STAY MOTIVATED
How to lead a bellydance life of abundance
By Meagan Mayada Hesham
Reprinted from Yallah Magazine - Spring 2013
Lost your motivation to practice? Not inspired to finish that choreography you started last fall? Missing your regular weekly class more and more lately? Maybe saying yes to doing shows just for the money? Even if this doesn’t describe you right now – if you’ve been dancing for a while, I’m sure you’ve been through a phase like this at some point... and if you’re just starting out, this will probably happen to you sometime once the novelty and initial stage of excitement wears off. The biggest enemy of staying motivated is being lured into operating on autopilot. Just as every married couple needs to put some effort into keeping the flame burning bright in their relationship, once you've been bellydancing for a while, you'll benefit from some tactics to help keep your approach focused, fresh, and invigorated! Here are some ideas…
Daydream
Carve out certain blocks of time to just let your mind wander... dream about your main dance goals, envision yourself putting on that perfect, stunning bellydance show, actually see yourself wearing your fantasy costume or executing the biggest, loosest shimmy of your life! Make this a priority: visualization has POWER! Schedule this time into every day or do it at a set time - like right before bed or as soon as you wake - or else you won’t do it nearly enough!
Surf the Net
Of course YouTube is awesome - watching bellydancers from across the globe doing all sorts of different styles is uber-inspiring. Also check out other dancer’s websites and Facebook pages (both peers and seemingly untouchable stars). Seeing beautiful images and what everyone is up to in the dance world can give you the push to get on with your personal dance goals too! Join online forums and message boards to stay in the loop with what’s going on in the bellydance world and keep you connected with like-minded individuals. You can also use the internet to research stuff like what the lyrics to that new song mean, the difference between Saiidi and Falahiin costuming, etc.
Go to Shows
Nothing beats a live performance (especially if there’s a band too!) Whether it’s a big theatrical production, an intimate solo show at the local Arabic restaurant, a student showcase, or even something that’s not bellydance like the ballet or a musical… you can find inspiration from it all! The influence - what it might sway or shape in the future - may be a little more abstract, but sometimes that can be the most helpful to artists!
Collaborate
Say yes as much as you can to opportunities that come your way to collaborate with other artists! Sometimes moving out of your comfort zone by challenging yourself to learn someone else’s style or doing a performance type you normally wouldn’t can nurture your expansion as an artist and keep the motivation flowing. I often get super-inspired in other areas of my dancing when I work on a project with others. If the offers aren't flying in, create your own projects: team up with a fellow bellydancer to perform at the next fringe festival in your city, choreograph a fusion piece with an artist in another dance form like tango or hip-hop!
Practise
Keep dancing! Often practice is the first thing to go when we’re not feeling totally motivated and inspired. Practice starts to feel like a chore; chores are boring and not something we really want to deal with (so we don’t). Or we're too tired. Or feeling a little under the weather. Or... [fill in the blank with your favorite excuse here]. I think we need to take the other route and dance/practice all the time, no matter what! I often think of this quote to get me going when I’m not really in the mood to practice or dance much: “Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free." – Rumi
Often times when you're facing challenges or when conditions aren't ideal for dance practice can bring forth something really unique and unexpected, perhaps a breakthrough with a technique you’ve been working on forever. Some of my most memorable choreographies were created at times when I was tired or stressed-out and initially not in the mood to dance. Push through and do it anyway… if nothing else, you know you’ll feel better after dancing out whatever you're going through!
Teach
Teaching can really force you to pull up your socks because you need to be inspiring to your students and be prepared with new technique and/or choreography each class. You can teach even if you’re not a pro yet – offer to pass on some basics to a pal, help a fellow classmate or troupe member catch up on steps or a choreo she missed while away on vacation, teach a fun volunteer workshop at the local seniors' home or recreation centre. Or if you feel experienced enough to teach professionally, rent some studio space and advertise a workshop or start up your own weekly class.
Commit
Apply to perform at the evening gala show of the next workshop you’ll attend, offer to dance at your uncle and aunt’s anniversary party, sign up to dance at your studio’s student showcase – whatever it is make sure it’s a kinda scary big deal to you. Try to commit to it a while in advance so you have time to really work towards it. Having a big show to prepare for makes you work hard on everything from your technique, to your choreography, your costume and stage presence so you look super-awesome for that important performance!
More Ideas:
w learn a new style of bellydance or even a whole new dance form
w get a practise buddy or try small group drills
w join a troupe
w buy or make a new costume
w videotape yourself
w travel
w set goals
w watch an Instructional DVD
w take a different class/book a private/sign up for a workshop
w Read bellydance magazines like Yallah!
How to lead a bellydance life of abundance
By Meagan Mayada Hesham
Reprinted from Yallah Magazine - Spring 2013
Lost your motivation to practice? Not inspired to finish that choreography you started last fall? Missing your regular weekly class more and more lately? Maybe saying yes to doing shows just for the money? Even if this doesn’t describe you right now – if you’ve been dancing for a while, I’m sure you’ve been through a phase like this at some point... and if you’re just starting out, this will probably happen to you sometime once the novelty and initial stage of excitement wears off. The biggest enemy of staying motivated is being lured into operating on autopilot. Just as every married couple needs to put some effort into keeping the flame burning bright in their relationship, once you've been bellydancing for a while, you'll benefit from some tactics to help keep your approach focused, fresh, and invigorated! Here are some ideas…
Daydream
Carve out certain blocks of time to just let your mind wander... dream about your main dance goals, envision yourself putting on that perfect, stunning bellydance show, actually see yourself wearing your fantasy costume or executing the biggest, loosest shimmy of your life! Make this a priority: visualization has POWER! Schedule this time into every day or do it at a set time - like right before bed or as soon as you wake - or else you won’t do it nearly enough!
Surf the Net
Of course YouTube is awesome - watching bellydancers from across the globe doing all sorts of different styles is uber-inspiring. Also check out other dancer’s websites and Facebook pages (both peers and seemingly untouchable stars). Seeing beautiful images and what everyone is up to in the dance world can give you the push to get on with your personal dance goals too! Join online forums and message boards to stay in the loop with what’s going on in the bellydance world and keep you connected with like-minded individuals. You can also use the internet to research stuff like what the lyrics to that new song mean, the difference between Saiidi and Falahiin costuming, etc.
Go to Shows
Nothing beats a live performance (especially if there’s a band too!) Whether it’s a big theatrical production, an intimate solo show at the local Arabic restaurant, a student showcase, or even something that’s not bellydance like the ballet or a musical… you can find inspiration from it all! The influence - what it might sway or shape in the future - may be a little more abstract, but sometimes that can be the most helpful to artists!
Collaborate
Say yes as much as you can to opportunities that come your way to collaborate with other artists! Sometimes moving out of your comfort zone by challenging yourself to learn someone else’s style or doing a performance type you normally wouldn’t can nurture your expansion as an artist and keep the motivation flowing. I often get super-inspired in other areas of my dancing when I work on a project with others. If the offers aren't flying in, create your own projects: team up with a fellow bellydancer to perform at the next fringe festival in your city, choreograph a fusion piece with an artist in another dance form like tango or hip-hop!
Practise
Keep dancing! Often practice is the first thing to go when we’re not feeling totally motivated and inspired. Practice starts to feel like a chore; chores are boring and not something we really want to deal with (so we don’t). Or we're too tired. Or feeling a little under the weather. Or... [fill in the blank with your favorite excuse here]. I think we need to take the other route and dance/practice all the time, no matter what! I often think of this quote to get me going when I’m not really in the mood to practice or dance much: “Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free." – Rumi
Often times when you're facing challenges or when conditions aren't ideal for dance practice can bring forth something really unique and unexpected, perhaps a breakthrough with a technique you’ve been working on forever. Some of my most memorable choreographies were created at times when I was tired or stressed-out and initially not in the mood to dance. Push through and do it anyway… if nothing else, you know you’ll feel better after dancing out whatever you're going through!
Teach
Teaching can really force you to pull up your socks because you need to be inspiring to your students and be prepared with new technique and/or choreography each class. You can teach even if you’re not a pro yet – offer to pass on some basics to a pal, help a fellow classmate or troupe member catch up on steps or a choreo she missed while away on vacation, teach a fun volunteer workshop at the local seniors' home or recreation centre. Or if you feel experienced enough to teach professionally, rent some studio space and advertise a workshop or start up your own weekly class.
Commit
Apply to perform at the evening gala show of the next workshop you’ll attend, offer to dance at your uncle and aunt’s anniversary party, sign up to dance at your studio’s student showcase – whatever it is make sure it’s a kinda scary big deal to you. Try to commit to it a while in advance so you have time to really work towards it. Having a big show to prepare for makes you work hard on everything from your technique, to your choreography, your costume and stage presence so you look super-awesome for that important performance!
More Ideas:
w learn a new style of bellydance or even a whole new dance form
w get a practise buddy or try small group drills
w join a troupe
w buy or make a new costume
w videotape yourself
w travel
w set goals
w watch an Instructional DVD
w take a different class/book a private/sign up for a workshop
w Read bellydance magazines like Yallah!
Mayada with some of her 12-Week Pro Bellydance Program Students
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What would Fifi do?
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