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Progress, Professionalism,
and the Art of Belly Dance
By Tanya Aranda
There are so many facets to the
jewel that is belly dance and through out the years, I have
examined my desires to dance from every perspective possible.
People have asked my why I dance and I have answered in varying
degrees. An elaborate response could take hours yet a simple
response is; I have to. Like any artist driven to express
themselves, the question why is not nearly as important as
how. Exploring this desire is a life long path and I have
taken various routes to expand my potential. In all honesty,
Suhaila Salimpour School of Dance has taught me more in a
year and a half, than my entire years experience prior has.
Progress is a concept that evokes
a variety of responses from just about anyone, especially
those that have a desire for self- improvement. Progress can
make a person feel tremendous while lack of progress can feel,
at best, depressing. There are countless ways to measure progress
and at times we measure ourselves against one another. It
is human nature to be competitive and it can be a useful tool,
but I have found it to be self-depreciating, more often than
not. The professional world of dance can be so unnecessarily
competitive, so why bring it to training? The classroom should
be free of ego. I have often heard Suhaila proclaim on the
first day of a Weeklong Workshop, "Leave your egos at
the door". Having an open mind free of the weight of
our expectations gives space for true learning to happen.
I have felt, so many times, that
I am exerting a lot of effort, yet the return is so minimal.
I fail to acknowledge my progress because I have my focus
at the "end" rather than where I am. It has taken
me many conversations with Suhaila to realize there is no
end. Ever. There is no destination point, but it is, simply,
the journey that we must learn to enjoy.
On the subject of professionalism,
I once again, am learning more from Suhaila than any one else.
We joke that she actually is running a charm school, teaching
etiquette, poise, and various rules of conduct that will smooth
over questionable situations. Under her performing umbrella,
whether it is Bal Anat or Suhaila Dance Company, there is
rarely a question of how to arrive to a show. Call time is
an hour and a half before the show. We don't depend there
will be time, space, or lighting to apply make-up, so our
make-up and nail color are chosen according to the costume
(never a guess) and done at home. I have found this to alleviate
last minute pressure and leave myself free to enjoy the anticipation
of a show.
Which brings me to the last topic, the art of belly dance. I
truly believe all my hard hours of training in the classroom
have brought me to a level where I can begin to express myself
as a dancer. I remember prior to my enrollment in SSSD, prior
to a serious training regime, feeling completely deflated after
a show because I knew I could've done so much better, if only
I knew what to do. I did the best I could with what information
I had, but always knew in some ways I was incomplete as a dancer.
Not that I didn't have sentiment, or a deep connection with
the music, or that I lacked a desire to do well. It was because
I knew I did not have a strong dance form and I did not know
where to find it. I was extremely rebellious about modern, jazz
and ballet, and harbored a lot of misconceptions due to a superficial
reaction to the "style" those dance forms evoke. It
wasn't until I took a Dance Movement at SSSD class that I found
joy in the work of correcting poor posture, developing upper
body strength, and drilling foot patterns across the floor and
all the exercises are to fun dance music. Suhaila has cleverly
disguised a nicely paced beginner's level Jazz class designed
to help belly dancers get over our fear of form.
In all honesty I did not intend
for this essay to be an SSSD anthem, but even in the opening
paragraph, I give Suhaila complete credit for shaping many
"World-Class" dancers. It is her format with her
attention to minor details, and ability to organize the chaos
of two dance companies with over 30 members that gives a dancer
room to truly develop a honest depth to his or her dance.
It is a demanding environment that gives more than people
realize and what it gives the most of is a solid dance foundation
to build upon for the rest of a dancers life.
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