Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

[Juniper]

Because I freakin love this chic!! She inspires me to attempt Belly Dancing on so many occasions. It's terrible I never stick with it, but every time I want one of her videos, I get inspired all over again. One day, it WILL stick! ... But I wanted to share this interview especially because I like the story (and her voice).

Also, this is open to ALL belly dancing trends, styles and discussion. So, have at it.

Some questions I have to kick off some sort of discussion:

Do you Belly Dance?
What inspires you?
When did you first become inspired?
What style do you prefer?
What style do you want to learn but haven't yet?
Do you prefer a specific type of music to dance to or can you/do you like to dance to any beat?
Do you think that belly dancing is a (can be a) form of spiritual expression? Why?

[Juniper]

Re: Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

To answer my own questions...

Do you Belly Dance?
Not actively. But on occasion, I will bust-a-move of some sort. I took an intro class to your standard belly dancing a few years ago and while I enjoyed myself, it was a little too far of a drive to do regularly.

What inspires you?
Music. Rachel Brice. The idea that it makes me more flexible and gives me conscious control of nearly every single muscle in my body.

When did you first become inspired?
Rachel Brice has been my Belly Dance Idol since the first time I stumbled across one of her videos some 4 or 5 years ago.

What style do you prefer?
I don't really like lyrics in my songs (when I try to dance). So I naturally took to music like what RB uses. Although, one major exception would be music by Niyaz (Azam Ali). http://www.azamalimusic.com/

What style do you want to learn but haven't yet?
I haven't really learned any but the one style I have the most drawn toward is Tribal Fusion.

Do you prefer a specific type of music to dance to or can you/do you like to dance to any beat?
I have trained myself to pick up on beats in any song to try and convert it into a belly dance rhythm. It wasn't that hard. I at first listened to a lot of the music that RB uses in her videos (Pentaphobe, Bass Nectar, etc) and I would listen to them in the car while driving to and from work, on my iPod or at home while doing whatever. I'd broaden the spectrum bit by bit and now I feel that I could turn almost any song into something to belly dance to. With the exception of maybe Hard Metal, Screamo, etc.

Do you think that belly dancing is a (can be a) form of spiritual expression? Why?
I truly believe so. There are many MANY spiritual paths that include dancing with their rituals. If given enough practice, I could totally see myself getting into a trance like state while belly dancing. After all, it's no different than just regularly moving along to a beat.

[Anu]

Re: Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

Do you Belly Dance?
Yes, I do tribal belly dance, sometimes with added industrial-fusion moves.

What inspires you?
Truthfully? I just like dance. I like belly dance. I like yoga, and things like yoga, and yoga is a common belly dance warm up. I love the fashion. My ex also liked it, which is part of why I kept doing it. My love of belly dance lasted longer than him. :/

When did you first become inspired?
Couple years ago. It wasn't Rachel Brice, though. I mean... I like Rachel Brice, but I'm probably one of the few belly dancers that doesn't, like, worship at the alter of Brice. I think it's because her isolation DVDs bore me half to death.

What style do you prefer?
Tribal. Industrial-fusion + tribal.

What style do you want to learn but haven't yet?
I know a bit of, like, Egyptian style, mostly in terms of shimmies, but I wouldn't mind learning more.

Do you prefer a specific type of music to dance to or can you/do you like to dance to any beat?
Pop music. I don't care if it's odd or unconventional. I love it. Sometimes I go with gypsy punk, though. The Dresden Dolls, Jack off Jill, "Lola" by the Kinks, Man Man, Katy Perry.

Do you think that belly dancing is a (can be a) form of spiritual expression? Why?
Every type of dance can be a form of spiritual expression. Like Juniper said, so many religions incorporate dance with their rituals, so it's not uncommon. I "meditate" better while dancing.

[thalassa]

Re: Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

I went to a bellydancing class on Thursday at the Y where I work...ZOMG!! There is a total difference from having a real, live person there (vs video)...I think when I get back to Virginia, I'll be taking lessons. I can't go to the class at the Y regularly because I have school on Thurs nites

[KashakuTatsu]

Re: Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

Do you Belly Dance?
Yes I do, some days more often than others

What inspires you?
It's music and mood driven.

When did you first become inspired?
I can't pin point a date when I became interested in belly dance. I've always been a dancer and drawn to different tribal styles.

What style do you prefer?
Tribal fusion

What style do you want to learn but haven't yet?
I want official training in turkish to build a better base for the fusion.

Do you prefer a specific type of music to dance to or can you/do you like to dance to any beat?
Depends on mood, sometimes the right drum beat or music playing sets me into dance mode. It varies from tribal music to industrial to metal. I can literally dance to anything. Have a slow project of a bellydance light show for raves lol.

Do you think that belly dancing is a (can be a) form of spiritual expression? Why?
Yes I do, it's the most natural dance style when doing transcendental dance, at least for me. If you get into the spiritual aspects of bellydance, esp the egyptian style, they speak a lot of many of the moves being labeled with goddess terms and how we need to access our inner goddess.

[thalassa]

Re: Belly Dancing (Ode to Rachel Brice)

I thought this was pretty cool...

...I think I'll proly get the DVD (eventually), despite mixed reviews on amazon (apparently its not *all* belly dance, and that po'd some viewers), because the idea (tarot card themed dances) looks interesting