Lone Dancer in Town
So you have moved to a town with no belly dancers, or, you have discovered that your belly dancer self had been hiding in the closet. Unfortunately after some thorough investigation, you have found that you're the only belly dancer in town... now what?
Well it depends on your experience level and what your goals are as a belly dancer. If you're an experienced soloist, you don't need me to tell you to start booking your gigs! If you're an instructor who moved to a new town, I highly recommend reading my previous post: "Occupation: Belly Dance Instructor. Things to consider before making this career choice." If you're a baby belly dancer or an advance student, then things are going to be quite challenging. Your love for the dance will be tested.
The obvious thing to do is find out if there are any instructors within driving distance. For me, Little Rock was the closest city with belly dancers, and it was two hours away. I was on the road a lot already, so I didn't feel like making a four hour roundtrip for a dance class. I got to admit though one of my current students, Muneera, does that twice each week. She takes my class and another class in Fort Smith, both are two hours away from her. Needless to say, she makes me feel like a pansy in this regard, and I absolutely admire her dedication. So don't be afraid to travel. At 3rd Coast Tribal, I met a young woman from Austria who traveled all by herself just to attend the festival. Apparently, it was something she did regularly. If you're passionate enough, you'll find the courage to find people who are like you and do what you love to do.
You may not even have to travel. Maybe DVD and Online instruction will absolutely suffice for now. There are plenty of instructional DVDs and online studios like PowHow and Datura Online to get you started or progress your training. Invite your buddies to come dance with you. Make it a girls night out. They might find out they have been a belly dancer this whole time and didn't know it. You could also let them try on your costuming and do their makeup and hair. No woman is too old to play dress up. That's half the fun of belly dance! Why not have an impromptu photo shoot as well? You could also watch dance DVDs or YouTube videos and drink some wine. Have a hummus tasting contest. Who said belly dance had to be so serious?
Having this kind of girl time will be good to help keep the isolation blues at bay. I should have done this in Monticello, but I didn't think of it until I got the idea from students like Muneera who live in isolated towns. Ideas like these are so simple and genius that I remembering saying to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" If I had done that, I know I wouldn't have been nearly as depressed while living in Monticello. It got so bad that personal practice wasn't fun anymore. I was so close to quitting for good. When I found out that we were moving to Hot Springs, I decided to not give up yet. Yes I know. I was big ol' a pansy. I probably could have been successful in Monticello if I gritted my teeth and did the work. Or went the other direction and not be so serious about the dance. I couldn't help it at the time: I wanted to become a career dancer someday. But it doesn't have to be all work and no play.
Sometimes it's more important to just have fun...
Well it depends on your experience level and what your goals are as a belly dancer. If you're an experienced soloist, you don't need me to tell you to start booking your gigs! If you're an instructor who moved to a new town, I highly recommend reading my previous post: "Occupation: Belly Dance Instructor. Things to consider before making this career choice." If you're a baby belly dancer or an advance student, then things are going to be quite challenging. Your love for the dance will be tested.
The obvious thing to do is find out if there are any instructors within driving distance. For me, Little Rock was the closest city with belly dancers, and it was two hours away. I was on the road a lot already, so I didn't feel like making a four hour roundtrip for a dance class. I got to admit though one of my current students, Muneera, does that twice each week. She takes my class and another class in Fort Smith, both are two hours away from her. Needless to say, she makes me feel like a pansy in this regard, and I absolutely admire her dedication. So don't be afraid to travel. At 3rd Coast Tribal, I met a young woman from Austria who traveled all by herself just to attend the festival. Apparently, it was something she did regularly. If you're passionate enough, you'll find the courage to find people who are like you and do what you love to do.
You may not even have to travel. Maybe DVD and Online instruction will absolutely suffice for now. There are plenty of instructional DVDs and online studios like PowHow and Datura Online to get you started or progress your training. Invite your buddies to come dance with you. Make it a girls night out. They might find out they have been a belly dancer this whole time and didn't know it. You could also let them try on your costuming and do their makeup and hair. No woman is too old to play dress up. That's half the fun of belly dance! Why not have an impromptu photo shoot as well? You could also watch dance DVDs or YouTube videos and drink some wine. Have a hummus tasting contest. Who said belly dance had to be so serious?
Having this kind of girl time will be good to help keep the isolation blues at bay. I should have done this in Monticello, but I didn't think of it until I got the idea from students like Muneera who live in isolated towns. Ideas like these are so simple and genius that I remembering saying to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" If I had done that, I know I wouldn't have been nearly as depressed while living in Monticello. It got so bad that personal practice wasn't fun anymore. I was so close to quitting for good. When I found out that we were moving to Hot Springs, I decided to not give up yet. Yes I know. I was big ol' a pansy. I probably could have been successful in Monticello if I gritted my teeth and did the work. Or went the other direction and not be so serious about the dance. I couldn't help it at the time: I wanted to become a career dancer someday. But it doesn't have to be all work and no play.
Sometimes it's more important to just have fun...
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