The 90 Day Dance Party burst upon the world in the fall of 2012. Over 400 people signed up for this wonderful, free event. It marked the beginning of some enormous shifts in my life.
I made a badge back then for everyone who was part of this landmark long-form improvisation–the Badass Art Revolutionary. I always wanted to see that badge on stuff–and now I can!
I spent this morning procrastinating all my work tasks and put the badge on redbubble. Check out how cute it is!
In this series, we look at how dance has turned from a pleasurable fun activity to one of perfectionism and hard work. The series began with the observations of a dance friend, Sarah, who noticed that practicing improvisation was seen as less valuable than drilling or fitting combos into other songs.
Our first strategy was making time for creative work. Read Part I here.
Our second strategy was Opting for the Most Pleasurable. Read Part II here.
Now let’s look at some caveats–things to watch out for. Sarah mentioned that she and her dance friends tended to dismiss “just improv” as not a quality practice session.
We must consider what a person means by “just improv.” If they mean put on music and hop around on autopilot, no, that is not going to make them a better dancer. It will maybe up their stamina, but otherwise it is just going to reinforce hopping around on autopilot.
When a person really dances, they become more skilled at really dancing. The interoceptive (Sufi, Dancemeditation™) model puts us in questing, curious relationship with our body, the music, and the Divine. That is entirely different from hopping around.
Sarah said,
I’ve had days where I’ve danced for 30-40 minutes; playing around with the music and what feels good … Then I beat myself up for not having “really” practiced.
Part of the shift is letting go of beating ourselves up. For anything. This is a destructive behavior. It is a symptom of old shame and trauma. When we feel it happening, we can take long exhales and let the impulse wash out of the body. Practicing self-love and acceptance is far more valuable–and genuinely subversive ; ).
To dance well, we need confidence. Drilling and technique practice encourages us to look at ourselves with narrow, critical eyes. Really dancing, using our time to enjoy and connect to the music, the guests, our bodies, and our joy–this develops our confidence. The affirmation in the picture, “I am a Master. I am great!” is worth a lot of repetition.
There’s a difference between drilling and improv. Drilling practice makes us more precise and stylized. Quality improv practice develops musicality and intuitive response.
A classical musician trains through technique, plays scales. A folk musician plays music. That is his practice. The folk musician may be every bit the musician and every bit as skilled as the classical musician. It’s just a different system.
Dave Brubeck went to Turkey and was flabbergasted that the folk musicians were so brilliant and improvised on odd meters better than trained Western musicians. That’s what inspired him to write Take 5 (or that’s the myth, anyway). Even in Arabic music, there is the maqamat, a classical learning system of modes and scales, and there is the nagamat system, that of melodies (nagam means melody in Arabic).
What I suggest is a nagamat system: practicing dance–by dancing! (the raqsat system, if you will).
Wait, what about technique?! I roll technique into my practice. I often stop to explore a move, enjoying its path and texture in my body. I fit my movement to the music, listen for and express emotional timbres, respond intuitively, explore and enhance individual movements & vocabulary, develop grace (slow movement), strength (by using the floor), etc etc.
I also practice stagecraft and connection. I roll all of this, too, right into my practice. I “dance like someone is watching.” I challenge myself to be as open as I am in the interoceptive mode while connecting to an “audience.” I dance with my eyes open, and pull out all the performance stops, right in my own room, flirting with the walls, mirror, and the guest who exist far past those physical walls.
This practice style makes me more creative, innovative, and happy. I am always finding new ideas, new avenues, and new elements in my music. I have more freedom, better technique, and a lot more joy–both in dance and in life. Plus my musicality improves, too. This is a pretty significant win-win.
If you want to be a great dancer, it may take more than 20 minutes of practice a day. But if all you have is 20 minutes, you will become a better dancer by dancing–and developing a deep connection to your body and the music–than you ever will by drilling. It may not be the same in other dance forms. But that is how it is in this dance.
The basics of our dance are not that hard. It’s not like ballet, or even Flamenco. It’s super organic, super comfortable on the body. I mean, it’s a folk dance. There’s a learning curve, but you can get most of it in a couple of months. Hell, you can get a lot of it in an couple of hours.
–> The artistry is in the intuitive connection to complex, improvised music, in never doing it the same way twice, in the feeling, in the connection, in the joy.
You can’t drill that.
You have to dance it.
That’s what we’re doing when we practice improv.
Or at least, that’s our path.
Love,
Alia
PS Want to inspire, amaze and delight?
You might enjoy How to Create Dance Art (CDA), an online composition intensive for improvisation & choreography, coming this spring. http://CreateDanceArt.com
“Alia took the time to read my postings and reply to every one, always with helpful information and insight. I felt that she really understood the different ways people learn and work. We weren’t all the same people. I felt that I was a part of the group but that I was also lucky enough to be taking a private course with Alia.”
“The work is spaced out over a long period of time which allows for a true thinking sift to happen. It’s a lifestyle change not a diet so to speak. I would recommend this course to people who are ready to have a paradigm shift and who have an open mind.”
“it was really amazing in the ways that it helped me to make my dancer richer. Even if it was only in my mind. Because every feeling I have is somehow translated to the audience, and having so much to work with made me feel that I would never be out of ideas. I could do a hip circle 20 times, but if I emoted differently with each one, it would seem different to the audience. Mind blowing.”
There is a special early deal November27-30. Please have a look right away as it is very short term. http://CreateDanceArt.com
It’s pretty clear that belly dance is more than a sparkly little toy. It’s more than a sexy treat for the male gaze, a fun way of getting exercise, or a dress-up opportunity. It is more than entertainment. It is more than art. We can use it that way, and it will work just fine, but we are playing marbles with giant pearls.
Belly dance is a glorious marriage of the sacred and the profane—beautiful, sensual, healing, and integrative. It aligns the body and mind, washes away stress and trauma, frees us from fear and anxiety, and connects us to the Divine. How many other venues have all that?
There are plenty of practices that do most of it—tai-chi, yoga, Zen archery, even sitting meditation. But none of them include those sensual, beautiful, entertaining, profane qualities. There are no spangles, playfulness, or music. No sensuality. No fun.
Belly dance has all that and more.
Belly dance has been seen as entertainment, art, a pastime—a generally innocuous occupation with little meaning outside of itself. Many of us have a mission to “elevate the dance,” which often means to make it more Western—put it on bigger stages, with bigger audiences.
What if we elevate the dance by keeping its cultural values? Improvisation, feeling, sensual enjoyment, micro-movement, playfulness, dallua, soul. Without them, this dance is dead. It’s an empty movement vocabulary. It becomes like Cheez Wiz or Cool Whip—an artificial, processed, non-food masquerading as real food. We don’t need more plastic crap in our lives.
We need real things that connect us to our true selves. We need avenues to our souls, ways to accept and nurture ourselves, be kind to ourselves, love ourselves. Through accepting and affirming the self, we find the courage and the kindness to love others.
Little by little, this love radiates outward, touching others, healing as it goes. It extends outward, all over the world, finally returning back to us, energizing us and everyone it meets.
Am I saying belly dance has the potential for world peace?
Yes. Yes, I am.
Instead of using this dance to glorify ourselves, we can spread love, healing, kindness, spirit, joy.
Most days I get up several hours before anyone else in my family. It is often dark, now that it’s fall here in Vermont. It’s also cold. I hate getting up in the dark, and I hate the cold. I’d prefer to sleep in every morning until it is sunny and warm. But I get up. I don’t like it–but I like myself better when I do it.
I wash up, make some coffee and toast, and take my vitamins. Then I open the file of my book. And then I write. I like to put in at least an hour or 1K words. I often go more and sometimes less. (For a while I was reading every morning, but now I am focused on the writing). After I write, I put in my headphones and pick a dance song on my phone. Once I’m moving, I usually dance for my whole 20 minutes. And then I feel like I accomplished something, all day long, even if the rest of it goes completely to heck.
It’s hard, because when I feel sorry for myself, I tend to get self-indulgent. I slack on things I know are important. I eat crap food. I don’t write–or dance. Then I feel guilty (another big time-waster). Then I feel even sorrier for myself–and the cycle of Resistance continues.
It’s taken me a long time to get to this point of relative consistency. And I don’t always defend my time well. Yesterday I overslept and my Mom got up early. I just stepped back. I wasn’t happy with myself, but I am done beating myself up over the occasional slip. NGAMO, right? No Guilt And Move On.
Today I got up earlier and wrote–but I didn’t fully close the book part of my morning and formally move on to the next task in the chain, the headphones and song. So somehow I didn’t dance.
Little by little, progress comes. I narrow the focus of my intentions and determination, things get done, and they become habits. Accomplishments then become more reliable, and my skills improve, because I get consistent practice, so I feel better about myself. You get the picture, right?
It’s so seductive to let our creativity slip down the back of the sofa. We put ourselves last and swallow our frustration, turning it against ourselves. We waste our lives hating ourselves for our weakness. Hating ourselves is just another trap.
Why do we do this? Some of it is what we learned to do. Some of it is our own fear. Where does the fear come from? Often it’s left over from times we got shamed. Wherever it came form, it’s corrosive to our creativity. Art requires us to take a stand and make something–to move, to put words or ink or paint on the page.
Instead we believe the lies we tell ourselves. It’s no good, I’m no good,. It doesn’t matter. It’s too hard. I don’t care. It’s just…
How do we protect our creative spaces? Our dance habits? Our self-confidence and joy, which are so tied to our creativity?
It starts with showing up. Showing up to do the work. This is a big reason I like taking classes (besides the learning). I have a reason to show up. Someone besides me notices. They’re on my side. I started teaching so I would practice. I still do. Little by little, I grow my habits.
Every day, I learn to show up. When the Muse comes looking, I want to be there.
And I’m teaching one on Effortless Improvisation. Daily assignment, accountability, and a great community that has your back. https://aliathabit.com/effortless
Plus, you can double up and win with the Compassionate Critique Salon.
Do you crave honest, objective dance feedback?
(Wish it didn’t hurt so much?)
Announcing: The Compassionate Critique Salon!
The Compassionate Critique Salon. Honest, empowering feedback in a safe environment so dancers can develop the confidence to grow their artistry.
Plus (since one size does not fit all), you get great feedback from *three* professional dance coaches: Nadira Jamal, Rosa Noreen, and Alia Thabit.
Each coach will provide you with encouragement, observations on what to cultivate, and one idea to work on. So you feel good about what you’ve accomplished and have a manageable set of goals.
Well, I managed to bite off a bit more, but i am still chewing!
I’m taking part in the 10 day Small Products Lab challenge–make and launch a brand new product in 10 days. It’s now Day 2 and I have decided upon my project: And overview of How to Design an Online Course. Yeah, I got this.
For Day 2, we are to make a To-Do List. Here is mine.
#SPLDay2 To Do List
July 26: Course outline, contest rules, and goal setting
July 27: What’s your product?
E-Course Design Overview
July 28: Plan, research, and outline
Finish outlining
Create bullet list from the outline
Begin writing: 100-150 words for needy points
Identify cartoons for illustrations
Set up pre-sell page on Gumroad
July 29: Set up your profile (Twitter chat with Nathan Barry)
Have Twitter profile already
Keep writing
Start drawing
July 30: Start marketing (Mid-Lab challenge)
Make a pre-sell page on GR
Send an email to my list w pre-sell page
Post the pre-sell page on FB.
List other teachers to email
Keep drawing and writing
Wave to my visitors
July 31: Package it up (Twitter chat with Barrett Brooks)
DESIGN & PACKAGING ugh. Help!
Design workbook as pdf for printing (will take all day)
Draft a pitch for the course to follow
Wave to my visitors
August 1: Work, assess, breathe
Must… keep… going…
(eek I have to make a sales page for another course, too!)
August 2: Decoding the pricing puzzle
Double the price!
Keep drawing and writing
August 3: Prep for launch day (Mid-Lab challenge winner announced)
Congratulate winner
Freak out over design flaws
Freak out over lack of content
Keep writing and drawing and emailing and posting
August 4: Partner up (Twitter chat with Jeff Goins)
Get a partner, I guess
Keep working
August 5: Reach out
Email EVERYONE
Frantically attempt to finish
Scream hysterically at family and friends
August 6: Launch day!
Collapse in a sodden, sobbing heap
Do an interview on a totally other subject, now long neglected
Aaand, we had another sort of list to make, so I did that, too
What exactly does the end result look like?
A 1-2 page overview of elements to consider when designing an online course
How many words/minutes/features is it?
+/- 1K words plus pictures
If it’s a digital good, what type of file is it?
PDF
Does it require input from anyone else (a partner, an interviewee)?
Noooo, but nervous about design
What is necessary to include in it, and what’s nice to have?
Main points need to be there. Extra info about each point is nice. Or a video! With the points a slides and a little chat about each one.
Where do you think you’ll encounter difficulty producing and/or launching it?
Time is tight, of course. It will bloat, of course. I will hate it, of course (at times). But I’ll do it.
I just joined Gumroad’s Small Product Lab (https://gumroad.com/smallproductlab). I’ll make a new thing in 10 days, from 7/27-10/5. Something digital–a small book, tutorial, tool, video, or art thing, like a coloring book.
Isometrics is the the practice of engaging groups of muscles in opposition to each other. It is a stretching away from while yearning toward, contraction and expansion. All the core movements in our dance cluster around this junction between contraction and expansion. In embracing both impulses at once, isometric opposition gives power and intentionality to movement and mirrors this push/pull dialectic that exists in the music and poetry—of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, the heaven and hell of love.
Slow movement enhances this isometric quality. You can put a lot of urgency and drama into an exquisitely slow movement, imbue it with a thick, dripping, intensity as the muscles yearn both towards and away from each other. As strength increases, the affect of effortlessness increases, until the syrupy quality of the isometric movement oozes and pours out of the body.
This is how the calligraphic effect is created—the thicker, slower arcs of the line more richly isometric, as the movement presses against itself, the hip pulling up while simultaneously resisted by the upper body, the thinner portions faster, less opposed, little frissons of decorative curlicue as the movement passes the midline and relaxes into expansion.
The shoulders pull down, away from the neck, into the body, while the arms yearn out away from the body. Each sweep of the arms energizes this opposition, each lift and sway of the hip dramatizes another, each circle draws it out again and again, hovering on that delicate edge between love and loss, slowing down to heighten the intensity of oppositional contraction, swinging blithely though the convergence of release.
An awareness of this dynamic brings great dramatic charge to simple movement. The drama arises out of the muscular interaction, the restraint of oppositional contraction and the rushing lightness of expansion. The body takes great pleasure in articulating this, illustrating the dynamics within the music, texture as well as volume, speed and pitch, embracing the hesitations, the pauses, the spaces between the notes, taking time, relaxed and compressed in the same moment.
Dunya McPhersondeveloped Dancemeditation™, upon which our 90 Days practice is based, from Sufi dance, which has the same traditional movement vocabulary as belly dance. Here’s how she describes Dancemeditation™ :
Dancemeditation™ is a unique, integrated, embodied meditation system for self-discovery, healing, & evolution. Through the cultivation of embodied awareness and present-ness, we explore relationships between self-&-other, self-&-cosmos, self-with-Self, and self-to-the Divine Eternal, and ultimately dissolve relationship into non-duality, into One-ness. Dancemeditation™ links you to the deepest roots of human quest for spiritual understanding and Truth.
Dancemeditation™ proposes that your body is spiritual intelligence. Training focuses on listening to the body with curiosity and respect. The practices develop trust and adeptness in this receptive process and can be practiced alone or with others.
Dancemeditation™ is Sufi dance enriched by Dunya’s incisive, deeply artistic winnowing of myriad potential connections. She weaves elements from poetry to science into a deceptively simple yet deeply complex system. And it’s real. Sufi dance, ancient pathway to the Divine, has the same movement vocabulary. It is the proof of our dance’s spirit core that we all feel. And Dunya’s the real deal—with decades of experience and experimentation, she is a Master. She teaches with silence more than most do with words.
You’ve seen a bit of Opening Sequence in the trailer. Dunya’s voiceover instruction is clear and soothing. If you’d like a gentle way into your daily practice, Opening Sequence will get you there (and hey, it’s tax-deductible).
Opening Sequence, 8 mins, full routine with voiceover instruction. $5.35
Welcome to the new year and the new light.
May we all find peace, love, and joy.
Here’s a present, just for you.
I’ve been taking a cartooning course for the last 18 months (the source of all the Elbi cartoons for the book).
I just completed my final project–today. Here it is: The Cat who Didn’t Care,a Hub & Elbi picture book.
I discovered Hunter-Gatherers in a college anthropology class. Finally, everything made sense. Hunter gatherers don’t seek to control their environment–they map it. They know where and when the best mushrooms grow–just like I knew the roll of tape was on the floor behind the bathroom door. And they don’t dig up those mushrooms and plant them outside the hovel, either. Just like I never bothered picking up the tape and putting it away. I knew where it was.
In stark contrast are the Agriculturists.Their prime motivation is control of their environment and reduction of risk. Those people would dig up every single mushroom and plant it in their own yard. They collect seeds and hoard them for the spring. They do everything the same way every time, because one slip and their crops might fail. Their world could be lost. So they are careful.
While the agriculturists hoard and plan, hunter gatherers hold feasts and eat up everything in sight. More food will turn up sooner or later. If it doesn’t, well, they will be hungry and put a lot more effort into finding food. It is a boom and bust cycle, one that capitalizes on the seasons, the earth’s bounty, and the vagaries of chance.
In a hunter-gatherer society, risk has value. Boldness, experimentation, and innovation are survival skills.
Agriculturists, however, hate risk.They hate change. They hate mess. They color inside the lines. They walk out on stage with an entire routine scotch-taped to the inside of their forehead.
The ags have taken over the world.They have amassed its riches. They have rejected and oppressed everyone who is different from them, or used those folks to advance their own ends. War is not fought by the old–they send the young to do that for them. They send the adventurers out on adventures, and then rake in the cash when one hits it good. Sure they lose sometimes, but they are calculated risks. And that’s the important difference.
In the field of oriental dance, the ags have come calling big time. They have colonized my beloved dance form with their choreographies, group dances, naming, and owning. I reject all that.
I understand the allure. It makes things easier, it is fun, yadda yadda. But there is a dark side. It destroys the creativity and agency of the student. It values copying over feeling, and perpetuates insecurity, shame, and hierarchy. It is “Strictly Ballroom” all over again.
I don’t stand for any of it.
I stand for creativity and self-expressiongrounded in traditional oriental dance values. I stand for becoming our true selves in dance and in life. I stand for letting go of limiting beliefs, trauma, and shame and entering into the fullness of our potential.
And there is hope.
Many of the Agiculturist traits are the result of how we are raised. Most people aren’t raised to be artists. They are not raised to trust that everything will work out. To just show up. To say YES.
It’s scary to let go, to seize the moment when you have to double check every decision of your life.
It is a leap of faith to leave the safety net and take the risk of improvisation.
It may be hard at first. Learning can feel uncomfortable and scary. But, but, but–when you hang in there and have faith, when you embrace the challenge, when you let yourself feel the wonder of the wind in your hair…
