4️⃣ Secrets of Solo Improvisation
Advice I give every bellydancer about solo improvisation
PRE-P.S. The ⭐️ ALL NEW⭐️ Cohesion Collective opens for enrollment next week on Thursday April 25th, 2024 at 9am CT!
Apply now to get your invite to my brand new masterclass (going live for accepted applicants when enrollment opens) showing you what's working for professional bellydancers in 2024!
Today I’m sharing the four things I tell every bellydancer when I give them feedback on their solo improvisation and help them prepare for their next performance. These four tips are key to a successful improvised solo and trust me, almost every single bellydancer needs to hear them!
I don't know about you, but I LOVE listening to podcasts! (Especially while I'm going for a walk, cleaning the house, or brushing my teeth). They help me enjoy the routine tasks of my day. So I thought I'd create a podcast for you! If you'd rather listen than read you can jump straight to the podcast episode here! ⬇️
Okay now let’s get into it!
4 Secrets of Solo Improvisation
1. Simplify
Go slow
Your mind speeds up as a reaction to adrenaline, so you think you are moving slower than you really are. In all likelihood you are moving too fast and need to slow down.
Repeat movement
Repetition serves as an anchor for the audience (just like we love the chorus of a song because we recognize and enjoy it!)
Be still
Literally stop moving some of the time. Just be still. Even if only for a few counts. It punctuates the dance in a really nice way.
Move one body part at a time
Moving a single part of the body (the hips, arms, chest, etc) helps the audience stay intrigued and know what to look at.
Accent a single aspect of the music
When you think you are highlighting the melody, all the instruments, and the rhythm in your body all at the same time: that is most likely not reading to the audience. They don't see it. Try highlighting just one instrument, then just the rhythm, then only the melody.
2. Be Present
Enjoy yourself!
Being present - connected to the moment, your body, and the music - makes the audience feel at peace and engaged. If you are distracted, so is the audience.
Know that you are enough
The audience is not just there to see WHAT you do, we want to see WHO you are.
3. Set Yourself Up for Success
Make a plan for your children
Make sure your kids are attended to by someone who is going to kindly stop them from interfering with your performance. You don’t want to worry about their safety. Sometimes young children need to be removed from the performance area because they might get overwhelmed and cry or try to enter the performance space. Prepare for this.
Practice in your costume
Make sure you have danced in your costume before you perform in it, including your accessories like jewelry, headpieces, shoes, props, and even your hair style. This way none of your brain power has to go to worrying that you might have a costume malfunction.
Know the song really well
so you can effectively highlight the melodic phrases, accents, breaks, and rhythms.
Have a loose outline
Plan what you might do and when. Where in the music and on the stage will you do your entrance, floor work, audience participation, stillness, isolations, travel, shimmies, etc?
Step on the stage before the show
Make sure you have set foot on the performance space before you dance.
4. Follow Through
Complete your ideas
Finish one idea or movement before you move on to the next. When a dancer begins a bunch of ideas that never conclude that all interrupt one another it feels disjointed and frantic.
Actually do the performance
Instead of just practicing at home, challenge yourself to perform in a show, at a gig, or in a local hafla. You need to practice how it feels to be flooded with adrenaline. You need to expose yourself to the unpredictable conditions of a real performance so you learn how to calibrate yourself when you experience them. Even if you feel nervous. Even if you don't feel 100% ready. You will learn so much! One performance is worth 10 rehearsals.
Now go quickly fill out your application to get the link to my brand new masterclass where I'll be sharing exactly what is working for professional bellydancers in 2024!
The masterclass goes live on April 25th when we open the doors to:
The ⭐️ALL NEW⭐️ Cohesion Collective
Teacher Training and Performance Development Program for Current and Aspiring Professional Bellydancers
⭐️ Check out the new page to see all the exciting updates! ⭐️
The Cohesion Collective is my comprehensive, customizable program where we teach you *everything* you need to grow a successful bellydance career fueled by a high level of technical skill, deep knowledge, improvisation, choreographic composition, effective teaching, and entrepreneurial know-how.
The program includes all of three Stages of the Dance Cohesion courses and Teacher Trainings, a high level of support - plus soooo much more! Check out the new page to see all The Cohesion Collective includes and while you are there fill out your application. (It only takes 2 minutes and there is no obligation to join.)
🚨 You'll want to apply ASAP to get access to the new masterclass and take advantage of the incredibly valuable bonus that is available for this enrollment period only!
I can't wait to share with you all the updates and lessons I've learned over the years helping bellydancers reach their pro goals!
🔑 YOUR ALL ACCESS PASS TO EVERYTHING I KNOW
I am teaching you *everything I know* in The ALL NEW Cohesion Collective.
It’s everything I know about making it work as a professional bellydancer (gigging, touring, teaching, producing, directing) from 20+ years experience.
With everything in The ⭐️ALL NEW⭐️ Cohesion Collective, you can build your bellydance career as simple or sophisticated as you like. These strategies are designed to grow and evolve with you, just like they have served me for my entire career.
Warmly,
April Rose 🌹
Read what dancers are saying about The Cohesion Collective...
Lansley began the program with no experience and quickly became a skilled pro:
“The content helped me understand all the different aspects of bellydancing with sophistication and professional knowledge,”
P.S.
If you live in Austin, please join me and my weekly class students for our upcoming class showcase on April 30th! We'll be performing our group improv format, Cued Cohesion, and sharing solos! The show is free and guaranteed to be tons of fun! Hope to see you there!
