Improvised Bellydance - An Alternative to the Stress of Remembering Choreography

Have you ever been to a dance workshop and forgotten it all by the time you got home? Me too! Even
after becoming a dance teacher myself, I would attend workshops for my own professional development, only to find myself feeling like I had two left feet as I struggled to learn a bunch of new combinations in a short amount of time. Most workshops focussed on my weakest attribute - memory!

Christine, Cindy & Leanne at Seville House

I don't know about you, but I can't learn a choreography in two hours and leave the workshop with a new routine installed in my repertoire. My brain just doesn't work that way. I imagine it's because I didn't go to any dance classes until I was twenty-six years old; a late start for a dancer. I had never worn a tutu, twirled a baton or stood on-stage caked in mum's make-up to perform a cute routine for calisthenics. I was an absolute beginner. The closest I had come to performance was my miraculous inclusion with the 'cool girls' in a choreographed performance of 'Footloose' in Grade 6.

That's why Majickal Bellydance has gradually evolved into an improvisational style that you can adapt to suit yourself, your timetable, and your lounge room. You don't even need to move your furniture. Majickal Bellydance adapts to your space and your life like water, flowing into the spaces with ease and joy.

The Magic is in the Mindfulness

So where's the magic in Majickal Bellydance? Well, the magic is in the mindfulness. Majickal Bellydance is bellydance with the glitz and sequins peeled away. It's about feeling good in whatever skin you're in, whatever you're wearing, wherever you are. That's because the dance takes place within you. This is not a performance style. Attention is focussed inward where you can feel each bellydance movement, how it's affecting your body, and your energy field.

Ancient bellydance is an energy dance. When music, form and spirit combine - something is generated; an energy that can be manipulated, shaken, stirred, raised, dropped and dedicated. Majickal Bellydance captures this ancient 'moving mindfulness,' dedicating it to help women reconnect with body, spirit, and strength.

Modern culture draws us into our 'heads' so much that the healthy movement of our bodies can be compromised. Mindfulness styles of dance can help you to anchor your presence into your body to increase health, balance and body wisdom.

I would like to share a few tips on how to be more mindful of your body while you dance. The mind isn't just in the head, it's a whole body energy system. Once you become aware of it, you will never need to be told how to dance again. You'll just follow the energy and move with the flow, creating your own dance.

Tips for Mindful Dancing

1. Dance Freestyle: There are no 'right' or 'wrong' movements. Let your body move the way it wants to. This practice shows us our abilities and our limits, as well as connecting us to the joyful dance of childhood.
2. Know Your Limits: Dance free, but know your limits. If you know you have a sore shoulder, be gentle with that body part. Keep your movements small and be aware of the effect of the movements on your pain levels. Bellydance should never be painful, but if you're not used to dancing, you might feel some muscle stiffness as you get used to it. This 'stiffness' is different from the 'pain' associated with injury and strain. Mindfulness dance should help you learn how to tell the difference, so you can keep yourself safe while you move. 
3. Make a Shape: If the music starts and you find yourself frozen stiff, just think of a simple shape. The most obvious shape in bellydance is the circle. Draw a circle in the air. Notice how your wrist moves to create the circle. Now make it bigger. Notice your forearm move in a large circle as you 'draw.' Now make it even bigger and feel your shoulder join in the movement. Choose another body part to draw a circle with. A basic bellydance movement is the hip circle. It can be performed in a number of ways: horizontal, vertical, multiplied, twisted into a figure eight, and created just about anywhere on the body. See how many different types of circle you can discover for yourself. 
4. No Judgement: Don't judge your dancing. A body judged is a body contracted into knots. Let your natural joyful movements flow out when you are at home in your own dance space. Make sure your space is safe and free of people who might ridicule you. Their presence will affect your ability to be free and will particularly affect your ability to be mindful.
5. How Does it Feel on the Inside? Feel your movements on the inside. Feel how the joints are rotating or hingeing. Feel how your muscles tense and release to create shapes and movements. Closing your eyes can really help you to see yourself on the inside. 
6. Make Some Waves: Find a movement, such as a circle or a shimmy, and see how you can make that movement 'travel' around your body - like a Mexican Wave! See how thoroughly you can let the movement flow around your body. Pay attention to the places where the movements get 'stuck.' The 'stuck energy' is a clue to areas you need to shake and move more. If the stuck energy feels more like pain, get it checked out by a health professional. Fear of unchecked 'mystery' pains can also block the flow of your dance energy.  Otherwise, as you grow more mobile, your confidence and faith in your own body will naturally grow. 

I'll be teaching all of this, including a range of 'shapes' you can use to remind yourself how to dance at home. I'm presenting a two hour workshop in the Yarra Valley on the 7th April 2019. After that I will taking a break from teaching to focus on finishing some writing projects. Spaces are limited in this small homely space, so don't delay booking into to Seville House's easy online booking system. You can also ring them on the phone.

For full details CLICK HERE

And happy dancing - freestylin' X

Leanne Margaret © 2019