ experience happened while on vacation in Cape Cod. In an old barn, Souren Baronian’s five piece group 'Taksim' was playing. I recognized the clarinet, electric bass and the trap drum set but what is that lute looking instrument that sounds like a weird guitar? Wait, that's not a recorder - what kind of flute is that? And look at that little drum! Oo! She's singing scat! That was Shamira playing dumbek and singing and after a break in the set, took my breath away when she came back dancing in a vibrant green beaded costume.
The music was dizzying, with all the rhythm changes, the scat singing and the wild improvisations. Souren's combining Middle Eastern music with Jazz was something I had never heard before. Mind you, my musical knowledge up to that point was Eddie the Sheik, George Adbo, Gus Vali, and a few awful albums titled 'Navel Academy' & 'Belly Belly' so this was my introduction to real music from Armenia, Turkey and Egypt.
This impression was deep and lasting, this mixing of traditional along with modern. A few years later, Souren, Haig and I worked in New York City clubs together and the way we connected together, music and dance, led to tours in Europe with Cornelia Kraft as the group Transition. Souren and I continue to play together whenever we can and there is always such joy when we play together. He is my musical mentor; tambourine lessons with him changed my zill playing along with my musicality in dancing and listening to him play each time is a lesson in how many places you can go deeply and truthfully.
It has always been very special that the coincidence of the first meeting brought us so far, so close, and so many places. He is my brother spirit, my musical mentor, my dearest friend and one of the Best Clarinet Players you will ever experience.
"What did one anthropologist say to the other anthropologist?"
It sounds like the start of a joke, "What did one anthropologist say to the other anthropologist?" But I was lucky enough at the Mahrajan Concert in California to be sharing a dressing room with Sahra Saeeda and Lee Ali, two women who have done extensive dance research. Sahra’s field is Egyptian dance and her knowledge is tremendous, deep and passionate. In class at Artemis & Tayyar’s Folk Tours Camp, I loved her evolution of the hip circle over the decades from Egyptian dance star to dance star and the prevailing Morals Policy of the time. Lee Ali’s field is a fabulous wealth of knowledge of folkloric, trance and ritual dancing. Well, one anthropologist asked the other anthropologist the loaded question, "So what do you think about the Tribal Dancers?" I will not tell the answers because that is not the point. What the question led to was a lively and informational discussion. It was fascinating to hear these two women as they presented their opinions with their wealth of education in their fields as their base. I felt privileged listening to their dialog and knew that I was missing an opportunity to learn more about cultural mores and theories of traditions when I had to leave them in order to perform.
These types of dialogs, from dancers who have spent their lives working on the knowledge of their art, are an important source of education to all dancers no matter how many years they have been studying. Continue to learn, to change, to grow. The next time there is an opportunity for a Symposium where dancers discuss the nature of our art, please attend with open ears, open minds and a notebook to take advantage of the wealth of information these educators have to offer.
"Veil Poetry"
Throughout my years as a teacher, I've taught many aspects of Veil work: Chiftitelli Veil, Lyrical Veil, Veiled Expressions, The Artful Veil, Veil Images. The latest incarnation , 'Veil Poetry' is a method of dancing to wordless music the poetry of your heart. Inspiration for Veil Poetry came during my summer's prep for this year's Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend; Samira sent me a Persian song that was so hauntingly beautiful, my soul cried. When I asked her for a loose translation, she said the poetry was about birds who were separated and seeking each other from village to village; the song's refrain asked, "Are you there? Are you there?" My heart broke at the words of the poem and kept the refrain in my heart while choreographing to music which conveyed that hopeful sadness. These words kept in my heart inspired working Veil Poetry with the dancers at the Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend. Each dancer received their own poem which throughout the Intensive was recited, danced, expressed, rhythm played and absorbed into the soul of the dancer. The resulting creations from these dancers were some of the most beautiful spontaneous images created with veils.
One of the most talented Veil Dancers is my SaZ Dance Theatre partner in crime, Roberta (photos withheld by her request). She retired from dance years ago, and if you attended any of the SaZ Dance Theatre productions in the '90's you would have seen the graceful and lasting images she danced. One of our choreography's, "Of Hope" was a suite in four parts; the third part was my reciting a poem while Roberta expressed the words with her veil images. Forth part of the suite, the music started and we danced together, she with China Silk and I with Silk Chiffon, expressing the emotions and questions of the poetry. Her innovations with the veil were incredibly beautiful and created by working an idea, finding the techniques needed for the desired result and rehearsing over and over again until it was seamless. Years later, I still have not seen anyone do the techniques Roberta developed!
All this month I am celebrating Veil Poetry. Delighting in the development of a dance, with the poetic images created. There have been nights that I have dreamed the dance and upon waking, immediately try to find the technique needed to match the dreamed dance. And the words haunt me. They color the fabric of my movement....
"Being a Musical Dancer
What we hear is what we dance.
What we hear is what we feel.
What we feel is what we dance."
The cycle is a beautiful interrelated chord of danced musical expression. Taking classes from different teachers, their choreography tells how they hear the music and that learning broadens your reaction and relationship to music.
Choosing how you interpret the music depends on what you hear in the music and on what you base your choreography. Is it Beat Based, Rhythmic Based, Melody Based, Idea Based? Do your ideas come from the music or do you look for music that fits your idea? The choice always depends on what you wish to express.
Becoming a Musical Dancer starts with understanding music. Every dancer I've ever enjoyed watching, from full professionals to student performers, have all had a sense of connectivity to music. When talking to them, have always found that they played an instrument, sang in a choir and had understanding of at least the basic principles of music theory. In Music Mapping Classes I share the structural Music Theory that teaches us different ways of listening and connecting to what we hear.
My musical education started with my parents whose record collection was vast and varied with something different played every day. We were raised on a musical diet of classical, musicals, Big Band, Danny Kaye, Josh White, assorted folk singers, jazz, Boston Pops, out worldly Peruvian singer Xtapla and many, many others. Going through their records was a delight and moods would be changed by the playing of music. My Dad's revere to wake his five children on Saturday morning was The Royal Changing of the Guard at full volume on his stereo. Starting with the shouted "Hiya Sentra - Huh! " (never could figure out what was really said) followed by a brass band full of drums and bagpipes. I think the whole neighborhood enjoyed the cadence and the groaning of children reluctant to leave their beds.
There was the ever present player piano to bang away on and dream of being Joni Mitchell or Duke Ellington. There were nights where one lucky child would puff away at the player piano's foot pump and all would stand around the piano singing "Call Me Irresistible" as the piano rolls wound through the spool. There was the guitar which was passed down from oldest to youngest and, when we were good enough, our allowance went to a better guitar. Self taught, with the help of Mel Bay charts, we all strummed and trained our musical ears by figuring out the chords to songs; playing records over and over again to get the words, the right chords, find the harmonies, nuances and structure of the song.
Having great music teachers in school and playing an instrument in band and orchestra was the next step in my becoming a Musical Dancer. Practice, rehearsals, learning about composers, dynamics, seeing the music on the page then hearing it all around you culminated into the excitement of being a part of a group being led to one purpose - music! My flute teacher was great not only in teaching technique but most importantly, in feeling the music as it pours out of the instrument. All our music teachers' enthusiasm was catching and we learned more than playing the notes - we learned the emotion that went into those notes.
I am still learning about music. Tambourine classes with Souren Baronian teach me ways of interpreting and playing with rhythm. Talking with musicians about specific song arrangement with the placement of taxims, how to start and end songs along with a little history behind the song is something I love doing when working with them. At the Intensive Dance Retreat Weekend, Mal Stein, Souren Baronain and Robert Boghosian share with us their musical knowledge as we bring it into our dance life. I learn every time I ask a question.
Being a Musical Dancer is about the never ending exploration and discovery. As in dance, music learning builds our vocabulary, the seeking is exciting, and the music fills our souls....
"Virtual Distance: Blue Lit Foreheads and a Rectangle Eye"
Being in the moment; present as a participant in the surrounding world; feeling emotions in reaction to stimuli. All of this is becoming a lost art when it comes to being an audience member during performances.
We've all heard issues concerning how phones are creating Virtual Distance and changing our interaction in the world. Patti LuPone raised cheers among artists after reports that she snatched away a texting woman's phone during her performance in a play. I was delighted when I read on facebook that Delilah Flynn banned videos during a recent performance featuring the fabulous Lee Ali to ensure that the audience be present. Brava! We who have been performing for years know how disturbing the trend is of seeing an audience filled with blue lit foreheads and a rectangle eye.
Watching life through a small screen instead of interacting with events surrounding you limits experience. It's like driving instead of walking through the woods. Driving, we see the woods through the windscreen and although we can admire the beauty, we miss sensations: the smell of air and trees, bird songs, the crunching underfoot of leaves, the unexpected creatures who scurry. We miss the full feeling of the reality in a time and place.
In Mel Brook's movie "Spaceballs" there is a brilliant bit between the evil leads looking for the heros who had escaped them. In the madness of the movie, they look at a video cassette of the movie and find themselves at the exact moment of looking at the video cassette of the movie. The dialogue between Big Helmet and his Henchman in short has them bantering:
"What's happened to then?" "We just passed it." "Go back to then." "I can't." "Why?" "We missed it."
Recording someone's performance is not only stealing their art but stealing from you the experience of their performance. The lie that you can relive "Then" "Now" boils down to "We missed it." Videos are just sounds and images carrying so little of the heart and soul of what the performer is conveying. Emotions from stage cannot be felt while looking through a device nor can they be reciprocated back to the performers.
Performers need more feedback than complimentary comments that accompany video clips online. We need your energy to feed the art. A Tarab artist needs a Sami audience to help carry and honor the experience.
Please respect artists. Put down your phones, pick up your soul and live every moment.
"I Love Teaching!"
When teaching, there are moments of inspiration that lead to the light of understanding in a student's eye. This is why I teach. What does the student need to understand the movement, the concept, the choreography? Do they need tactile information, physical reference, an image to connect with the idea? Teaching teaches me how to teach. Sunday and Monday, I taught a Dancing with Frame Drum Workshop & hosted a Music Mapping Tea. The Music Mapping was successful with the students understanding the principals and concepts but all day today, I've been pondering the questions asked during the Music Mapping. All day, I've been developing more of what is needed for the students to utilize more readily this system that develops musicality and facilitates learning, creating and teaching choreography. Finding the keys to unlock those words, those images, those concepts; finding the way for students of all levels to connect. This is why I love teaching. It makes me think deeper about my own relationship to dance.
At the Dancing with Frame Drum Workshop, hosted by Kim Leary of The Dance & Drum Learning Center, while explaining what 9/8 means ( nine eighth notes to a measure) they first needed to know what the term 'measure' means; then the explanation of eighth notes and how nine eighth notes make a 9/8; lastly, the music of the rhythm which forms the karsilama. As I looked around to see whether the light was shining in their eyes, an inspiration hit. I laid out 9 tambourines and was able to illustrate how the music of rhythm is formed and how we can play around with the music of the rhythm. The light shown brightly in their eyes - they understood the information and the possibilities that comes with that knowledge. I knew they understood the concept and although they weren't able to do everything taught that day, with practice they will be able to achieve their goals. I love teaching!
"You Never Yell At Us"
While in rehearsal for the New Rochelle Opera's production of "Turandot", one of my dancers commented, "You never yell at us! I've had so many teachers yell at me!" It brought my memories back to the special time of working with Roberta Koch and our SaZ Dance Theatre company in the mid to late 1990's. There was not a single cross word throughout the entire process; choreographing, training and rehearsing the dancers; putting together programs, publicity, mailings and box office; readying the theaters with stage staff, lighting, sets designs; and physically setting up the theater lugging sets, costumes, seating, cleaning and, my favorite memory, the entire company pushing or riding around on high scaffolding hanging incredibly heavy curtains to create the black box theater. We dealt with the stress, oh, and indeed there was more than enough stress to go around, with a sense of humor with which we infected the entire company. That humor, coupled with the belief of what we were achieving with our artistic vision made SaZ Dance Theatre a strong performing Dance Company whose members were able to grow individually while being committed to the company’s dance pieces. Our Oriental Dance Trained company members, Alexia Kim Leary, Andrea Beeman, and Vicki Webberly, went on after SaZ dance theatre to showcase their talents as soloists and created their own successful dance companies. I am thankful for the fond memories that they have of SaZ Dance Theatre and their expressions of how it helped them fulfill their own dance dreams.
I believe that dance grows from within and without. We never stop training our technique so as to be able to perform what a choreographer asks as well as to express ourselves in our own dances fully. Technique fills in the "without" of the dance but what comes from within is what makes a dancer alive, both to herself and to the audience. A choreographer's preconceived notions of specific movements can change to accommodate the dancers abilities and strengths and not harangue them on their limits. Yes, I experience some frustrating moments but the end goal is so much more important. Finding the dancer's strength within the training process and helping them go beyond what they feel capable of is, for me, always a joy and an adventure. The strength that brings is not only for the dance piece but contributes heart to the growth and power of the dancer.